Vietnam’s East West Brewing is joining forces with Wink Hotels to install branded taprooms across the group’s properties.

Each will pour more than 18 of the brewer’s beers, including its pale ale and Saigon Rosé, alongside seasonal releases, with full kitchen menus featuring “locally inspired comfort food, modernized street classics, and bold flavor pairings”.

The first joint taprooms have already opened at Wink’s properties in Danang, Hai Phong, a port city in the country’s northeast, and Can Tho in the Mekong Delta. Further launches planned include Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho.

East West, which launched in 2017, has existing taprooms in Ho Chi Minh City and a beachside brewery in Da Nang.

“We’re not just opening taprooms we’re creating destinations. These are places where locals and travellers can come together, enjoy world-class Vietnamese craft beer, and feel the energy of the new Vietnam,” said Loc Truong, Founder and CEO of East West Brewing Co.

“At Wink, we’ve always believed in doing things differently smarter, bolder, more local,” added Michael Piro, CEO of Wink Hotels. “Partnering with East West Brewing brings that mission to life in the most delicious way possible.”

The venture underlines how Vietnam’s craft breweries are experimenting with new ways to expand as the domestic beer market struggles with falling output, a decline in consumer spending and rising alcohol taxes.

While tourism arrivals in Vietnam are showing positive signs of growth (up both on 2019 and 2024 year-on-year), the marriage of beer taps and hotel lobbies draws more than novelty traffic will depend on repeat custom in cities where craft still fights for share against cheaper macro options.