A Vegan's Guide to Saigon: Better Than You'd Expect

Every vegan who comes on my tour says the same thing afterwards. They didn't expect it to be this good. I understand the hesitation. Vietnamese food has a reputation for fish sauce and shrimp paste and pork broth. All of that is true. But there is a whole other side of the cuisine that most visitors never find.

Vietnam has a deep Buddhist tradition, and Buddhist vegetarian food here is its own thing entirely. Cơm chay restaurants, which are vegetarian rice shops, exist in every neighbourhood. On the 1st and 15th of the lunar month, many locals eat no meat at all. The result is a country that genuinely knows how to cook plant-based food. Not as an afterthought. As a real cuisine that has been refined over centuries.

The dishes I take people to on the Vegan Walk: bún riêu chay, a tomato-based noodle soup that is rich and layered without any meat. Bánh mì chay, a vegetarian version of the sandwich that holds its own completely against the original. Gỏi cuốn, fresh spring rolls with tofu and crisp herbs. And chè, the dessert soups made with coconut milk, beans, and fresh fruit. Almost all chè is vegan by default and it is one of the most underrated things you can eat in this city.

One thing worth knowing before you go: vegetarian in Vietnam sometimes includes eggs, dairy, and occasionally a small amount of shrimp paste. If you are strictly vegan, the phrase to use is chay thuần túy, which means fully plant-based. Most vendors understand immediately. At every place I take guests on the Vegan Walk, I have already checked. No surprises, no anxiety about what's in the bowl.