Entree Kibbles: Alluvia Chocolatier at Hanoi (Near Hoan Kiem Lake) in Vietnam

It might surprise some of you but chocolate is supposed to be the must-buy in Vietnam, with the cocoa beans said to be ranked in the top 1% of the best tasting according to the International Cocoa Council.

Alluvia Chocolatier is said to be one of two famous ones in the country (other one being Marou), and I managed to chance upon its branch near Hoan Kiem Lake. p.s. the narrow entrance was almost overshadowed by its neighboring shops!

Not a big shop, and I bet ten customers would have made it very packed! Whatever the case, it was decked up with bars and bars of chocolate, including containers of cocoa nibs that would be suitable as gifts for your family and friends back home.

Loving the samples! You can choose from the extreme dark chocolate at 100% with no sugar, to interesting ones with chilli / pepper. My untrained taste buds had a higher affection for their milk chocolates though....

To be honest, I am not a huge chocolate fan and am easily satisfied by common, and cheaper FMCG brands like Nestle, Kit Kat etc. At 60,000 dong (about $3.50) for a 30-gram bar, it's not cheap although I think it's quite worth the price for the extreme dark chocolate which was 100% chocolate.

I just bought a few bars as I thought it would be more authentic to get products that are more Vietnamese since chocolates are better associated with the western world.

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