Vietnamese vodka: names, rating, composition and strength

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Traveling is the best opportunity to know not only the world around, but also to look deep into yourself and find those strings to which the soul responds the most.

There are many ways to understand and feel foreign life: local food, traditions and customs. But a bright representative of each culture was and remains alcohol, which will help to better understand the new country and its indigenous people. For example, everyone knows about German beer, Jamaican rum, Scotch whiskey and French wine. How would you like exotic? For example, Vietnamese vodka.

Nuances to be aware of

For locals, drinking alcohol is a separate event. Here drinks are enjoyed during family gatherings or intimate conversations with friends.

Vietnam is a country that has been under the influence of China for a thousand years and for another hundred - the hand of the French state dominated it. None of this could pass without a trace and not have an impact on all spheres of social and cultural life. For example, the Chinese put forward the concept of food anddrinks as medicine, which is observed to this day. The French brought coffee here and turned it into an integral part of the life of the local population, simultaneously cultivating other areas of the unexplored East.

A noteworthy nuance: Vietnam is one of the few countries in Asia where you don't have to worry about ice, which is made in sanitary conditions from filtered water - a legacy of French rule. But we advise you to be careful with crushed ice. It comes from the factory as a whole block, but is hand-ground by some Vietnamese for whom hygiene is not paramount.

In general, the alcohol market here is developing in a peculiar way, because advertising of high-grade products is prohibited in the country, and a high tax on imports and a special tax on consumption have been introduced. For these reasons, the production of local drinks has become widespread, which we will discuss in more detail below, as well as give advice on how to choose quality without risking he alth.

Vietnamese vodka

This type of alcohol is presented on the market both by manufactory production, the products of which are supplied, including for export, and by local manufacturers for domestic consumption.

Vodka in the classical sense is represented here by two large state-owned enterprises: Hanoi Alcohol Company and Binh Tai, an alcohol company based in Ho Chi Minh City. However, the price of products is unaffordable for most local residents, so sales are mostly export-oriented and for sale assouvenirs.

Alcohol of domestic, "handicraft" production is an integral part of the Vietnamese flavor. The centuries-old influence of China has left an indelible imprint, because high-grade drinks here are more of a medicine, and the added spices, herbal ingredients, reptiles and even arachnids reveal their beneficial properties to the maximum. So it is in Vietnam that you can safely say: "God knows, we don't drink, but we are being treated!".

Snake in a Bottle

This is one of the most famous drinks, which has already become a hallmark of the countries of Southeast Asia. You could also hear it under the name Snake Wine or Snake Wine, although the strength varies from 30% to 40% of the turnover. The most famous province where this type of alcohol is produced is the village of Vinh Son.

Exotic vodka is obtained as follows: a whole snake or part of it is placed in rice wine or grain alcohol. It is better if the reptile is poisonous, because in this way, according to the postulates of ancient medicine, you will get the maximum benefit from drinking the drink. You should not worry about the effect of the poison on the body - there is no threat, because the dangerous substance is denatured by ethanol due to a change in the structure of molecules or, in unscientific terms, loses its natural properties.

Medicinal herbs are also added to Vietnamese vodka with a snake to obtain the maximum therapeutic effect. But, in addition to the canned reptile, there is another extreme type of this drink -mixed. In this case, the fresh blood of a freshly butchered snake is added immediately directly to the glass and drunk in one gulp. The locals believe that this method is of great benefit, especially for men, but few even experienced extreme people will be able to dare to even look at this ancient ritual.

Tame Scorpion

The snake is not the only thing you can see in the bottle. Sometimes this dangerous arachnid is added next to the reptile or even in its mouth to enhance the visual effect - preferably also poisonous. But keep in mind that Vietnamese vodka with snake and scorpion is the strongest (up to 76.7% vol.), which is necessary to preserve the appearance, increase the shelf life and maximize the denaturation of poisons in order to eliminate the threat to human life.

It tastes like ordinary strong alcohol on grain alcohol, since impurities do not affect the structure. But if you are impressionable enough, then we advise you to try just rice vodka. If desired, you can find supplements in the form of medicinal herbs to still feel the oriental exotic.

Not only on a plate

The fact that noodles and rice are staple foods in Asia, we know from school. It is quite expected that grain crops here began to be used not only for food, but also for the production of alcoholic beverages. Therefore, further we will talk about ordinary Vietnamese rice vodka without additives that are surprising in the opinion of a European. For this reason, state-owned manufacturing enterprises have chosen to exporthigh-grade products are just such a product: alcohol has a high level of demand and consumption, and the exotic effect is achieved by unusual raw materials, but not a frightening appearance.

The drink is based on sweet sticky rice, as well as water from artesian wells. It is run on a distiller only 3 times, which allows you to get more taste and aroma. It is noteworthy that you will not feel the bright smell of alcohol, which is often the fault of most of even the most famous brands of vodka products. On the palate, you will notice a slight sweetness, which is achieved through the use of rice, but not additives to enhance the taste. Such a drink is used not only in its pure, undiluted form, but as a basis for the preparation of exotic cocktails.

Using culture

You need to pay attention to the degrees of Vietnamese vodka, especially if you buy alcohol with reptiles. Due to the increased strength of alcohol in such drinks, dangerous active substances are neutralized, but for an unprepared organism, increased consumption can cause unpleasant consequences. Moreover, one should not forget that the organisms of the inhabitants of Eastern countries are adapted to unusual types of products, which for a European person can be difficult to digest.

Less extreme rice vodka or wine will also bring out the local flavor without being both gastronomic and visual shock.

Healing properties

Here they sincerely believe in the healing effectunusual alcohol. It is believed that drinking Vietnamese vodka will help to cope with rheumatism and arthritis. But its main trump card is the effect on the male body as an aphrodisiac or an increase in strength and endurance. All this is also echoes of Chinese folk medicine, which is supported and admired by the Vietnamese and other residents of Southeast Asia.

Take out and brag

This can be tricky. You can bring ordinary rice alcohol as a gift. Just do not get carried away and do not try to smuggle a whole box - the customs service will not meet you halfway. But most likely, you can only tell about the healing properties of these strange medicinal drinks - Vietnamese vodka with a cobra or other types of snakes are prohibited from being imported into many countries, since endangered species of living creatures are used in their production.

What to choose

Popular alcoholic drinks that you can share and present to your family here are:

1. Vina Vodka (29% and 39% vol.) - made on equipment and technologies from France based on a special type of rice by boiling, fermenting and distilling.
2. Vodka Hanoi (about 33% vol.) - finds fans among travelers and locals. And the production of this company is not limited to classic grain alcohol, but produces experimental liqueurs and tinctures.

Obviously, the names of Vietnamese vodka are not distinguished by originality, pretentiousness andincredible marketing approach, but the focus here is on content.

Reviews of eyewitnesses

Due to the special, but necessary strength, the taste of the drink will be scalding for an ordinary human body, but avid travelers and extreme people say that it is worth at least trying as a sign of respect for the local culture and customs. However, the most shocking vodka with fresh snake blood is not an experience for the faint of heart and not for weak stomachs, so this ritual can be left for the indigenous people.

That's why reviews of Vietnamese vodka are mixed. Someone considers this a necessary and interesting experience, some do not mind trying traditional medicine and improving their he alth in an extraordinary way, while others will say that this is all the wild East and barbarism.

Each of us can have our own opinion on whether to consider such a drink a relic of the past, but it is worth recognizing that such an exotic has the right to exist as part of the local culture, regardless of how we feel about it. In any case, there is a choice: to feel strange emotions and join the oriental traditions, or to side with the sweet Vietnamese rice vodka and just enjoy the taste without unnecessary effects, focusing on the content.