Traveling is the best opportunity to learn not only the world around, but also to look deep into yourself and find those strings to which the soul responds most of all.
There are many ways to understand and perceive foreign life: local food, traditions and customs. But the 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. And how do you like exotic? For example, Vietnamese vodka.
Nuances to know about
For locals, drinking alcohol is a separate event. Here they enjoy drinks 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 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 and drink as a medicine, which is still observed today. The French brought coffee here and turned it into an integral part of the life of the local population, along the way cultivating other areas of the unknown East.
A notable nuance: Vietnam is one of the few countries in Asia where you can not be afraid of ice, which is produced in sanitary conditions from filtered water - this is a legacy of French rule. But we advise you to be careful with crushed ice. It is initially supplied as a single unit from the factory, but is crushed manually by some Vietnamese, for whom the issue of hygiene will not be paramount.
In general, the alcohol market is developing in a peculiar way, because in the country advertising of high-degree products is prohibited, and a high import tax 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 a quality one without risk to health.
Vietnamese vodka
This type of alcohol is presented on the market by both manufacturing production, the products of which are exported, as well as by local manufacturers for domestic consumption.
In the classical sense, vodka is represented here by two large state-owned enterprises: Hanoi Alcohol Company and Binh Tai - an alcohol company located in Ho Chi Minh City. However, the price of products is unavailable to most local residents, so the bulk of sales are focused on exports and for sale as souvenirs.
Alcohol of the domestic, "artisanal" production is an integral part of Vietnamese flavor. The centuries-old influence of China has left an indelible imprint, because high-degree drinks here are more a medicine, and the added spices, plant components, reptiles and even arachnids maximize the useful properties. So in Vietnam you can safely say: "God sees - we do not drink, but are treated!"
Bottle Snake
This is one of the most famous drinks, which has already become the hallmark of the countries of Southeast Asia. You could also hear it called Snake Wine or Snake Wine, although the strength varies from 30% to 40% of the revolutions. 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 so, according to the postulates of ancient medicine, you will get the maximum benefit from drinking the drink. You don’t have to 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 the molecules or, in unscientific language, 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, fresh blood of a freshly cut snake is added immediately directly to the glass and is drunk in one gulp. Locals believe that this method is of great benefit, especially for men, but few even experienced extreme people can even decide to take a look at this ancient ritual.
Tamed Scorpion
The snake is not the only thing you can watch in the bottle. Sometimes, next to the reptile or even in her mouth, this dangerous arachnid - preferably also poisonous - is added to increase the visual effect. But keep in mind that Vietnamese vodka with a 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 recommend that you try just rice vodka. If you wish, you can find supplements in the form of medicinal herbs to still experience oriental exoticism.
Not only at ease
The fact that noodles and rice are the staple foods in Asia, we know from school. It is expected that crops here began to be used not only for food, but also for the production of alcoholic beverages. Therefore, we will go on to talk about ordinary Vietnamese rice vodka without additives, surprising in the eyes of a European. For this reason, state-owned manufacturing enterprises have chosen just such a product for exporting high-degree products: alcohol has a high level of demand and consumption, and the exotic effect is achieved by unusual raw materials, but not by a frightening appearance.
The basis of the drink is sweet glutinous rice, as well as water from artesian wells. They run it on the distiller only 3 times, which allows you to get more taste and aroma. It is noteworthy that you will not smell a bright smell of alcohol, which is often the fault of most even the most famous brands of vodka products. On the palate you will feel a little sweetness, which is achieved through the use of rice, but not additives to enhance the taste. Such a drink is used not only in a pure, undiluted form, but as the basis for the preparation of exotic cocktails.
Consumption culture
It is necessary 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 body, increased consumption can cause unpleasant consequences. Moreover, do not forget that the organisms of the inhabitants of eastern countries are adapted to unusual types of products that can be difficult for the European person to digest.
Less extreme rice vodka or wine will also help to reveal the local flavor, but they will not become either a gastronomic or visual shock.
Healing properties
They sincerely believe in the healing effect of unusual alcohol. It is believed that the use of Vietnamese vodka will help to cope with rheumatism and arthritis. But its main trump card is the impact on the male body as an aphrodisiac, or an increase in strength and endurance. All these are also echoes of Chinese traditional medicine, whose supporters and fans are both Vietnamese and other residents of Southeast Asia.
Take out and boast
There may be difficulties with this. 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. But you can probably only tell about the healing properties of these strange medicinal drinks - Vietnamese vodka with cobra or other types of snakes is forbidden to be imported into many countries because they use endangered species of living creatures.
What to choose
Popular alcoholic drinks that you can share and present to your family are:
- Vina Vodka (29% and 39% vol.) - is produced using equipment and using technologies from France based on a special type of rice by cooking, fermentation and distillation.
- Vodka Hanoi (about 33% vol.) - Finds fans among travelers and locals. And the production of this company is not limited only to classic grain alcohol, but produces experimental liquors and tinctures.
Obviously, the names of Vietnamese vodka are not distinguished by originality, pretentiousness and incredible marketing approach, but here they emphasize the content.
Eyewitness reviews
Due to the special, but necessary strength, the taste of the drink will be burning for an ordinary human body, but avid travelers and extreme people say that it is worth at least trying it out of respect for 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, therefore this ritual can be left for the indigenous people.
That is why reviews of Vietnamese vodka are mixed. Someone considers this a necessary and interesting experience, some do not mind trying traditional medicine and healing themselves in an extraordinary way, while others will say that this is all wild East and barbarism.
Each of us can remain in our own opinion as to whether such a drink is considered a relic of the past, but it is worth recognizing that such exotic has a right to exist as part of the local culture, regardless of how we relate to it. In any case, there is a choice: to feel strange emotions and join the Eastern traditions, or to side with the sweet Vietnamese rice vodka and just enjoy the taste without unnecessary effects, focusing on the content.