Beer garden (a loan translation from the German “Biergarten”) is an open-air area where beer, other drinks and local food (see German cuisine) are served. The concept originates from and is most common in Southern Germany (especially Bavaria). It is usually attached to a drinking establishment such as a public house or a beer hall.
— Wikipedia
Based on the above definitions Vung Tau has a number of beer gardens, mostly domestic in form; ‘bia’ and ‘vuon’ (minus accents) translates directly as ‘beer’ and ‘garden’ although that’s an expression Vietnamese are unlikely to use (bia hoi—minus accents—may be more common) even if many of their drinking establishments—particularly cafes—are very garden-like in nature.
If it’s a biergarten you want then the Imperial’s Bavarian Beer Garden is the closest such facsimile. Located at Back Beach alongside Thuy Van Road it is across the street from the Imperial Hotel and bears surprising similarities to the beer gardens you might find in Europe.
The Bavarian Beer Garden is modelled after the Hofbräuhaus brewery’s beer garden (Hofbräuhaus am Platzl) in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Established in 1589 and operating to this day it also licenses Hofbräuhaus beer gardens around the world including New York City, Miami, Las Vegas, Houston, Melbourne, Seoul, Shanghai and Dubai (whether or not Vung Tau’s version is officially licensed isn’t entirely clear considering Vietnam’s—and Asia’s in general—tendency to liberally borrow trademarks and copyrights).
Of course the key ingredient of any beer garden is beer and no German beer garden would be complete without a Bavarian beer conforming to the ‘Bavarian Beer Purity Law’ of 1516. This is the law that greatly reduces your chances of a hangover by stating that only natural ingredients be used in the brewing process (it also saved Bavaria from being sacked and burned, but that’s another story…).
Happily the Bavarian Beer Garden delivers, in quality and quantity; you can lose yourself in a Dunkel Muncher Weisse (yellow) or Dunkel Schwarze Weisse (black) ranging in sizes from .3 litre to a very German 1 litre. The latter size being the one often seen—in multiples!—in the hands of busty barmaids during Oktoberfest.
Dunkel—or dunkles—is a dark German beer; quite literally ‘dunkel beer’ translates as ‘dark beer’ and they range from amber to a dark reddish brown; their taste is malty and smooth. The yellow Muncher Weisse is a fruity and sweet wheat beer which is darker than the more common hefeweizen wheat beer.
If it’s a more solid taste of Germany that you crave (or require after all the litre mugs of dunkel) the menu boasts some traditional dishes as well; from pretzels and potato salad to bratwurst (pork sausage that is typically fried or grilled) and schnitzel (thin slice of veal or other light meat, coated in breadcrumbs and fried). It may not be quite as convincing as that found in a Munich rathskeller (Rahm-champignon sauce, anyone?) but it’s much more reasonable than airfare.
In my opinion the biggest disappointment at the Bavarian Beer Garden is the music; it’s neither Eastern European (Oom-Pah), nor European generally speaking (aside from the odd cover song from ABBA or such). Sometimes (weekends, I think) there is a live band playing the cover songs heard and, apparently, loved throughout Vung Tau or else it is canned music playing much the same.
I’m not saying they require a traditional band but something which makes reference to beer halls, Germany or Europe would be pleasant and create a richer, more complete experience.
Sources: Imperial Hotel, Hofbräuhaus.de, Wikipedia.org
Article and photographs: Yuri Doric — yuridoric.tumblr.com
Nice place but too expensive!
90 000 for a glass of beer (even for real German beer)
Vung tau has many places with good draught beer and with reasonable price
Nice place but too expensive!
90 000 for a glass of beer (even for real German beer)
Vung tau has many places with good draught beer and with reasonable price
We have tryed to eat here one time, there was a music band played music when we eta. The band played Eu music, nothing new or special. Why not try traditional VNese music, more variation. It is not comfortable to sit here to eat or drink: loudly music, moskito, staff doesn’t speak well English…
We have tryed to eat here one time, there was a music band played music when we eta. The band played Eu music, nothing new or special. Why not try traditional VNese music, more variation. It is not comfortable to sit here to eat or drink: loudly music, moskito, staff doesn’t speak well English…
Yes, music really annoying there… i was passing couple of times near and cannot imagine how can enjoy dinner there when a band play so loud
Yes, music really annoying there… i was passing couple of times near and cannot imagine how can enjoy dinner there when a band play so loud
Loud music and other noises are prevalent throughout Vietnam, of course – and I’m convinced that most Vietnamese are at least partly deaf (ever heard the painfully loud music in retail stores, or when Vietnamese talk on mobile phones, or argue in the market, or just holding a “conversation”? The decibel level usually rivals barking dogs, honking horns, revving motorbikes or other uniquely Vietnamese noises that can be heard every day). Perhaps it’s because the children are placed within centimetres of the motorbike horn from the time they can sit on one – so they have little or no choice of avoiding some kind of aural impairment in later life! Apologies for digressing off-subject but the relentless noise in parts of Vietnam (admittedly not so much in Vung Tau) has always intrigued me – and I have long followed Lonely Planet’s advice: “Don’t leave your ear plugs at home if you’re visiting Vietnam!”
Loud music and other noises are prevalent throughout Vietnam, of course – and I’m convinced that most Vietnamese are at least partly deaf (ever heard the painfully loud music in retail stores, or when Vietnamese talk on mobile phones, or argue in the market, or just holding a “conversation”? The decibel level usually rivals barking dogs, honking horns, revving motorbikes or other uniquely Vietnamese noises that can be heard every day). Perhaps it’s because the children are placed within centimetres of the motorbike horn from the time they can sit on one – so they have little or no choice of avoiding some kind of aural impairment in later life! Apologies for digressing off-subject but the relentless noise in parts of Vietnam (admittedly not so much in Vung Tau) has always intrigued me – and I have long followed Lonely Planet’s advice: “Don’t leave your ear plugs at home if you’re visiting Vietnam!”
Great article and photos! I cant wait to go– I have been to the ones in Las Vegas, Nevada and in Munich, Germany.
if they have lemonade try half beer half lemonade very refreshing German drink. [the kids start drinking this to get used to beer or with lemon/lime soda] Prost!
Thanks to everyone for the comments.
What I want to know most of all is where can I go where there are no mosquitos?
As noted the music is disappointing, however, I have asked that they—at least—turn it down and they have complied. Maybe they even have some Oom-Pah secreted away?
A couple points I feel inclined to make in their defence are that, firstly, people seem to become a little spoiled here and while I, too, raise my eyebrows at a 75,000 VND bottle of Tiger I certainly don’t think 90,000 VND for a dunkel is unreasonable considering the alternatives.
My second point is that this is Vietnam. The official language is Vietnamese. English is becoming an increasingly popular second language, however, I would not be critical of any Vietnamese not speaking it or not speaking it well. I have met many non-Vietnamese here who also do not speak/write English well (hint hint) and even fewer who speak much if any Vietnamese.
It’s important to remember where we are and where we come from before considering certain criticisms; don’t let your Id get in the way of you Ed …
Thank you, Yuri Doric
Hi Yuric! Afraid I must offer a slightly modified perspective to your comment about not criticising anyone for their lack of fluency in English. Certainly I would never dream of criticising any “normal” Vietnamese for an inability to speak any language other than their own. But English is the defacto language of the hospitality industry worldwide, and the Bavarian beer garden is most definitely a part of that industry, so it’s incumbent upon the owners to train their staff accordingly – and that includes English language training to a standard commensurate with the establishment’s desired positioning in Vietnam’s tourism market. If they’re only targetting Vietnamese customers, then no English language training would be required, of course. But the owners’ choice of name for the venture seems to indicate a wider demographic. Which raises another question: I wonder if any of the staff can speak German?
Summary: the manager of this restaurant should look at it and make some chance if they want to get more custommer than now (at least if they want me come again
) . Dear Yuridoric, I only give my Id, not Ed…
Summary: the manager of this restaurant should look at it and make some chance if they want to get more custommer than now (at least if they want me come again
) . Dear Yuridoric, I only give my Id, not Ed…
Suffice it to say: the cause of most disappointment is expectation.