Hommel Beer Factory
BIA HOI CULTURE'S ORIGIN: FROM A COLONICAL DRINKING TO A CULTURE OF URBAN DWELLERS

Introduction
Before the French colonization, Vietnam had a long history of rice alcohol production. The beer industry was created in 1892 by Alfred Hommel, founder of Hommel Brewery (Brasserie Hommel) in Hanoi. Along with the Larue Brewery (Brasserie Larue) in Saigon, the Hommel Brewery was one of the two biggest breweries in Indochina.
Beer was the drink that seemed most suitable in the Indochina climate. At first, beer was mainly consumed by the French, then it became more and more popular with local Vietnamese people.
Besides water, the ingredients used by the Hommel Brewery were malted barley and hops imported from Europe and a proportion of rice (preferably denitrogenated). The difficulty was not in the purchase of ingredients of first quality, but in purifying water used, acquiring expensive brewing equipment, and adapting it to the hot and humid climate of Hanoi. Another challenge for the production of bottled beer was transportation. The brewery came up with the idea of producing a draft beer called bia hoi sold in kegs instead of bottles. Over time, bia hoi became a staple of Vietnamese culture and it remains so to this day.
Name: Brasserie Hommel / Société de la Brasserie Hommel / Société des Brasseries et Glacières de l'Indochine / Hanoi Brewery / Hanoi Brewery Company / Hanoi Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation (Habeco)
Location: 183 Hoang Hoa Tham, Ha Noi
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Chronological timeline
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Agents
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Investigations
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Architectural and Urban preliminary assessment
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Perspective / Thematic / Narrative point of view
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Bibliography
Hoang Van Thu Garment Workshop:
A material history narrated through vests, helmets, uniforms, and The Iron Curtain.
During the First Indochina War, many war zones had their own garment workshops. Garment 10 was formed by consolidating those workshops to gather the production capacity serving the Army.
Sharing characteristics with many other factories in Hanoi during the same period, Garment 10 was relocated several times during wars, bringing not only its machines but also its workers and their families. Despite these multiple movements, the factory always came back to its original location in Gia Lam, Ha Noi, where it is still located.
Garment 10 is a remarkable paradigm because of its complete and closed model of the relationship between production and reproduction, which may compare to the Danwei of the Chinese or the Mikrorayon of the Soviet Union.
Name: Hoang Van Thu Garment Workshop/ Garco 10
Location: Viet Bac war zone (1946)/ 765A Nguyen Van Linh, Sai Đong, Long Bien, Hanoi
INTRODUCTION
MASTER PLAN
