Santa Rita, Salento: All You Need to Know
April 26, 2024
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Have you been wanting to travel to Asia as a vegan but are not sure which country to pick? Do you wonder if you will find enough vegan options, are you worried about hidden condiments like fish sauce or do you think visiting places in the countryside will mean that you’ll have to survive on plain rice and coconuts? I have spent seven weeks in Vietnam and I can tell you that you won’t have trouble finding vegan food in this wonderful country, even in more remote places, like for example Pu Luong or Da Bac, where tourism is still in its infancy.
Street food stall, Hanoi.
But isn’t the Vietnamese food culture extremely meat-heavy and don’t they put fish sauce in practically almost everything they cook? Yes and yes.
But, aside from that, Vietnamese food is also incredibly healthy. Most of the diet of the Vietnamese people consists of white rice, vegetables, broths, fish, and a certain amount of meat.
White rice is stripped from its nutritional value (fibers, minerals,…) through the preservation process but this is balanced out completely by the other ingredients that the Vietnamese include in almost every dish.
Fruit and vegetables provide fiber, vitamins, and minerals, fish, seafood and tofu provide proteins, and nuts and coconut-derived products supply fats.
Typical for Vietnamese cuisine is an abundant use of fresh herbs like basil, coriander, and mint while the most common spices are ginger, garlic, pepper, lime, and chili.
Compared to Thai food, Vietnamese dishes are pretty mild in taste and are more suitable for Western travelers that don’t like their food to be too spicy.
Yes, but you have to know what to look out for. When traveling to Vietnam, you will most likely see many options on the menu that seem vegan at first glance.
But, the Vietnamese tend to add fish sauce to almost every dish. It is really important to make clear in every restaurant that you eat that you are a vegan and that this also excludes fish sauce.
On another note, a large part of the Vietnamese population lives according to Buddhist philosophies. This also means that they sometimes refrain from eating certain ingredients like meat and fish. This mostly happens on the 1st and the 15th day of the lunar calendar.
Therefore, the Vietnamese are familiar with the concept of plant-based eating and they express this by saying that food is “an chay”.
If you see a restaurant that has “an chay” in its name, then this means that it’s a plant-based restaurant. It is however still possible that they use eggs so make sure you ask about this while ordering.
Street food stall, Vietnam
It is useful and actually quite necessary to learn some key lingo when it comes to traveling as a vegan to Vietnam.
However, the Vietnamese language is hard to pronounce and it is very likely that you will try to say something that actually means something completely different. For example, if you pronounce “chay” in the wrong way, it actually means “run” instead of “plant-based”.
The best thing to do to make sure that you order food that is 100% vegan is to have a few pre-written sentences on your phone that describe what you don’t eat.
After putting a lot of elaborate sentences in Google Translate about my food preferences at the start of my trip I often got confused looks about what was written. I found out that the shorter the sentences are, the better they translate into Vietnamese.
To make it easy for you, Here is what I used to order at restaurants and food stalls where little English was spoken.
“I am a vegetarian. I don’t eat meat, fish, pork, or chicken. I also don’t eat milk, butter, eggs, cheese, fish sauce, and honey.”
Put it in Google Translate and you will be good to go! It will look like this:
Vegan food in Vietnam can be as cheap or expensive as you want it to be. In most cities, you will find cheap street stalls at which you can buy vegan noodle soup for less than a dollar.
But, you will also be able to find gastronomic vegan restaurants in big cities like, for example, The Shamballa in Ho Chi Minh, where you will pay five to ten times more.
In general, at local restaurants that are not only geared toward tourists, you should also be able to find tasty vegan Vietnamese dishes for around VND 50.000 ($ 2). At restaurants that are geared toward tourists, expect to pay a little more.
How much you spend is really all up to you and up to the fact if you are traveling on a budget or not. My favorite places in Vietnam were all-you-can-eat buffets where you pay around three dollars for as much delicious vegan food as you want. You can find a lot of these vegan restaurants in Hanoi.
You should absolutely try Veggie Castle in Hanoi!
→ Also read: A complete guide to Cat Ba National Park
There are a lot of dishes in Vietnam that are vegan or can be veganized easily. Below, I will compile a list of all the vegan food I discovered while traveling through Vietnam as well as dishes that can be made vegan.
Do note that this is a comprehensive but non-exhaustive list. It’s quite impossible to describe all the vegan Vietnamese dishes let alone taste them in a short period of time.
I will start with some vegan Vietnamese breakfast options. Afterward I will continue to vegan dishes for lunch and dinner and I’ll end with a few street food options and drinks.
Vegan food Vietnam: vegan pho
Pho is a clear noodle soup that is accompanied by vegetables and some protein. Originally made with beef broth, this national Vietnamese dish is offered at almost every street corner in Vietnam.
It is very easy to find plant-based versions of pho in a lot of restaurants and even street stalls in bigger cities. Vegan versions are often accompanied by tofu instead of meat.
Pho can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, or dinner although the Vietnamese mostly consider this a breakfast dish. Pho is found nationwide but there is a distinct difference in taste, herbs, and noodle width between the northern and the southern part of Vietnam.
Vegan Vietnamese food: vegan Banh Mi
Banh Mi is another traditional Vietnamese staple food that you can find on every corner of the street. Banh Mi is not originally vegan, since it’s made with thin slices of pork meat and often contains paté and mayonnaise but there are several street stalls and Banh Mi restaurants that cater to vegans.
Aside from the meat, paté and mayonnaise, a Banh Mi baguette is filled with coriander, pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber and chili sauce.
For vegans, the meat inside the sandwich gets replaced with mushroom floss or braised tofu, and sauces are replaced with egg-free alternatives. Prices are very cheap and range from VND 20.000 to VND 35.0000.
Dedicated vegan Banh Mi restaurants also offer Banh Mi with mock meats for example Banh Mi vegan in Hanoi.
I enjoyed Banh Mi the most as a vegan in Vietnam but it’s also quite easy to prepare a DIY breakfast. Fresh fruits are abundant in Vietnam and can easily be found for a cheap price at the local markets. A fruit salad with nuts and seeds is a great way to start the day.
In larger cities with supermarkets that cater to Western tourists, you can also find granola, oatmeal, and plant-based milk and vegan yogurts.
→ Also read: Hang Mua Viewpoint + Mua Caves: Is It Worth It?
There is no shortage of taste Vietnamese vegan dishes for lunch or dinner. While you can find an abundant amount of vegan options in big cities and regions that cater to tourists, the best vegan food is often found in more rural areas.
Homestays, for example, are great occasions to get a taste of traditional Vietnamese cuisine. Get together with other travelers around a big table, let the homestay family know about your food preferences, and eat whatever gets put on the table. It will surely be delicious!
Vegan food in Vietnam: fried rice with vegetables
Fried rice can be found all over South East Asia and consists of rice that is fried in a wok with vegetables and egg, meat, chicken, or seafood.
Fried rice can be found at practically every restaurant. At several restaurants, they will ask you if you want to add tofu. Just make sure they don’t use fish sauce to add flavor.
Vietnam vegan food: Fried noodles
Fried noodles are on every restaurant’s menu and can be found throughout the country. Recipes will change according to the region you’re in as well as the vegetables accompanying the noodles.
As with the fried rice, be sure to ask to exclude fish sauce from the dish.
Vegan Vietnamese mushroom soup
This mushroom soup consists of thinly sliced mushrooms and carrots topped with fresh cilantro. I have to be honest, this was not my favorite Vietnamese dish.
The soup had an odd gelatin structure and the taste was rather bland. However, I was assured that it was vegan! You can find mushroom soup at a lot of Vietnamese restaurants.
Vegan Vietnamese pumpkin soup
One of my favorite dishes while traveling through Vietnam was this creamy pumpkin soup. Before you order, make sure that only plant-based ingredients were used to give this soup its flavor.
Vegan banana flower salad
Looking for a light and healthy salad? This banana flower salad consists of thinly sliced Banana blossom often mixed with carrot or other vegetables, a tasteful sauce, and peanuts.
Traditionally, fish sauce is used for the dressing so be sure to ask to make it without.
Vegan papaya salad
Papaya salad can be found throughout South East Asia and consists of unripe papaya that is mixed with other vegetables like carrots or cucumber.
The dressing contains lime and sugar and is originally made with fish sauce so be to ask to make it without! The dish is topped with peanuts.
Vegan Vietnamese food: fried mushroom fritters
I encountered these mushroom fritters on the menu of a vegan restaurant in Tam Coc. The mushrooms were shredded, mixed with fresh herbs, and dipped in a vegan batter before frying.
All the dishes we tried at this restaurant were absolutely delicious so if you plan to visit Tam Coc, be sure to stay at Tam Cốc Ngô Đồng homestay and Vegan restaurant.
Vegan bun rieu
A tasty vegetable soup with tofu and tomato. herbs, salad, and bean sprouts are served separately together with chili that you can add to your liking.
Originally, this soup is made with crab and pork but you can find vegan versions at vegan restaurants (I tried this one at Chayfood in Hanoi).
Vegan food in Vietnam: tofu in tomato sauce
Vietnamese vegan food doesn’t get any better than this! This is tasty fried tofu in a lovely simple tomato sauce flavored with garlic, onion, and some fresh herbs.
They normally don’t add fish sauce, but it doesn’t hurt to ask about it.
Vegan food in Vietnam: tofu la lot
One of the tastiest dishes I tried in Vietnam was these betel leaf rolls called ” La lot” in Vietnamese. Originally they are made with pork meat, but our lovely homestay hostess in Mai Chau prepared them for us with tofu.
The tofu is seasoned with onion, garlic, and fresh herbs and they are grilled before they get served.
Vegan food in Vietnam: chickpea curry
you won’t find this easily on the menu of regular restaurants in touristy areas but we found it at the vegan restaurant of Tam Cốc Ngô Đồng homestay and Vegan restaurant.
This was a lovely curry with a soft and subtle seasoning. I loved the fact that it included chickpeas. It’s a nice change from all the tofu to get your protein.
This vegan Vietnamese dish was so good that I forgot to take a photo of it! Eggplant is braised in a clay pot to perfection together with garlic, onion, and fresh herbs.
Be aware that they do tend to use fish sauce for this dish but this can easily be replaced with soja sauce.
Vegan food in Vietnam: sauteed carrot with potato
The best food I had during my whole trip through Vietnam was the simple meals at guesthouses in rural areas in the north of Vietnam.
At our homestay “Pu Luong holiday” in Pu Luong we were treated every day to delicious vegan White Thai food. This simple but aromatic dish with sauteed carrot and potato was simply delicious.
Vegan food in Vietnam: vegan mixed vegetables
Fried mixed vegetables can be found on almost every menu throughout the country. The use of vegetables can vary according to the season or the region.
Morning glory, carrots, and cabbage are used for the mix in the photo above. Ask them to not include fish sauce.
Vietnamese like to share their food, so at many local restaurants, you will find a large array of vegetable dishes that they usually combine with meat or fish.
Instead of meat and fish, you can order a few of these vegetable dishes with rice. Just don’t forget to ask if they fry the vegetables in fish sauce.
Vegan food in Vietnam: sauteed mushrooms
Mushrooms are widely available in Vietnam and were sauteed to perfection for us at the amazing Thung Sen restaurant in Tam Coc.
Vegan food in Vietnam: Sauteed pumpkin
Aside from pumpkin soup, I also tried this sauteed pumpkin with spring onion in our homestay in Pu Luong. Simple but absolutely delicious!
Vegan food in Vietnam: Sauteed cabbage
Sauteed greens are also abundant in Vietnam. The most common dish you will see on menus is morning glory. It is also known as water spinach and this green leafy vegetable is mostly cooked and served together with garlic when ordered as a standalone dish.
However, the Vietnamese include it in a lot of dishes, and you will surely encounter it if you order fried noodles with vegetables. We ate it so many times we kind of got sick of it!
The sauteed cabbage in the photo above was a nice change from all the morning glory.
Street food stall in Vietnam
Street food is abundant in Vietnam. You can literally find street food stalls at every street corner offering a large array of dishes, desserts, and snacks from banana fritters, to meat skewers, banh mi, pho and bun cha.
Unfortunately, many of these street food carts only offer meat-based dishes but, in big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, it’s possible to find plant-based food stalls offering vegan banh mi, pho, and more deliciousness.
The best way to find these food stalls is to ask the locals or check Happycow. In various cities, you can also enjoy vegan food tours, which take you to local vegan places that you won’t be able to find yourself but I’ll get deeper into that later!
Aside from vegan banh mi and pho, here are some more street food snacks to look out for!
Vegan food in Vietnam: fresh spring rolls
Fresh spring rolls can be found in many Asian countries and this is no different in Vietnam. Filled with rice noodles, fresh herbs, carrots, cucumber, and leafy greens, this is the perfect vegan snack.
Make sure they don’t include egg and ask them if the dipping sauce is fish sauce-free!
Vegan food in Vietnam: fried spring rolls
Less healthy but equally delicious are fried spring rolls. They often contain the same ingredients as the fresh spring rolls but this can also vary. Make sure they don’t add eggs.
We ordered it often and then always asked if they could include an egg to enhance the taste. It seems like they think it tastes rather bland without an egg but this is not the case.
The best street food that you can order and eat without worrying about hidden ingredients is banana fritters. Banana fritters are small bananas smothered in a mixture of regular flour, rice flour, water, sugar, and salt and then fried to perfection in a large bowl of vegetable oil.
Banana and corn fritters near train street in Hanoi, Vietnam
A few years ago, when I traveled through Asia I only encountered banana fritters but recently I’ve seen a lot more options like fried corn fritters and fried sweet potato.
As a vegan traveler, you won’t have trouble finding vegan drinks in Vietnam. Offcourse, some traditional drinks will be off-limit, like the famous Vietnamese egg coffee but you will be able to enjoy most of what’s on offer. Tasty drinks to look out for:
Aside from these drinks, Coke, Sprite, and other soft drinks alike are also widely available.
There are a few more Vietnamese dishes that I didn’t encounter on my trip through Vietnam but which are also suitable for vegans. I’ll list them below:
Aside from these dishes, there are probably plenty more Vietnamese recipes that are vegan or can easily be veganized. As I said before, this list is comprehensive but non-exhaustive!
Here are the websites I personally use whenever I travel to Vietnam:
Booking.com: For the best cheap guesthouses, homestays or small hotels
Hostelworld: To find the best hostels located in the cities
Homestay: For unique immersive homestays in the cities as well as in the Vietnamese countryside
12GO and Bookaway: The best transport websites for long-distance buses and train travel in Vietnam
GRAB: for taxi rides in cities and nearby attractions
Skyscanner: For affordable flights to Vietnam
Eatwith: Dine with locals inside their home for an immersive foodie experience
Withlocals: Experience cities in Vietnam with local people that show you around. This is a good idea if you want to stray off the beaten path!
Viator and Get Your Guide: For (vegan) food tours, street food tours, and tours in general
Get your Visa for Vietnam online through the Evisa website
If you’re looking for travel insurance, the one with the best benefits online is without a doubt Heymondo! It’s very easy to ask for a quote on the website and if you book with this link you’ll get 5% off!
Get access to mobile data straight away when entering the country with a Vietnam E-sim or an Asialink E-sim when traveling through multiple countries.
Outdoor restaurant Thung Sen in Tam Coc, Vietnam
In Vietnam, there are a lot of different restaurants option from which you can choose as a vegan. Some cater especially to vegans and you can recognize these by the word “chay” which is often mentioned in the restaurant’s name.
Here is an overview of the various kinds of restaurants in Vietnam that are interesting for vegans.
Buddhism has influenced the Vietnamese’s daily lifestyle and Buddhist philosophy dictates a plant-based diet. Most Vietnamese eat meat, however, on the 1st and 15th of the lunar month, many of them withdraw from eating animal-based products.
Not all Buddhist monks follow a strictly vegan diet. But, in and near temples, for example in Hue in central Vietnam, you can find no frill plant-based restaurants that offer simple vegetarian food.
Do note that vegetarian Buddhists also abstain from eating ingredients like shallots and garlic.
If you find yourself in a big city like Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh, look out for vegan all-you-can-eat buffets. They are cheap and delicious, and often also include free water and tea.
If you are in Hanoi you should definitely check out the Veggie Castle!
Street food restaurants are the best places to get in touch with the local Vietnamese culture. Aside from vegan finds at small street stalls, be sure to also try a vegan hotpot.
You can watch Vietnamese locals having a hot pot at almost every street corner in larger cities throughout the country. A hot pot dinner consists of a large bowl of broth traditionally accompanied by a selection of meats and vegetables. Vegan versions replace the meat with eggs and tofu.
Because of the Buddhist tradition, there are various local Vietnamese restaurants that only offer “chay” food. Look for the word “chay” when you browse restaurants and you will surely find a lot of small eateries that offer vegan food at very cheap prices.
On the other end, in large cities and popular touristic places, you can also find a nice selection of upscale vegan eateries and restaurants that don’t only offer Vietnamese cuisine but also Western food.
Regular Vietnamese restaurants may not cater specifically to vegans but, because of the Buddhist tradition, you should always be able to find something vegan on the menu. Morning glory, for instance, is ubiquitous and can be eaten together with rice.
Aside from that fried rice and fried noodle with vegetables are easy to find, same as tofu dishes.
I didn’t have any problem finding tasty vegan food in rural areas in Vietnam. Accommodations in rural areas are often homestays or small guesthouses and they can cook you up nice vegan and filling meals.
If you staying at a big resort in a rural area then it’s likely that they will cater to vegans too, and even offer Western food.
Tired of all the tofu and rice? I got you. While Vietnamese food is absolutely fucking delicious, sometimes we can crave something familiar to eat that reminds us of home.
In Vietnam, there is no shortage of vegan Western food in larger cities and tourist areas. In the countryside, on the other hand, it will be quite difficult to find vegan Western food.
Spaghetti with tomato sauce
Spaghetti with tomato sauce is easy to find in tourist areas. It is not expensive but portions are often very small. You don’t need to go to a Western restaurant to find spaghetti with tomato sauce, it’s easy to find in Vietnamese restaurants that cater to tourists.
Veganism in Vietnam: Vegan burger
Vegan burgers are also easy to find in touristy areas as well as pizza (without cheese) and of course, french fries.
At more upscale restaurants, you can find many more vegan dishes from all over the world, like quinoa-based dishes, Mexican food, and middle-eastern cuisine.
Food tours in Vietnam are abundant and you won’t have trouble finding one that caters to vegans in places like Hanoi, Hoi An, or Ho Chi Minh. It’s a great introduction to Vegan Vietnamese food and comes in very handy if you don’t know where to start!
Here are some tours to check out:
HANOI:
HO CHI MINH:
HOI AN:
As with vegan food tours, there are also multiple vegan cooking classes on offer throughout the country. Here are some great ones to check out:
HANOI:
HO CHI MINH:
HOI AN:
From all-inclusive luxury resorts to small homestays, there are vegan accommodation options in Vietnam for all budgets. However, when traveling to a large resort, check out if they have a sustainability policy in place. As conscious travelers, it’s our responsibility to support businesses that do good for the planet!
TAM COC:
MAI CHAU:
NHA TRANG:
HO CHI MINH:
There you go! As you can see, you won’t have any trouble finding decent vegan food when traveling to Vietnam. I hope you enjoyed this guide!
Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions or drop me a message through my contact page.
Also, don’t forget to check out my resources page with my favorite booking platforms and tips to start planning your trip. Additionally, have a look at my favorite travel gear if you want to pack more consciously!
ENJOY!
Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links. If you click on them, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Hi! I am Annelies and this is Travelers & Dreamers, a blog about conscious travel which means traveling in a more mindful way, with a positive impact on the world and yourself!
On this website, I cover different topics like slow travel, plant-based food guides, responsible travel, sustainable packing, eco-travel, and more!
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