Foreigners shocked by drinking culture in Vietnam

The unexpected experience in 2019, when he first arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, shocked the British man. However, Warren still sat down. Their drinking table on the sidewalk was very simple, consisting of a plate of peanuts, some dried squid, and 5 glasses of beer. They raised their glasses to the busy traffic right next to them.

"I have never had this experience in any other country," said the 30-year-old. "Vietnamese people invite strangers to drink beer very naturally and comfortably." The four men did not speak English, but they used a translation tool to explain to him about drinking culture and the slogan "1,2,3 go".

Warren realized that drinking in Vietnam follows the rule of toasting, which means everyone drinks together. When someone toasts and drinks, he can't just drink alone without returning the toast. "It makes me feel pressured and awkward," he said.

But after 6 years in Vietnam, he realized that drinking beer is not only fun but also a way to connect and build social relationships. This is very different from England, where people often "drink on their own", usually at bars, pubs or home gardens, mainly on weekends or holidays. On the contrary, in Vietnam, beer appears regularly and everywhere, in restaurants, on sidewalks, in parks.

Warren personally doesn't mind because he has a good tolerance for alcohol and enjoys the lively atmosphere, even if the drinking sessions last long. He believes that the cheap and accessible prices make the use of alcoholic beverages in Vietnam popular. "Here, I can drink all night for the price of only 2 or 3 glasses of beer in the UK," he said.

Marcel, 54, a Dutch engineer, was shocked by the amount of alcohol consumed by Vietnamese people. The first time he drank with everyone at a wedding, he witnessed both the groom and his father-in-law getting so drunk they couldn’t walk and had to be carried. Another time, some of his friends got so drunk they slept on the bathroom floor.

The first few years, he felt very uncomfortable with the beer culture. Even though he refused, they always tried to convince him with the phrase "just one glass". The hardest part was when he said he wanted to stop or was not interested. He realized that when drunk, Vietnamese people have the habit of shouting into the other person's ear even if they are only 10 cm away.

But after decades in Vietnam, Marcel knows how to behave. "At times like that, you just pretend to take a sip and put the glass down," he said.

Vietnamese people are also curious about foreigners' alcohol tolerance, so they often invite him to drink. They often put a lot of ice in their beer, which is very unusual in the Netherlands. He advises them not to put ice in the beer to preserve its flavor. But after a few glasses without ice, many people get drunk.

The longer Marcel stayed in Vietnam, the more common it became to raise a glass to strangers, whether at restaurants, weddings or company parties. At restaurants, raising a glass to the table next to you and competing to see who could shout "cheers" louder was a common occurrence.

At the same time, the habit of sharing drinking glasses, which is considered taboo in the Netherlands, is very comfortable and open with Vietnamese people. "Thanks to my friends, I understood that this is normal," he said.

Warren and Marcel are among many people suffering from alcohol culture shock, a common experience for foreigners living in Vietnam.

David Craig, a British anthropologist at Durham University (UK), described the "100 percent" practice as pressuring both Vietnamese and foreigners, different from the free-flowing drinking culture in the West.

Research by David Craig published in the scientific journal PubMed Central found that 38.6% of men in a western province drink more than five drinks per week, reflecting the prevalence of drinking culture.

Vietnam also leads Southeast Asia in alcohol consumption, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2024, with 8.9 liters of pure alcohol per person (over 15 years old) in 2019, surpassing Thailand (8.3 liters) and Singapore (2.9 liters).

Travel platform Sens Asia Travel also published an article How to Avoid Culture Shock in Vietnam, noting that foreigners, especially from the West, are often surprised by aspects such as transportation, cuisine , and drinking habits.

In addition, the topic of drinking culture also attracted thousands of interactions in Expats groups in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang.

Timothée Rousselin at a party at his wife's family in Go Dau, Tay Ninh, April 2025. Photo: Provided by the character

After 6 years living in Ho Chi Minh City, Timothée Rousselin, 39 years old, realized that Vietnamese people love to celebrate, for all kinds of reasons such as getting off work, weddings, death anniversaries, birthdays, Tet or celebrating football victories.

"Drinking is for people to open up and connect," said the Frenchman. He grew up in a country with a drinking culture, red and white wine are easily available everywhere, but the "unity" atmosphere is unique to Vietnam. They often drink 50% or 100% at the invitation of friends.

He still remembers the first time he drank with his neighbors in the apartment, one person calling another, they kept drinking beer and chatting via Google Translate. Everyone was welcome and after one evening, strangers became close friends.

"And what surprised me the most was the times I saw people who had conflicts reconcile right at the drinking table. In other countries, things often get worse after people have had alcohol," he said.

Source: https://baohatinh.vn/nguoi-nuoc-ngoai-soc-voi-van-hoa-nhau-o-viet-nam-post288027.html