Is Ho Chi Minh Vegan Friendly?

I’ve noticed that after reopening from the pandemic, the requests for vegetarian and vegan guests on our tour have increased! I think that’s great, and we absolutely provide options for our non-meat-eating guests during our food tours! It’s not always easy to do since it’s important to me that everyone on the tour can eat similar dishes. For example, I wouldn’t want a vegetarian or vegan guest to eat soup while everyone else eats a fresh wrap. So, is Ho Chi Minh Vegan friendly?

Yes, Ho Chi Minh City is highly Vegan friendly since there is a large population of Buddhists who do not eat meat. Also, a large population of people specifically don’t eat meat during the full moon. This means many Vegetarian restaurants around Ho Chi Minh City offer Vietnamese fare without meat, using tofu, seitan, and jackfruit as meat substitutes.

Tips for Vegan and Vegetarian Travellers

It’s important to note that if you are interested in street food or local food in Vietnam, the vendors do not operate like restaurants in other parts of the world. Typically, the vendor or small eatery only specializes in one to three dishes. These dishes are all made the same way and are usually not vegan-friendly. Most dishes will consist of fish, shrimp, or pork somewhere while cooking the dish.

You’ll need to search for vegetarian-specific eateries and vendors. This isn’t quite as difficult as it sounds since many Buddhists are in the city.

You can also find restaurants that will serve many dishes and have some vegetarian options on the menu, you can read about those in my article Where do locals eat in Ho Chi Minh City?.

Here is the best tip I can give. If you are hungry and haven’t researched the area where you are, look for a nearby temple. Surrounding the temple area, there will usually be a couple of vegetarian restaurants and/or vendors specializing in Vietnamese vegetarian food to accommodate the temple visitors and residents.

What Can I Eat In Vietnam as a Vegan or Vegetarian?

Here is the excellent part about Vietnamese vegetarian/vegan cuisine, the Vietnamese love their traditional dishes like Pho or Bun Bo Hue. They serve precisely the same dish, but they do a no-meat version that is really great! This allows you to enjoy food like I recommend here on my one food you would try in Ho Chi Minh City list! There are also Vietnamese restaurants that are a bit more “fancy” and serve excellent Vietnamese vegetarian cuisine with their bit of flair and specialty dishes that you won’t find at small vendors or restaurants.

Check out Hum Restaurant @ 34 Vo Van Tan for a really nice place to have vegan and vegetarian food. I’ve eaten there quite a few times and have never been dissapointed.

Vegetarian Local Food in District 1

I did a YouTube video of a local vegetarian restaurant a little over a year ago. This is an excellent style of eatery to check out if you want to enjoy some vegetarian Vietnamese food.

The place in my video is unfortunately closed now, but you can check out another location here:

Pho Chay Nhu – 54 Truong Quyen

I recommend trying a little bit of everything. Don’t worry about a language barrier; just point out what you like, and they will put it on your plate with some rice! Be adventurous and hopefully try out something new that you might love!

You can also find vegetarian restaurants that will serve very classic dishes like the ones found in my article about the one dish I think you should try in Ho Chi Minh City. The Vietnamese love their iconic dishes like Pho, Bun Thit Nuong, and much more. It makes a lot of sense that they are extremely good at recreating this dishes with the same flavors as the non-vegan versions.

If you are looking for something vegetarian/vegan but a little bit more upscale, I would recommend Hum Vegetarian at 32 Vo Van Tan. It’s located right next to the War Remnants Museum, so you might be able to pop in after or before a visit to the museum! Hum has been around for an extremely long time, and I’ve had some very nice meals there! I hope that helps you out. If you are wondering, is Ho Chi Minh vegan-friendly? You’ll find that this country is amiable for non-meat eaters!

If you are curious about my other recommendations in Ho Chi Minh City for foodies.