Location

Ta Hien – present and past
Nowadays, Ta Hien Street is a melting pot of cultures where different communities and nationalities gather. If Ho Chi Minh City is famous for Bui Vien beer street, Hue ancient city is proud of Pham Ngu Lao walking-street, then Hanoi has Ta Hien Beer (Bia Hoi) Corner. Were Ta Hien and Luong Ngoc Quyen streets converge is home to a special type of culture which has been part of Hanoi life since the late 1890s. Bia hoi literally means fresh beer – it is a type of very popular light, not strongly alcoholic, draft beer in Vietnam which is refreshingly cold to drink in the summer heat. It is mainly a northern product brewed daily. As many articles on this topic have explained, bia hoi is as way of life of the Vietnamese people. And, it is also one of the most fun ways to socialize and people watch over an ice cold glass.

In the French time, Ta Hien was called Rue Geraud. But the locals also knew it by another name. The street used to be frequented by Hanoi’s upper class who would go to the Quang Lac Theatre that was at no. 8 Ta Hien. It was built in 1900 and was where tuong theatre, drama and cai luong were performed. Quang Lac means to enjoy happiness and the locals nicknamed the street Quang Lac alley after the theatre. In 1945, the Mayor of Hanoi at the time renamed the street Ta Hien after the leader of the Can Vuong movement named Ta Quang Hien.