Drinks at Tet: What Gets Poured at the Holiday Table

Show up to a Vietnamese family's home during Tet and you will be handed something within thirty seconds of sitting down. Refusing is not really an option — and once you understand what's in the glass, you probably won't want to.

The Spirit of the Season: Ruou De and Ruou Nep

The backbone of any Tet (뗏 (베트남 설날) / 越南春节 / テト (ベトナム旧正月)) drinks table is rice wine, and it comes in more forms than most visitors expect. "Ruou de" — distilled from sticky rice — is the clear, sharp stuff that gets poured into small ceramic cups and knocked back fast. A decent bottle from a family in Ha Giang or Hoa Binh runs about 50,000–80,000 VND per liter if you're buying from a producer directly; gifted bottles brought to Tet visits are often homemade and considerably stronger than anything with a label.

"Ruou nep" is the sweeter, gentler cousin — fermented rather than distilled, sometimes tinted purple or red depending on the glutinous rice variety used. Families in the Mekong Delta and central highlands (중부 고원 / 中部高原 / 中部高原) tend to keep a jar of this on the table as a slower, more social option.

In the northern mountains, the communal drinking vessel known as "ruou can" — a clay jar of fermented rice wine sipped through long bamboo straws by multiple people — appears at extended family gatherings in ethnic minority communities. If you're spending Tet with a Thai or Muong family near Mai Chau or Hoa Binh, there's a good chance one of these jars will come out by afternoon.

Commercial Beer: Bia on the Table

For urban families in Hanoi, Saigon (사이공 / 西贡 / サイゴン), Da Nang, or Hue, commercial beer has become as standard at Tet as banh chung on the altar. Saigon Special, Tiger, 333, and Hanoi Beer are the workhorses — cans are preferred over bottles for easier stacking in coolers. Cases arrive as Tet gifts along with fruit baskets and confectionery boxes, and a mid-size household might go through two or three cases across the three main holiday days.

"Bia hoi (비아호이 / 鲜啤 / ビアホイ)" — the draft street beer served in plastic stools joints — shuts down through much of Tet as vendors go home to their own families, so canned beer fills the gap. Expect to pay 15,000–25,000 VND per can depending on brand and whether you're buying from a corner shop that's jacked its prices for the holiday.

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The Non-Alcoholic Side of the Table

Not everyone drinks, and Tet hosts know this. Soft drinks — usually Pepsi, 7UP, or local Chuong Duong soda — always have a spot. But the more traditional non-alcoholic option is fresh-pressed or bottled fruit juice, particularly from kumquat (quat) and pomelo, both of which carry auspicious symbolism through the holiday season.

"Nuoc ep" — fresh-squeezed juice — made from sugarcane mixed with kumquat is a street-vendor staple that carries into Tet gatherings, especially in the south. A cup costs around 10,000–15,000 VND from vendors who stay open through the holiday.

In many northern households, "lotus tea" holds its place as the drink of respect — offered to elders, guests of honor, or anyone you want to show proper consideration. It's fragrant without being sweet, and the ritual of pouring and receiving a small cup is as much about acknowledgment as it is about thirst.

Cognac, Whiskey, and the Gift-Bottle Economy

One thing that surprises first-time Tet visitors: the number of Hennessy and Johnnie Walker bottles sitting on holiday tables. Imported spirits have become a standard Tet gift, especially in wealthier urban families or business circles. A bottle of Hennessy VSOP (around 700,000–900,000 VND at a licensed retailer) is considered a respectable offering when visiting someone's parents or senior relatives.

These bottles often don't get opened immediately — they sit as display and symbol — but by the second or third day of Tet when the more relaxed gatherings happen, someone inevitably cracks one and mixes it with ice and soda water. It's not how cognac is meant to be drunk, but at a Tet table, nobody's being precious about it.

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What the Drinking Culture Actually Looks Like

Tet drinking is social in a specific way: toasts are constant, glasses are refilled before they're fully empty, and declining too many rounds can read as standoffish even if it's just personal preference. The phrase "tram phan tram" — literally "one hundred percent," meaning drain your glass — gets said a lot. Having a polite excuse ready (driving later, medication, a mild stomach issue) is universally understood and accepted without drama.

Women are increasingly drinking at the Tet table, particularly beer and juice, though in more traditional households the round of ruou de tends to stay male-coded. That's shifting, but slowly and unevenly depending on region and family.

Children get their own pour — usually soda or juice — and participate in the toast ritual with equal ceremony. The act of clinking glasses and saying "chuc mung nam moi" (Happy New Year) is the thing that matters, regardless of what's in the cup.

Practical Notes

If you're attending a Tet gathering as a guest, bringing a carton of good beer or a bottle of imported spirits is a reliable gift that will actually get used. Budget around 200,000–500,000 VND depending on the relationship. Arriving empty-handed is fine too, but something in hand is always appreciated during Tet.