"Cốc Vại" - The Legend of Bia Hoi

Although the word Viet Nam conjures up many images — motorcycles whizzing by, all of the street food that seduces even the most famous chefs, women with iconic conical hats, etc. — perhaps nothing is more quintessentially Vietnamese than Bia Hơi.

Bia Hơi is both the beer and the experience of drinking the beer, all wrapped up into one phrase. It was considered as a luxury goods under the Budget subsidies system before 1986 when people had to queue up for long time to be able to buy a glass of Bia Hơi, sometimes could not.

Before 1976, Hanoians drank Bia Hơi in different type of glass, local residents didn't have any specific glass to enjoy their beers. Therefore, a single and effective design for a drinking glass to serve the Bia Hoi lovers is a must. Painter Le Huy Van initially designed the drinking glass was to hold up to half a liter of beer, with a thick bottom to stay balanced on plastic stools and a vertical patterned body for easy gripping. This design quickly became favorite way to serve Bia Hơi in the capital city of Viet Nam, not just because it was the only proper beer container on the market, but also because of its affordability with only 2.05VND/glass on whole sale at the moment.

This beer container has been made from recycled glass in Xoi Tri, a village in Nam Dinh Province (86km near Hanoi), so in case some shattered, the shards could be salvaged and eventually be used to make another glass. That legendary Bia Hơi glass was named Cốc Vại due to its large volume of half a liter (nowadays is only 330ml)./.