Vietnam Vegetarian: top restaurants and what vegetarian food are available

Vegetarian Dishes Usually Available in Vietnam

If you are looking for vegetarian food while traveling around the towns and cities of Vietnam, then you should look on the signs for the phrase “quan chay”, and these signs can be found all across the country. Many restaurants have their own versions of classic and authentic Vietnamese dishes with a vegetarian twist, but for the real vegetarian dishes, you need to seek out these quan chay places.

Banh mi chay

With its French colonial influence, no trip to Vietnam would be complete without trying the famous banh mi, the French bread rolls with fillings of all kinds. A fusion of French baguette and Vietnamese spiciness, these delightful sandwiches are often filled with pork belly and/or pate, and are very filling for a good lunch. However, vegetarian versions are always available at all vendors, and some of the more popular contain things like tofu with egg and mushrooms, fresh chilis, pickles, and herbs. But you can always make up your own fillings from the wide selection on display.

Banh mi chay

Pho chay

The traditional pho is a soup made from any meat-based broth with noodles, meat, and vegetables. Usually eaten for breakfast, it is a filling dish that will leave you full til lunch. The vegetarian version that is popular in much of central Vietnam, especially in Hue and Da Nang, will always contain the word “chay”, and will be cooked using a vegetable broth in stead of meat, and will often have tofu as a replacement for the beef or pork. Other than that, it is served in exactly the same way, with plenty of vegetables, fresh chilis, herbs, and fresh limes.

Pho chay

Nom du du

A deliciously crunchy kind of Vietnamese salad, this unique dish is made from thin slices of papaya, carrots, and bell peppers with plenty of fresh peanuts, sesame seeds, coriander, and basil. The salad is covered with a dressing made from sweet honey and rice vinegar to give it a sweet and sour tang. You should, however, check if the dressing contains fish sauce (ask nu’oc mam?), as this is still a common practice. If they do not have a vegetarian option for the fish sauce, then a little soy sauce can add a nice flavor.

Nom du du

Banh cuon chay

Very similar to the thin crepes that you can get in western restaurants, these are made from rice flour instead, which is spread on a hotplate to make a thin sheet and stuffed with a wide variety of ingredients. The original banh cuon contain meat or fish, but vegetarian options are also available, and the meat can be substituted with tofu. They are then topped with crunchy fried garlic and herbs and served with a dipping sauce (again, check for fish sauce).

Banh cuon chay

Banh it tran

Similar in form to the Chinese soapao, these dumplings made from rice dough are steamed and eaten as a snack or part of a main meal. This variety is normally filled with mung bean paste, fried shallots, and fresh spring onions and are served with a selection of pickles and a sweet dipping sauce.

Banh it tran

Cho dau xanh chay

All across Asia, each country has its own version of a rice porridge, and in Vietnam it is known as “Chao”. One of the most popular dishes in cafes and on street corners, it is served in small bowls with a side dish of soy sauce. Made primarily from mung beads and rice, boiled until mushy and looking a little like traditional porridge, it is served topped with chopped spring onions, fried shallots, and crunchy garlic.

Cho dau xanh chay

Dau sot ca chua

One of Vietnam’s favorite vegetarian dishes, it is an original vegetarian meal that is made chiefly from tofu. Using thick pieces of fried tofu, which are then added to a tomato and garlic sauce, it is served with a sprinkling of chopped spring onions and served over a bed of rice.

Dau sot ca chua

Bot chien

Another original vegetarian option, this is one of the most popular vegetarian street foods in Hanoi. The street vendors fry small cubes of rice cake on a sizzling hotplate until they turn a golden color, then add whisked egg and stir-fry until cooked together in a kind of omelet. The base is then covered with chopped spring onions and peanuts, and served with a side dish of soy sauce to add a little saltiness.

Bot chien

Bun cha gio chay

Spring rolls are a delicacy that is decisively Asian, and in Vietnam they are often served with noodles. Sold mostly in the early mornings as an on-the-move breakfast, the spring rolls are made with rice-dough wrappers filled with finely chopped vegetables and tofu and deep fried. Usually served with noodles on a bed of mustard leaves and topped with grated carrot and chopped spring onions.

Bun cha gio chay

Vietnam’s Top Vegetarian Restaurants in Hoi An and Saigon

Top Hoi An Vegetarian Restaurants

Hoi An is well known as the center of the French colonial cuisine in Vietnam, and is famous for its banh mi, the French baguette sandwiches that can be found in restaurants and street vendors all across the city.

Banh Mi Phuong Restaurant

Hoi An has a wide variety of vegetarian restaurants to choose from, and is the home of the banh mi in central Vietnam. Vegetarian fillings abound, and the best place to get them is the Banh Mi Phuong, a small restaurant that was made famous by celebrity chef, Anthony Bourdain, who branded them the “best banh mi in Vietnam”. The small shop has its own takeaway counter so you can buy the sandwiches on the hoof, and there are five women frantically stuffing fillings into the soft white baguettes to satisfy the long lines of people that regularly get their breakfast rolls there. Their most popular vegetarian option is the scrambled egg banh mi, but they also have a tofu option that is considered to be the best vegan option in the city.

Karma Waters Restaurant

Another great restaurant in Hoi An is the Karma Waters, an authentic vegan and organic restaurant that serves the best vegetarian pho in the country. Veggie pho is quite common in the west, but can be more difficult to find in Vietnam, as most locals prefer it with meat. Even many of the tofu pho dishes are cooked with either beef or chicken broth. At Karma Waters, the pho is served with tofu, beansprouts, onions, basil and mushrooms, and is made from a broth of soybean protein instead of meat. With no sugar or MSG in their dishes, and only a light taste of salt, they have some of the healthiest option for meals in the city, and possibly in the country. Their other signature dish, the cam gai chay, is made with all fresh vegetables and herbs, and the noodles are made from rice flour without egg.

Top Saigon Vegetarian Restaurants

Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it is still called by many people, has some of the best vegetarian restaurants in the south of the country, and has the greatest abundance of vegetarian street vendors in the world.

Le Van Tam

While Hoi An is more famous for restaurants, Saigon is just as well known for its street food vendors. And the most popular of these is the lonely street cart that sits day and night in the Le Van Tam Park. Resident in the park for more than 30 years, this single street food vendor is renowned for being the best seller of goi du du in Vietnam. The green papaya salad is the most popular dish, and the salad can come with beef jerky or fried tofu. The vendor speaks excellent English, and can produce veggie versions of any dish you see in his cart menu.

Saigon Vegan Restaurant

Vegetarian food in Saigon is more popular than anywhere else in Vietnam, and the Saigon Vegan is one of the best restaurants in the city, with a plethora of “quan chay” to choose from. Their extensive vegetarian and vegan menu gives you generous portions and its central location and cozy interior makes for a great vegan dining experience. Their signature dish is the Clay Pot Seaweed soup, with all-natural ingredients and no meat or dairy products at all. They even have their own version of bun cha, a popular meaty dish in Vietnam that is rarely ever done as a vegan option.