St. Patrick’s Day in Hanoi: Drinking Green Beer

Since their last night in Hanoi during the Woodcock Mission fell on March 17, Amb. Quinn describes how a few mid-level members of the delegation got together at the rundown Sofitel Hotel to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It was then that one of the members observed that they were drinking “green beer.” At first, it was thought that perhaps the Vietnamese had colored the beer just for the day; however Amb. Quinn quickly explained that it was likely green because of the high level of formaldehyde content in the beer.