You hear a Saigon hẻm before you see much of it.
A rooster calling from out back. A motorbike squeezing past. Neighbours calling each other by nicknames that have stuck for years. I wanted to bring these everyday moments and the people behind them onto a collection of beer cans.
I reimagined the hẻm through five familiar characters.
Their names draw on the everyday nicknames heard across southern Vietnam, including Saigon. Given by family or neighbours, a name might come from someone’s personality, a story that stuck, or what they do for a living. Easy to call out and remember, these names give each can the familiarity of someone you might know.
It starts with the morning alarm.
NĂM LỰC ✸ NĂM LỰC ✸ NĂM LỰC ✸ NĂM LỰC ✸ NĂM LỰC ✸
The neighborhood strongman whose fighting cocks make sure everyone is up before sunrise.
Then, the spiritual gatekeeper.
BA THÊM ✦ BA THÊM ✦ BA THÊM ✦ BA THÊM ✦
She lights the incense and whispers her prayers, leaving the nosy neighbors guessing.
Keeping the neighborhood’s money moving:
SÁU HỤI ➏ SÁU HỤI ➏ SÁU HỤI ➏ SÁU HỤI ➏
The trusted keeper of the local savings pool, where contributions are collected and promises remembered.
Mastering the maze:
HAI HÊN ● HAI HÊN ● HAI HÊN ● HAI HÊN ●
The street navigator who knows every shortcut and which breakfast stop is worth being late for.
And keeping the chaos classy:
CHÍN KHA ✫ CHÍN KHA ✫ CHÍN KHA ✫ CHÍN KHA ✫
The impeccably dressed neighbor, setting the alley’s standard of cool.
Each can links to Sounds of Vietnam, an online archive of everyday street sounds.
Scan to hear a little of home.
Concept, illustration, packaging & art direction by Luongdoo
✭✭✭
This project began with an early idea for beer packaging
during a collaboration with a Vietnamese client based in the US.
I wanted the label to offer something to listen to while sharing a beer: the everyday sounds of Vietnam’s alleys,
especially for Vietnamese people living abroad who hadn’t had the chance to come home.
The project took a different direction and was eventually put on hold.
But I kept coming back to that first idea.
After a while, I decided to give it the time and attention I had always wanted to,
and see what it could become in my own hands. That became Beer Hẻm.
Thank you for making it this far. I hope you’ve found something familiar here. I’ll leave the rest for you to explore.
✭✭✭
This project began with an early idea for beer packaging
during a collaboration with a Vietnamese client based in the US.
I wanted the label to offer something to listen to while sharing a beer: the everyday sounds of Vietnam’s alleys,
especially for Vietnamese people living abroad who hadn’t had the chance to come home.
The project took a different direction and was eventually put on hold.
But I kept coming back to that first idea.
After a while, I decided to give it the time and attention I had always wanted to,
and see what it could become in my own hands. That became Beer Hẻm.
Thank you for making it this far. I hope you’ve found something familiar here. I’ll leave the rest for you to explore.