Hội An’s ancient city is one of the most photogenic places I have been in Vietnam. It’s also one of the easiest places to find vegan food. A trading port from the 14th to 19th century it has a beautiful blend of Vietnamese and foreign influence. The name Hội An translates as “peaceful meeting place” and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999. The buildings are pretty well preserved and nice to photograph. Colourful lanterns hang from trees, bridges, shop fronts and riverside displays. Get your camera out! We were lucky enough to visit Hội An during Tết 2023 when the place looked spectacular though it was pretty busy. We booked into a guest house for ten days as travel around Tết is hectic. Prices go up and seats sell out fast! But, it is easy to be vegan in Hoi An, Vietnam on the cheap.
The weather was a bit all over the place while we were there, rainy and cold for a lot of it with some days warm enough for the beach. We were told that this weather was unusual, that it’s usually much warmer and drier. Still, we had plenty of time to wander around. I walked out through the rice fields most mornings and watched them get greener and more vibrant over the days.
Hội An is pretty easy to get around, it’s not that big and you can cycle the few kilometres out to the coast. Most of the places we ate were outside of the main streets on the river as it’s generally a bit more expensive in crowded areas. There are so many places to eat vegan food that I barely scratched the surface. I’d love to hear your favourites so pop them into the comments.
When travelling we like to stick to a budget so we try to sniff out tasty vegan food at a low cost. This was not a problem in Hội An! Banh Mí is my favourite cheap eat. In the best stalls, the bread is fresh and soft, and the sauces are generously added. The veggies should be crunchy and the tofu/mushroom/mock meats bulk it out. Banh mí is a delight! Ask for a banh mí chay for a vegan sandwich. Banh mí trứng/ốp-la are vegetarian but have eggs in them so keep an eye out for “chay” when ordering.
It was in Hội An that I had cao lầu for the first time, and the second, and the third. It’s a local specialty with thick rice noodles that have been soaked in lye water. The noodles, local greens and sprouts, and meat/mock meat in a broth and topped with fried noodle squares. The vegan versions come with mock meats and tofu rather than pork. I mention Quán chay tịnh tâm below, the big sign on the street saying “vegan pho, vegan rice, vegan cao lau” drew us in. We were thrilled to see everything was 30,000 dong! We left happy and full.
So let’s be vegan in Hoi An, Vietnam. Below you’ll find 6 places where I got a top-class meal and would recommend to you.
Where We Ate Vegan in Hoi An, Vietnam
Minh Hien Vegetarian Restaurant is a vegetarian restaurant with 3 locations in the town. It’s also a cookery school. It’s a little bit pricier than some of the other places we visited but the food was wonderful.
What we ate: Tofu in passionfruit sauce. Sticky, sweet, sour, scrumptious. Small portion and no veg so next time I would order a veggie dish as well.
Fried eggplant with roasted peanuts. The sauce was sweet, salty, and very moreish. Nice crunchy contrast of the peanuts to the soft aubergine (eggplant).
Hội An pancake. Crispy fried pancake with salad leaves that one wraps in rice paper and a peanut dip
A nice vegetarian café with reasonably priced food is Sữa Cafe and Restaurant. Most of the food appeared to be vegan. We ate here a few times during our stay and what we really liked, besides the food, was the inclusion policy. Many of the staff had disabilities or were from disadvantaged backgrounds. Profits are also used to help the local disabled people. The staff were really friendly and the food was excellent.
What we ate: Stewed Tofu in a pepper sauce – the sauce was like a gravy with cracked black pepper, not what I was expecting but actually way nicer.
Pad Thai – I think it was silken tofu used instead of egg, really creamy and had plenty of peanuts for crunch.
Crispy mushrooms and tofu – This was my favourite dish, a chunk of tofu fried with mushrooms.
Sour and salty banana blossom – sticky and delicious, would be great as a beer snack. Served with rice which cleansed the sweet/sour very well.
Quán chay tịnh tâm is a small restaurant/stall with four items on the menu, all vegan and a little over a euro. The lady is cooking right beside the tables and the smells and sizzles are a delight.
What we ate: Cao Lau – Man this was so good. A big bowl of broth, noodles, and mock meats. Came with a plate of greens to add. Added chili jam and smiled the whole way through eating it.
Another vegetarian restaurant and cooking school in the town is Quán Chay Ấm. Most of the menu looked to be vegan.
What we ate: Fresh Spring Rolls: Packed full of flavour and more filling than expected, chilli soy dipping sauce.
Peanuts Vegan Restaurant is a fully vegan restaurant with limited seating but does delivery. A small selection of side dishes and a couple of larger dishes.
What we ate: Orange “Chicken” – fried lightly battered seitan or soy in a sticky, sour, orange sauce. Absolutely gorgeous. The small portion is good for 2 with rice and a side.
Peanut stew – a crumbly peanut and soy mince (?) mixture, dry and not in gravy as expected. Ate by scooping with sesame rice crackers tasty, small portion as to be expected as it is only a side.
Also had a of red rice and stir-fried vegetables. One of my favourite meals in Hội An and only 135,000 VND
Hội Banh Mí Chay is a banh mí stall on the corner of Nguyen Hue and Phan Chau Trinh. The bread is so fresh, crispy crust and fluffy inside. There is an ingredients card for you to choose any omissions. The lady is generous with filling and sauce. Really cheap at 15,000 VND ~ 60c
Have you been vegan in Hoi An, Vietnam? Did I miss anywhere that you think needs to be mentioned? Let me know in the comments.
What I was Reading in Vietnam
The Quiet American – Graham Greene
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