Managing Indian/Vegetarian Food in Vietnam

How is it to manage being vegetarian in Vietnam? It was lot easier than I had anticipated. Managing as Vegetarian in Vietnam was lot easier than what I had experienced in Philippines or Japan. In this post I am sharing various vegetarian options in Vietnam, to help you plan your day while in Vietnam.

If you're wondering why some people look for Indian food while abroad, you should read this post.

Main things to know:

• Timings: Most Indian restaurants have limited opening hours- like 11 AM to 3 PM, 5 or 6 PM to 11 PM etc. Plan your visit accordingly.
• Budget: A proper meal will cost around INR 400-500 per person or more.
• Finding a veg option near you: Tripadvisor and Happy Cow restaurants are great apps to use. Even simple google search is fairly good enough

Indian Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh city

1. Saigon Indian Restaurant: Supposed to be most popular in town but was closed on the day of my visit, so couldn’t check.

2. Punjabi Indian restaurant: I had 2 aloo parathas, curd and mango juice that summed up to 140000 VND. Good stuff. Located in a small street in the heart of city.

3. Ashoka Restaurant: Staff said it is running since 25 years how. Reached there at around 4.20 PM, too hungry so had to eat at the Subway opposite it. Waited for sometime for it to open and ordered a Samosa chat. Was good but they added little more curd than what I would have liked but anyway no complaints. 

If you're not particular about Indian food, there were some vegan restaurants. You can use Happy Cow app to find out vegetarian restaurants near you.

Indian Restaurants in Ha Noi

1. Namaste Hanoi Restaurant: Went here twice. Spacious place, food quality as well as quantity is good. They have a doorman who opens door for you-didn't tip him anything on day 1, day 2 he didn't bother opening the door for me!

2. Little India Restaurant: This one is closer to lake, much less space compared to Namaste Hanoi, slightly cheaper, but quantity also little less compared to Namaste Hanoi. Closeby and you can visit here after enjoying the popular Thang Long water puppet show or a walk around Kiem lake

Breakfast options for vegetarians: Most hostels offer free breakfast in Vietnam. Though most of the main items are non-vegetarian, I could get some fruits and salads + bread toast. Most popular breakfast in Vietnam seems to be the bread loaf stuffed with various items- mostly meat. You can ask a veggie version to be made, if you’re not finding any other option.

Veg food during day trips: When on day trips, Veg lunch becomes tricky. Check with tour operator before booking. At times it may be possible that operator will be able to offer decent amount of vegetarian options- like during Halong Bay tour, I was served with veg spring roll, some coconut based munchies, potato fries, ride and salad. However some operators simply stop at restaurants that offer buffet lunch. During this again your options will be limited- salads, rice and some fruits will be your savior.

Quick snacks from supermarket: Chips, biscuits, juice and some fruits are often available in supermarket for emergency purpose.

Tender coconut: Quick refresher: Available in many markets and shops, though not very easy to find. Having couple of tender coconut water and meat can quench quite a bit of hunger. Price varies from 20000 to 30000 VND in city, upto 55000 VND in highway stops where tour buses stop, 10000 VND or less in villages, lesser known towns far from city.

Steamed corn is available at many shops.

I kept an eye for veg noodles at airports, in flights etc, but couldn’t find any option.

Similar: How to manage vegetarian food in Srilanka