Would you believe that sometimes it is cheaper to drink beer than water. In some restaurants a bottle of beer costs 13,000 VND ($0.76 AUD) and water costs 15,000 VND ($0.87 AUD). To back up my claim, the BBC has reported that Vietnam is the 6th cheapest place in the world to buy beer.
Another different thing here is you get served your beer with ice and a straw.
Rice wine is also very popular and often drank in the rural areas as it is cheaper than beer, ie more bang for your buck! There are three major kinds of rice wine in Vietnam: the conventional distilled variety known as ruou gao (literally “rice alcohol”), wine brewed in large ceramic jars called ruou can (party wine), and distilled alcohol infused with plants and animals, known as ruou thuoc (medicine wine).
I have tried the first rice wine and it is strong, about 40% and you drink it straight. I thought it tasted like rocket fuel.
From what I have seen and heard there is quite a big drinking culture here and they like to drink fast, not real sipping and appreciating the alcohol.
Julie Hamilton's Adventures 