Standing Bar

Standing Bar is a craft-beer bar at 170 Tran Vu, on the western shore of Truc Bach Lake in Ba Dinh District, Hanoi, Vietnam. It occupies a balcony over the water and pours more than twenty rotating Vietnamese taps from breweries such as Pasteur Street, Heart of Darkness and Turtle Lake. The tap list is written up daily, which makes it a convenient place to compare the country's craft scene in one sitting. The upstairs terrace catches the lake breeze and gives the bar a calmer, more relaxed feel than the Old Quarter fifteen minutes away. The crowd is a mix of local beer enthusiasts, expatriates who live around Truc Bach and West Lake, and visitors looking for an alternative to the busy beer streets, mostly adults in their twenties to forties. There is no dress code, and casual clothing is normal. The atmosphere is sociable and unhurried, with music played at a background level rather than as a feature. The drinks programme centres on craft beer at about 70,000-150,000 VND a glass, roughly USD 2.69-5.77, which is inexpensive by international standards. A short menu of Asian bar food, at about 80,000-200,000 VND a dish, keeps drinkers fed. The bar is open daily from about 16:00 to 23:30, so it closes earlier than the Old Quarter clubs and suits an early to mid evening. There is no cover charge and no bottle service. Reservations are generally not needed for small groups, though a larger party may want to call ahead or arrive early on Friday and Saturday to secure balcony seating. Sunset on the terrace is the most popular hour, and the lakeside setting pairs well with a stroll around Truc Bach afterwards.