The Vietnamese morning starts with caphe sua da, while its nights stay lit with bia hoi. Then there is nuoc mia, the national drink more popular than coke. What significance do these three soul drinks have from the viewpoint of Vietnamese people? What special flavor and charm do these plain-looking drinks offer?

The signature street coffee, ‘caphe sua da’ means iced(da) milk(sua) coffee(caphe) in Vietnamese. Robusta coffee that has dark and bitter tastes is brewed through the traditional dripper called ‘phin’ and is mixed with condensed milk. The combination of bittersweet coffee and creamy milk creates a fantastic harmony. Flavored coffees such as ‘dolce latte’ and ‘cafe sua’ that are sold by well-known franchise coffee shops are modeled after ‘caphe sua da’. The fact that global coffee brands are trying to reproduce the flavor of Vietnamese coffee speaks volume about how good it is. Bittersweet like our lives, caphe sua da gives enough boost for the Vietnamese to live another day.

Vietnamese people are such beer lovers that 90 percent of their alcohol consumption is through beer. Bia hoi, among others, is at the center of this Vietnamese beer culture that is near and dear to the working class. Meaning ‘draft beer’ in Vietnamese, bia hoi does not simply refer to a drink. The word bia hoi portrays Vietnam’s beer culture in which people get together in small groups after sunset, sit around makeshift tables, and drink cheap beer with simple nutty snacks as they unwind at the end of a day.

In big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, almost all street intersections have huge signboards with a ‘bia hoi’ lettering. It’s a wide open space with a ceiling but no barrier between the outside and inside. If there is ‘gamaek’ in Jeonju, Korea, there are ‘bia hoi’ corner pubs in Hanoi, Vietnam.
Bia hoi is an ‘easy’ drink that can be brewed quickly and consumed quickly. It costs only 500 Korean won per glass and often gets mixed with ice in a 300ml or 500ml pint to be enjoyed as a weak alcoholic beverage of less than three percent proof. It is a true soul drink that has become part of everyday life for Vietnamese people.

Nuoc mia means sugarcane(mia) juice(nuoc) in Vietnamese. It is considered a national drink that is common and familiar. To us, sugarcane is known to grow well in tropical climates and produce sugar through processing. In tropical countries, unprocessed sugarcane is squeezed for its juice. You can easily find a nuoc mia vendor in the streets of Vietnam. Like the simple name of ‘sugarcane juice’ the vendor’s appearance is also very minimalistic. Green stems resembling bamboo and a metal presser in which the stem is inserted for juicing are all there is to it. Juice is made per order. The color of the liquid dripping from the stem is somewhere between light yellow and light green. Having come from sugarcane, it tastes literally like water with sugar in it. Some vendors use additives for a special kick in the flavor. Calamansi or lime rich in Vitamin C can be extremely effective with just a few drops. Sweet and sour nuoc mia is another blessing for Vietnamese people who have to endure tropical weather at all times.

Drinks cast a spell of ‘contentment’. It quenches your thirst, replenishes lacking nutrients in your body, fills the lazy hours between schedules, and reconnect one with another. If you feel there is something missing in your mind and body, how about trying the three soul drinks of Vietnam and see if the magic still works for you?