Mekong Moonshine careers

Mekong Moonshine is a traditional rice spirit known as rượu đế in Vietnamese (which is often mistranslated as “rice wine”).

Rượu đế has a long and storied history in Vietnam. Rice liquor has been distilled at home in Vietnam for centuries, and the name rượu đế traces back to French colonial rule. The French authorities attempted to crack down on homemade alcohol, but the Vietnamese refused to give up their ancient practice of distilling their own rice liquor. When rural distillers saw a tax collector arrive in their village, they would hide their alcohol and distilling equipment in nearby fields overgrown with đế plants (a 3-meter tall grass). Vietnamese moonshine thus became known as rượu đế, meaning “grass liquor.”

Mekong Moonshine is one of the first distilleries to bottle rượu đế and make it available commercially. It is currently available only in Ho Chi Minh City. We hope that, with the help of investors, we can soon enter the U.S. market.