On Tipple Tours’ Vietnam adventure, the food can move from familiar bánh mì to a duck egg with a more advanced backstory. In between: goat dishes, fermented sauces, snails, grilled frogs and—when seasonal availability and safe sourcing cooperate—crispy crickets or silkworm pupae.

The beer pairing question is obvious: what goes with a snack that may have antennae?

These are playful pairing ideas for the tour’s real food stops, not strict rules. Some of the more unusual tastings are optional, and regular Vietnamese dishes are always available for people who prefer their lunch without a wildlife-documentary subplot.

Start with bia hơi and the familiar favourites

The tour opens in Hanoi with fresh local draft beer, bia hơi, alongside local dishes. A light, refreshing beer is a good first match for familiar street food such as bánh mì, bún chả or crispy spring rolls.

Why? It gives you a clean, cool sip between savoury bites and sauces. It also leaves room for the person at the table who says, “Let’s order one more thing,” despite the fact that the first order has only just arrived.

Pairing to try: bia hơi with crispy spring rolls or grilled pork. A straightforward opening act before the menu begins introducing plot twists.

Duck embryo and a crisp lager

In Hanoi, the tour offers an optional taste of trứng vịt lộn, a fertilised duck egg served with herbs, lime and seasoning. It’s a traditional snack in Vietnam, and it is entirely fine to be curious, entirely fine to try a small bite and entirely fine to pass.

The herbs and lime bring freshness, while the egg is rich and savoury. A crisp lager or bia hơi is a sensible first beer to try alongside it: refreshing, uncomplicated and unlikely to compete with the main event, which is happening inside the shell.

Pairing to try: duck egg with a light local lager, herbs and lime. No dramatic countdown required.

Goat dishes, crispy rice and a maltier beer

Ninh Bình is known for local goat dishes and crispy rice. The tour includes regional specialities, with goat offal as an option for more adventurous eaters.

For richer or more deeply savoury flavours, try a beer with a little more body than the lightest lager on the list. A maltier beer can hold its own beside the dish. If you’re not sure what’s available, ask your host for a local recommendation rather than pointing at the strongest beer and hoping for character development.

Pairing to try: goat with a fuller-bodied local beer; crispy rice with whichever glass is closest. The crispy rice has waited long enough.

Fermented fish sauce and central Vietnam’s bold flavours

In Da Nang and Hoi An, the itinerary introduces central Vietnamese favourites including mì Quảng and bánh xèo, along with regional sauces. Some fermented fish sauces have a powerful aroma. They may reach the table before the person carrying them, like a celebrity with a very distinctive entrance.

For bánh xèo, a crisp lager or pilsner is a refreshing counterpoint to the crispy pancake, herbs and dipping sauce. With mì Quảng, try the beer the local guide recommends and notice how it works with the noodles, herbs and seasoning.

Pairing to try: bánh xèo with a crisp, refreshing beer. For the fermented-sauce moment, take a small taste first and let the beer follow at your own pace.

Crickets and silkworm pupae: snacks with excellent PR potential

The tour’s unusual-food adventure may include crispy crickets, silkworm pupae, unusual seafood or fermented delicacies, depending on availability and safe sourcing. The point is to learn how these ingredients fit into local food traditions—not to turn lunch into a dare.

If you try a crispy cricket, a bright pale ale or citrusy beer could be fun with its toasted, crunchy character. Silkworm pupae can be richer and softer, so a clean lager may make a more comfortable first pairing. These are tasting suggestions, not ancient Vietnamese pairing commandments carved into a bamboo bar mat.

Pairing to try: crispy cricket with a citrusy pale ale; silkworm pupae with a clean lager. You can also choose “I’ll watch the group’s reactions first” as your beverage strategy.

Snails and grilled frogs: lemongrass meets lager

On the Saigon street-food evening, optional dishes may include grilled frogs and snails cooked with lemongrass, plus other regional specialities. If you’d rather stick to a familiar meal, there are plenty of conventional choices too.

Snails with lemongrass are aromatic and savoury, so a crisp lager can refresh your palate between bites. Grilled frog has a delicate flavour, which makes a lighter beer a sensible place to start. Ask how the dish is prepared and what sauce comes with it. You are allowed to understand lunch before it arrives.

Pairing to try: lemongrass snails with a crisp lager; grilled frog with a light pale ale or pilsner.

The Last Supper: let the brewer choose

The tour’s private beer-and-food banquet is hosted by a local brewer. It includes a blind beer challenge followed by a reveal of the mystery beers and pairings.

This is the ideal moment to make bold tasting notes such as “that one is excellent” and “I would like to meet the person responsible”. The brewer can explain what’s in the glass and why it works with the food. You don’t have to identify the style blind. You just have to enjoy the suspense and remember which beer you liked.

How to be adventurous without making food a stunt

Ask what a dish contains, how it’s prepared and how it’s usually eaten. The tour page lists unusual tastings as optional and says safe sourcing and seasonal availability affect what may be offered. Tell your guide about allergies or dietary needs in advance, and choose the dishes you’re comfortable trying.

A good food adventure should come with context, choices and a proper meal for everyone. You are not required to eat a cricket to earn your Golden Plastic Stool Award. That award is already worthless; no need to make it expensive.

The unofficial pairing chart

Bia hơi + street-food classics: fresh, easy and ready for a second plate.
Duck egg + crisp lager: herbs, lime and a clean sip.
Goat + fuller-bodied beer: enough flavour to stand alongside a richer dish.
Bánh xèo + pilsner: crispy pancake meets refreshing beer.
Crickets + citrusy pale ale: crunchy meets bright.
Snails with lemongrass + lager: aromatic bite, clean finish.
Any dish you’re unsure about + a small taste first: the most useful pairing of all.

These are starting points. Taste, laugh, ask questions and keep a glass of water nearby. Vietnam’s food and beer scenes offer plenty to discover, from familiar favourites to snacks that make the group chat immediately more interesting.

The best match is the one you enjoy and if that turns out to be bánh mì with a cold lager, no one will revoke your adventure badge.