by In a few short years, craft beer in Saigon has gone from zero to amazing! We’ve been to the breweries, haunted the tap rooms, and hung out with the brewers, all to help you find the very best Vietnamese beer.
What’s in our Guide to Saigon Craft Beer?
2. Our Favourite Craft Beer Saigon Taprooms
3. The Best of the Rest of Saigon Craft Beer
4. Craft Beer Saigon Brewers with no Taproom
5. New Taprooms we Haven’t Visited Yet
6. How Much is a Beer in Vietnam?
But there’s a new player on the Vietnamese beer scene!
The craft beer scene in Vietnam has exploded.
Now, in almost all major travel destinations in Vietnam, you can find at least one kind of craft beer.
Craft beer in Saigon is everywhere — and more keeps appearing every time we turn our backs.
So where should you go if you want to experience the next wave of Vietnamese beer?
Read on for…
Your Guide to the Best Craft Beer in Saigon
Follow our 2-day itinerary for Saigon, find the best places to stay, and don’t miss our amazing Vietnam itineraries!
How did the Saigon Craft Beer Scene get Started?
Watch our video to meet the brewers and find out how they got their start.
The Saigon craft beer movement started in 2014 when Mark Gustafson needed beer for his new American-style BBQ restaurant. He had been home-brewing for years, so he decided to create a brew especially for his customers.
The restaurant, Quán Ụt Ụt, sold out of special brew two hours after opening. This proved that the expat community in Saigon was thirsty for craft beer!
Soon after, Platinum Brewing came on the scene. They were the first large-scale craft brewer kegging beer in Ho Chi Minh City, and Quán Ụt Ụt finally had a steady supply of good beer.
Just one year later the Saigon beer scene was flourishing.
By early 2015 Pasteur Street Brewing’s first taproom had opened, and Fuzzy Logic, Phat Rooster (now Rooster Beers), and Tê Tê were all brewing Saigon craft beer.
Fast forward to early 2018, and in less than three years, there are now more than 15 brewers making craft Vietnamese beer in Saigon (a number which seems to grow every week).
It’s now easy to find craft beer in Saigon (and all around Vietnam) and you don’t have to settle for yet another bottle of Saigon Beer! You can even buy cans of Pasteur Street to take to the beach or pick up Tê Tê at the Circle K.
For craft beer fans, no visit to Saigon is complete without spending at least one evening crawling the fantastic taprooms and brewpubs in the city.
Our Favourite Craft Beer Saigon Taprooms
Pasteur Street Brewing, HEM Taproom
144/3 Pasteur Street, District 1, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Down the alley, to the right and walk up the stairs
After visiting Pasteur Street Brewing‘s “The Original” taproom, make sure to wander down the alley a bit further to their second location, the HEM Taproom. Order a beer and climb up to the rooftop to drink some of the best beer in Vietnam while looking out over the rooftops of Saigon.
Winking Seal Beer Co.
50 Đặng Thị Nhu, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Another taproom with a great rooftop bar. We love the people at Winking Seal, adore their logo, and the beer is amazing too. Plus, rumour has it they’re starting a yoga and beer event. We can’t wait!
BiaCraft Artisan Ales, District 3
1 Lê Ngô Cát, Phường 7, Quận 3, Hồ Chí Minh
The original BiaCraft is in District 2, but we LOVE the District 3 location because of its size. With 50 beers on tap you can never get tired of the selection! They also have beer in bottles and cans. And a massive outdoor seating area. FTW?!? This is the place to try the wide variety of craft beer Saigon has to offer.
BiaCraft have just opened multi-story taproom which looks amazing. We’ll definitely be going there next time we’re in the city.
The Best of the Rest of Saigon Craft Beer
Heart of Darkness
31D Lý Tự Trọng, Bến Nghé, Hồ Chí Minh
Our pick for the best bottle labels in the Saigon craft beer scene, Heart of Darkness serves their great range of beers in a laid-back taproom near the city centre. They also have a tempting list of freshly prepared bar snacks, soups, salads, and sandwiches.
Ông Cao
240 Bùi Viện, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Right in the heart of backpacker Saigon, the Ông Cao taproom is your chance to sample a selection of locally brewed craft beer while you’re out walking on Bui Vien. Also, don’t miss their daily discounts on various beers.
Rogue Saigon
13 Pasteur, Phường Nguyễn Thái Bìn, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
This trendy pub in the centre of the city has a great happy hour special and a rooftop with views. Rogue Saigon also has an artisanal burger menu. It’s a little heavy on the meat for our tastes, but if you like burgers, they look promising.
The Chicken Coop
28/2 Đỗ Quang Đẩu, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
The unofficial taproom for Rooster Beers, The Chicken Coop is in the backpacker area just off Bui Vien street. Definitely go for happy hour, before 7pm, for deals on selected beers.
Craft Beer Saigon Brewers with no Taproom
New Taprooms we Haven’t Visited Yet
Aside from the new BiaCraft location we mentioned earlier, we have a few places we haven’t been to yet we will visit next time we get to Ho Chi Minh City.
C-Brewmaster Craft Beer
52B Nguyễn Bỉnh Khiêm, Đa Kao, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Vietnamese-made craft beer!
Lac Brewing
169/7 Nguyen Duc Canh, Phuong Tan Phong, Quan 7
Tasting room in D7.
East West Brewing
181 – 185 Lý Tự Trọng, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh
Ho Chi Minh City’s first in-house craft brewery.
How Much is a Beer in Vietnam?
While you’ll pay about a dollar for a bottle of typical Vietnamese beer, like 333 or Saigon Beer, craft beer in Vietnam is a little more pricey.
Some craft beer bars have a happy hour, when you can find a pint (~500ml) of beer for about $3 (70K VND).
Regular prices range from $3.50–$4.50 (80K–110K VND) depending on strength. On average, you’ll pay a little over $4 (95K VND) for a craft beer in Saigon. A flight of four to six tasting beers will cost you $8–15 (200K–350K VND).
We hope this guide to craft beer Saigon is useful on your trip to Vietnam. Let us know if you get a chance to taste any of these beers! Which are your favourite Vietnamese beers? Let us know in the comments below.
♥ Happy mindful adventures, Jane & Stephen
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