Vietnamese cuisine is world-famous, but
few visitors to the Southeast Asian country think about what they'll be sipping
on the streets of Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. That's a mistake: the country's
drinks are as delicious and diverse as its cuisine.
Vietnamese people don't usually drink
while they dine, perhaps because most meals are either soup-based or include
soup at the end, to fill up any "last holes." Enjoying a drink is a
separate event, whether it's meeting friends for a coffee or stopping at a
streetside stand for a refreshing juice. The exception, of course, is a boozy
drinking session, where the focus is on the alcohol and the food is considered
an accompaniment.
