As a source of inoculation starters in the manufacture of alcohol from rice varieties from the Mekong river delta, Vietnam, Banh men has been produced since the ancient time. These starters, which normally combine three groups of microorganisms, viz. yeasts, bacteria and moulds convert the starchy materials into fermentable sugar and subsequently to alcohol and organic acids. Yeasts are significant in the production of traditional beverage because they play the main role in alcoholic fermentation. Of 128 strains of yeasts isolated from rice fermenting staters in the Mekong river delta, 30 yeast strains were identified to be thermo-resistant at 50oC and ethanol tolerance at 17 percent (v/v) in the challenge test with added ethanol with good flocculation and sporulation. From characterization of 10 yeast strains, 7 yeasts strains were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and 3 others as Clavispora lusitaniae.