1. Exploring Vung Tau's De Wine: Culinary Essence Deeply Imbued with Southern Identity
Passed down through generations of preservation and teaching, Vung Tau's De wine has become an indispensable cultural symbol of the Vung Tau region. The name "De wine" originates from the French colonial period, when the colonial government implemented a monopoly policy on alcohol production and taxation, forcing people to buy bland, low-quality industrial alcohol. To preserve the traditional flavor, many households secretly brewed homemade liquor in the "de" bushes, both to avoid detection and to preserve the rustic liquor, rich in national identity, thus creating the familiar name "De wine" as it is known today.
Vung Tau's De wine impresses with its characteristic spicy and potent flavor, distinct from many other traditional liquors. With an alcohol content of about 35 – 40 degrees, the liquor brings a warm sensation spreading from the throat down to the stomach, leaving a slightly sweet aftertaste and a rustic aroma.
Vung Tau De wine has a characteristic spicy and intense flavor, different from other traditional wines. (Source: Collected)
If Northern sticky rice wine has a delicate sweet taste, and Bau Da Binh Dinh wine is famous for its deep intensity, then Vung Tau De wine harmonizes between intensity and mildness, rich in the liberal Southern Vietnamese style. Among them, Hoa Long De wine is considered the most exquisite, with a crystal-clear color, free from impurities, demonstrating the purity and meticulousness of the traditional winemaking craft here.
2. Revealing the process of making Vung Tau De wine using the traditional recipe
2.1. Selecting ingredients and traditional yeast
The craft of making Vung Tau De wine is a crystallization of traditional techniques and the skillfulness and meticulousness of the coastal people. Each batch of wine begins with the strict selection of ingredients. The rice used for winemaking must be premium fragrant sticky rice with its bran layer intact, helping to retain the natural sweetness and the clarity of the wine.
Rice for making wine is fragrant, glutinous rice with the bran layer intact. (Source: Collected)
Besides, water also plays a very important role in the winemaking process. Water is taken from clean boreholes, exploited from deep underground layers to ensure clarity, free from impurities, and to maintain high purity for the wine. The wine yeast is fermented from grains and natural herbs according to each family's secret recipe, considered the soul that creates the characteristic, distinct flavor for Vung Tau rice wine.
According to long-time residents of this land, Vung Tau rice wine is delicious not only due to good ingredients but also because of the secret techniques in each step such as selecting rice, making yeast, fermenting cooked rice, distilling, and filtering impurities. In particular, the quality of the water source, the local climate characteristics, and the experience of adjusting the process when the weather changes are also important factors. These secrets have helped Vung Tau rice wine not only have a characteristic strong aroma but also maintain stable quality through each batch of wine.
2.2. Distillation steps and special wine fermentation techniques
The process of making Vung Tau rice wine using traditional handicraft methods is an art that requires skill, patience, and experience accumulated over many generations. Each step is done manually, with almost absolute care to create clear, rich, yet smooth drops of wine.
After the rice is cooked in an earthenware pot, it is allowed to cool naturally, then mixed thoroughly with yeast and put into clay jars. The fermentation process lasts about three days, under carefully controlled temperature conditions to ensure the yeast works best. Skilled artisans can accurately determine the right time to start distillation just by smelling the aroma emanating from the wine jar.
The distillation step is considered the soul of the rice wine making profession. The earthenware pot is placed on a firewood stove, the flame is kept steady to extract the essence of the wine without burning or altering the flavor. The first drops of wine, called "head wine", are usually the clearest, strongest, and most fragrant. Throughout the distillation process, cold water is continuously circulated around the system to maintain stable temperature, helping the wine achieve clarity, a mild aroma, and a characteristic spicy taste. That flavor is rustic yet profound, like the honest, diligent, and sophisticated people of Vung Tau's coastal region.
Vung Tau De liquor is made using traditional ancestral methods. (Source: Collected)
2.3. Hoa Long De Liquor: Outstanding specialty of Ba Ria, pride of the coastal region
Kim Long Commune has long been considered the cradle of Vung Tau De liquor, preserving a nearly century-old liquor brewing tradition. Through many ups and downs, the craft village has maintained its exquisite craftsmanship and the pride of the local people. The entire commune currently has dozens of families in the trade, with many having been involved for three to four generations.
Every day, the liquor stills fire up from early morning, emitting a fragrant aroma of glutinous rice throughout the small roads. Some households brew up to 500 – 600 liters daily, but the special thing is that no two are alike. Each family has its own secret in selecting rice, mixing yeast, controlling fermentation temperature, and distillation, creating diverse flavors while retaining the characteristic rich fermentation. It is this meticulousness and dedication that has helped Kim Long De liquor maintain its reputation for nearly a hundred years.
Among the traditional liquors, Hoa Long De liquor has been recognized as a representative specialty of the former Ba Ria – Vung Tau province (now part of Ho Chi Minh City). The liquor has high purity, a crystal clear color, a smooth taste, and a sweet aftertaste that spreads in the throat without being harsh, allowing the drinker to fully appreciate the flavor of local glutinous rice.
Visiting the Vung Tau De liquor brewing village, tourists can not only witness the traditional liquor brewing process firsthand, from cooking fermented rice, fermenting, distilling, to bottling, but also enjoy fresh liquor on-site in a simple space imbued with the aroma of fresh rice.
3. Tips for buying Vung Tau De liquor ensuring safety and authentic taste
3.1. Tips for choosing authentic Vung Tau De liquor
To identify authentic Vung Tau De liquor, you need to pay attention to both its sensory characteristics and origin. Genuine liquor usually has a crystal clear color, no sediment, no film, and no unusual color. When smelled, it has a light aroma of naturally fermented rice, with a hint of spiciness but not harsh. When tasted, the liquor's taste spreads smoothly, moderately spicy, creating a warm sensation in the throat, followed by a light, pure sweet aftertaste.
The standard alcohol content of Vung Tau De liquor typically ranges from 35 to 40 degrees, enough to feel its strength without causing unpleasant burning. This is also the characteristic that makes this liquor popular during holidays, Tet, and family gatherings.
Conversely, low-quality liquor products often have an unpleasant pungent smell, a bitter and burning taste in the throat, a cloudy color, or white sediment. Some types may also cause dry mouth and a headache after drinking. Therefore, consumers should purchase de liquor from reputable establishments with clear labels, origin traceability codes, and brands, especially products from the Hoa Long Liquor Cooperative. Absolutely avoid buying unlicensed liquor, unlabeled bottles, or roadside sales to ensure safety and enjoy the authentic traditional flavor of Vung Tau De liquor.
Hoa Long De wine is loved and highly appreciated by many. (Source: Collected)
3.3. Reputable addresses and places to buy De wine in Vung Tau
Tourists can choose to buy authentic Vung Tau De wine at direct production facilities in Kim Long commune, Ho Chi Minh City. Hai Tho Wine Facility is known as a reliable address, frequently visited by tourists thanks to its stable quality products. The Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial Culture and Tourism Center also provides a list of reputable production facilities for tourists to conveniently choose.
Additionally, specialty stores in Vung Tau center or Vung Tau market also sell De wine with clear origin. When buying wine as a gift, you should prioritize choosing securely bottled products with complete labels, clearly stating the production date and expiry date to ensure safety during transportation.
Vung Tau De wine is not just a rustic drink but also a cultural symbol associated with the liberal and hospitable spirit of the people in the southern coastal region. From the meticulous traditional brewing process to the characteristic spicy flavor, each drop of wine contains a story about traditional craft and the simple way of life in the coastal villages. When visiting Vung Tau, don't forget to enjoy the authentic local De wine flavor and choose a few bottles as gifts carrying the imprint of the sea. In early 2026, when Sun World Vung Tau officially opens, tourists will have more opportunities to immerse themselves in a new experience space – where local culture, cuisine, and spirit are honored in a more modern and vibrant guise than ever before.
