Veggies in Vietnam: Plenty of Tasty Choices for No-Meat Dining

ByAbhishek Talreja

If you’re a vegetarian and traveling to Vietnam soon, I can assure you that you won’t be short of yummy food choices. During my recent

trip to Vietnam, I found some amazing restaurants and cafes that served delicious vegetarian dishes such as vegan pho, vegan spring rolls, vegetarian banh mi, vegetarian Indian food, pizzas, and burgers!

Being a vegetarian, I didn’t know I would have such a gala time eating in Vietnam. So, let me now take you through my ever-memorable gastronomical journey in Vietnam.

Bancong Cafe and Restaurant – Hanoi

Life on the roads of Hanoi can seem pacy. But in this quaint French-styled cafe, it feels heavenly. Bancong Cafe and Restaurant offers you a beautiful ambiance and some delicious vegetarian options, including veggie pizza, vegetable burgers, and various vegetarian salads.

Also, if you’re roaming the streets of old-quarter, this can be an idyllic place to take a break and relax over a cup of carefully crafted traditional Vietnamese coffee. The cost for two at Bancong Cafe and Restaurant is about $10.

Chayfood – Hanoi

If you’re looking for some clean vegan eating, you can check out this place in the heart of Hoàn Kiếm in Hanoi. Chay Food has a calming vibe and food that heals the soul but does not hurt your pocket.

Enjoy the soothing, minimalist interiors, or find a place on the balcony to get a nice view of the bustling street. The average cost of a dish here is around $3.

Loving Hut Chay Hoàng Kim 99 – Ha Long

If you’re in Ha Long and struggling to find vegetarian food, Loving Hut at Bãi Cháy could be the right place to pacify your hunger.

This is a place where you’ll get a variety of delectable vegan spring rolls, stir-fries, soups, hot pots, and salads. With its relaxed ambiance, this breezy place makes you feel at home. The part is that the food here tastes homely too!

The prices aren’t too high either. The two of you can enjoy a hearty buffet for just $8. You can also go for the a la carte menu, and that, too, will cost you just as much.

Veggie Castle – Hanoi

This vegan restaurant in Hanoi has plush interiors and a sprawling buffet. Veggie Castle offers you a cozy place with many savory options to choose from. It’s a fine dining buffet restaurant where you can fill yourself up to the brim for as little as 80K VND per person ($3.2).

Fried tofu potato wedges, kimchi salad, spinach rolls, and custom soup bowls—they’re all a part of the deal.

Aren’t you feeling that you should have been in Hanoi at this very moment enjoying this beautiful vegan buffet? Ask me how much I miss it now that I’m back in my hometown.

Om Hanoi Yoga and Cafe – Hanoi

Om Hanoi is a one-of-a-kind cafe where you can book a session of Vinyasa Yoga and then sit down in a peaceful environment to enjoy a healthy meal.

If you want to enjoy leafy salads, colorful smoothies, and delectable falafel or rice paper rolls, then don’t forget to visit this vegetarian restaurant in Hoàn Kiếm, Hanoi.

This is where you can sit back and enjoy the cozy interiors over a glass of a healthy drink or iced coffee. Feel the stillness of this place and soak in the happiness of the present moment.

Take – Hanoi

This is a small but pleasing eatery at a stone’s throw away from the Hoàn Kiếm lake. What will you get here? You’ll get lip-smacking wraps, tacos, quesadillas, and Mexican-style rice bowls. They have some Vietnamese options on the menu as well. The ambiance is warm and friendly. The coffee is quite impressive too! At this pocket-friendly cafe, you won’t spend more than $10 for two people.

The Square – Novotel, Ha Long

I enjoyed the choicest vegetarian dishes at The Square, Novotel, Ha Long. A breakfast buffet at The Square is a generous spread with various salads, juices, and bread to choose from.

You can also ask for a customized vegetarian noodle soup bowl. And besides, there are vegetarian Vietnamese rice and noodles that you can pick up from the buffet counter.

A breakfast buffet at The Square is about $15 for one person.

When in Ha Long, you must head over to this place for a genuinely healthy vegetarian breakfast.

Pizza Belga – Hanoi

In Vietnam and craving authentic wood-fired pizzas? Pizza Belga is a true-blue pizzeria in the heart of Hanoi. This pizza haven offers you the best of vegetarian pizzas, pasta, and signature desserts.

And you also have the option to wash it all down with a craft beer of choice. The food here may be slightly pricey, but I can assure you that it is worth every penny you pay. Made with natural and fresh ingredients, the pizzas here will make you ask for more. The interiors are inviting, and so are the hosts. The cost of two at Pizza Belga is about $15-17.

Namaste Hanoi

Don’t worry if you’re craving some exotic spices from India. You can hop over to Namaste Hanoi and taste lip-smacking North Indian and South Indian vegetarian dishes. Being an authentic Indian restaurant, this place isn’t inexpensive.

Here, you’ll get everything from seekh kebabs to dal makhani to masala dosa. This spacious eatery looks like a traditional Indian restaurant, as does the food here.

I’m from New Delhi, and honestly, after a while in Vietnam, I was seriously missing Indian food. That’s when I spotted this mind-blowing restaurant.

If you enjoy cuisines from India, you can check out this place. At Namaste Hanoi, the average meal cost for two is about $15-17.

Revel In Fresh Fruits and Juice

Roaming in the streets of Hanoi is delightful. Especially if you’re there in winter, you can walk around the blissful Hoàn Kiếm lake or loiter in the streets of the old quarter. And as a vegetarian, you’ll always find something to lay your hands on.

You can get fresh fruits for about $3-4 for a packet that weighs about 1 lb, 1.6 oz. The fruit vendors here add a spoonful of sugar and a dash of chili to your cut fruit which makes it sweet, tangy, and quite lovable.

And you’ll get juices galore—choose from pomegranate, guava, pineapple, orange, sugarcane, etc. Fruit juices range from 20k VND to 60K VND or $0.85 to $2.55.

Abhishek Talreja is an international freelance writer, content strategist, and travel enthusiast. An avid reader and an Instapoet, Abhishek is based in New Delhi, India.