This Summer, we traveled to Hanoi in Vietnam. It is such a bustling city with an interesting mix of Vietnamese and French lifestyle influences. Buddism also had an influence over Vietnam since the 2nd & 3rd century. This influence can still be seen today in the amount of ‘Chay’ and vegan/vegetarian food that’s widely available.
Google Maps works in Vietnam, which made it really easy to find all of the places I’ve listed below. Overall we ate exceptionally well for a fraction of the price you’d pay elsewhere. All listed below were totally vegan except for Aubergine Cafe, Hanoi Social Club & Uu Dam Chay, which both offer vegetarian options too. Read on to discover our 8 best places for vegan food in Hanoi, Vietnam!
Table of Contents:
1. Aubergine Cafe
Our first vegan food
Secondly, the food was delicious! We ordered pho, a tofu dish and vegetable fried rice. Both were so damn good! After eating a rather bland plane meal earlier in the day, this really hit the spot! They had a good range of options, mostly Vietnamese dishes, such as noodles, rice, spring rolls, soups and salads. They also had a wide range of drinks and fresh juices. We tried the lemon juice and watermelon juice. Both were delish and really helped the combat the monsoon season heat.
Third and finally it was so CHEAP! The meal and drinks cost under ten pounds/euros! The place itself certainly wasn’t fine dining but it felt clean and comfortable. Under the glass on the tables, it’s filled with little love notes from happy customers which helped to fill us with confidence when entering this little place. It looked as though they have
2.Jalus vegan kitchen and cafe
We ordered two burgers. One bbq style and one with avocado. They were both so delicious and really filling! They had a frozen peanut butter cheesecake on the menu that I of course desperately wanted, but I was so full and instead will be returning for it! UPDATE: returned for the cheesecake, it was okay.
I was also really impressed by the good range of drinks on offer. Lots of typical fruit juices, but also smoothies and teas. I had an amazing drink consisting of ice, plant-based milk, a shot of espresso and mint chocolate, all blended up. It was perfectly delicious, I cannot
The deco is also really nice and quaint. With lots of wood and earthy tones, it has a modern but homely vibe. The walls are lined with bookshelves and bits of
3. Minh Chay Nha Vegan
This is yet another gem tucked into the bustling streets of the gothic quarter. They have a huge led sign above the arched door saying ‘vegan food’ like a beautiful beacon! The menu here was extensive! We were so excited and pretty overwhelmed with everything on offer. From Vietnamese classics, like pho, spring rolls, summer rolls to basically everything else. They had ‘meat’ skewers, fried ‘chicken’, pizza, pasta, a bunch of salads, soups, clay pot tofu the list goes on!
We ordered rice noodles with tofu, vegetables, and peanuts, pizza, spring rolls, and a veggie-filled pancake. Was it too much food? Yes. Were we overexcited? Ohhh yes. I’m so pleased to report the food was delicious. Everything we ordered was lovely and felt really nutritious. The only item I wouldn’t recommend is the pizza, as it felt very processed compared with the other items we ordered that felt much fresher!
Ups and downs…
The
An unfortunate side note, I’m reluctant to add is that I certainly would NOT recommend ordering from this place. Vietnam has a company called grab, where you can order food and a driver will go and collect if for you. (AMAZING, I really wish grab was in Korea.) We ordered one evening and the food was not of the same quality we experienced in the restaurant. It was super greasy and just not good.
That being said! If your travelling Vietnam don’t miss out on actually visiting this spot! The restaurant is divine and
4. Com Chay Nang Tam
Now, in order to find this place you can get most of the way on google maps until you see a sign for it on the street, you then follow the sign down an alleyway of sorts to come to the restaurant. When we initially arrived the restaurant was empty, we assumed maybe it wasn’t a popping spot, however within another 20 minutes the place filled up despite the facts it
This place offers Buddhist temple style food. Within the menu, they have a couple of pages outlining
This is a good place to pop to if
5. Vegan Banh Mi
Banh Mi in Vietnamese literally means bread. It’s a hugely popular sandwich usually made with baguette and filled with various savoury ingredients. I was so excited to find a vegan Banh Mi place, as these sandwiches are sold everywhere and look so delicious! The place was exceptionally close to number 4. on the list. Another good shout if you’re exploring the area around Train Street, but just want to stop for a little bite rather than a meal.
Once again this place was a little tricky to find, there’s a sign on the street, but also a few ‘pop up’ street food vendors (by this I mean the people that just set up chairs on the street and sell stuff) so it was hard to tell which the sign was appointed too. However a friendly local pointed us in the right direction.
The place itself was certainly the proprietors living room. It doesn’t seem uncommon in Vietnam for people to earn a living this way, but it certainly wasn’t what I expected. There was enough room to seat a maximum of 6 people, and the
We ate ‘Meatless Banh Mi’ which was filled with plant-based protein, veggies, tofu patè, salad and a sauce, as well as a ‘Pillow Donut’, this was similar to a spring roll, but triangular, filled with seitan and vegetables. I really enjoyed the ‘Pillow Donut’. The Banh Mi was nice but a little dry for me.
The owners were really lovely and friendly and gave us some cashew milk when we left. Once again the food was super cheap and so deffintily a good option for a snack if your in the area.
6. Hanoi Social Club
I saw the Hanoi Social Club come up on a lot of lists when searching for vegan food in Hanoi, Vietnam. Although the place doesn’t specifically cater for vegans, they were said to have enough vegan options to make them a note worthy place to go.
It was a pretty straight forward place to find using google maps and certainly lived up to its reputations.
They had a few vegan options including pasta, lasagne, sandwiches and salads. We ordered two sandwiches, one with falafel and salad, and another with tempeh and sauerkraut.
All this sounds great, right? HOWEVER! After they gave us our food, one of our sandwiches had come with cheese in it, despite ordering the vegan option. This was really upsetting for me as I really liked the place, and the staff were so kind but I just really feel this is NOT on for a place that’s specifically catering and targeting vegan clientele, they need to be much more careful! We spoke to them about the mistake. We left with 15% knocked off our bill and a sense of disapointment. I would say try this place, but just be obnoxiously clear with the staff if your vegan and double-check your food before you scoff it. :)
7. The Veg – Organic Vego & Tea
We popped into this little cafe on a rainy afternoon in Hanoi. They have a somewhat extensive menu and specialise in teas. I am a huge tea lover so was really excited to go here and get a pot. There tea menu lists all the benefits for the various teas.
The tea was really lovely and if we had more time, I would have definitely gone back. However, I probably wouldn’t have gone back for the food. (No shade) I just ordered two things and REALLY didn’t like either of them. I ordered avocado on toast with jackfruit, but it came with MOUNTAINS of jackfruit. So. Much. Jackfruit. If you like jackfruit its definitely for you but I found it way too sweet for something I consider a savoury dish. Also as a side note, the service wasn’t great as 3 of the things we ordered never turned up.
I also ordered tofu in a peanut butter sauce which again was absurdly sweet for me personally. I expected more of a peanut satay but it actually tasted more like caramel. Of course, this is really down to personal preference and there was nothing wrong with it in actuality. For me, worth a visit for a good brew.
8. Uu Dam Chay
Last but definitely not least, Uu Dam Chay. Out of the cheap and cheerful array of delights we experience in Hanoi, this was by far the most expensive, not unrightfully so. It was easy to find like all the others on google maps. You enter through a big archway, then steps that lead you unto the front door. The interior was just beautiful, with high ceilings, lots of wood and decadent lighting, it definitely had the feel of a much more upmarket establishment. The kind of place you’d pay an arm and a leg to visit in London.
They have a wide array and vegan dishes with a special focus on health benefits. We ordered a mix of dishes, including raw sushi rolls, truffle-infused rice, dumplings to include a few. Everything was so delicious and plated up intricately. A range of their dishes are served in hollowed out pineapples or coconuts. It’s a nice concept and a little different to anything we had tried thus far on our trip.
I believe Anthony Bourdain said it best, “Vietnam is a place that “grabs you and doesn’t let you go.” Let me know your thoughts on the very busy BUSY city of Hanoi and if you had a chance to check out any of the vegan find’s listed above or any we missed! If you’d like to read more of my vegan food adventures in Asia, you can read about a few of my fave vegan find in Seoul HERE!