Great Cheap Vegetarian Eats In Ho Chi Minh City (District 1)

Personally speaking, I am not a vegetarian or vegan, but I do enjoy eating this way most of the time. My meat/dairy intake is pretty low, especially when I am traveling around Asia. You never know what kind of meat you will get sometimes, so it’s best to avoid questionable looking street meat. That being said, if you see a food cart or restaurant that is always busy with locals, then chances are it’s a safe place to eat. Sometimes the fancier the restaurant, the more questionable the food is. Even though a place is expensive, it doesn’t exempt them from having poor quality hygiene. Here is a list of places that are vegetarian, or have vegetarian/vegan options, mostly in District 1.

Websites/Apps

There are a few websites that can be helpful for finding vegetarian/vegan food. They have honest reviews and most of the time there are pictures.

Happy Cow

My favorite website is Happy Cow. They are a worldwide website for all things vegetables. It’s always the first place I go when I’m in a new city. They also have an app on the iPhone for an affordable price. You can even add new eateries that you find along your travels, but you need to make sure they have vegan options before you add them. I highly recommend this app.

Vietnammm.com

This is a food delivery website just for Vietnam. They have delivery services in all the major cities and an easy to use website with an English version available. Some of the restaurants have a delivery charge and some are free, you can use the sidebar to specify your search. I highly recommend this website for food delivery.

Grab

This is a free app that is widely used in Vietnam, not just for food, but for getting a taxi or paying bills. It’s an all in one app. It’s very easy to use and comes in English. You can pay with cash or cards as well. It has a great filtering option where you can search for vegetarian and vegan foods. I highly recommend this app.

Foody.vn

Yet another great food delivery service called foody.vn. They often have promotions for certain restaurants and give discounts. Their service is available in many cities throughout Vietnam. Other than food, you can also find a hotel to stay at, search the best karaoke bars, or there’s even a whole section on weddings. Kind of weird, but ok! All around useful website.

Restaurants/Eateries

 Vegetarian/Vegan options 

 

TacoLeo

136 Bui Thị Xuan, Phuong Phạm Ngu Lao, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A great little Mexican place that has very good prices for tacos if you are looking for a snack. But your bill can add up quick if you want a nice filling meal. They have nachos, burrito bowls and quesadillas, all with vegetarian options, some with vegan options. So if you have a craving for some really good Mexican food, head over to TacoLeo.

Anh Phan

226 Cong Quynh, Q1 (at west end of Pham Ngu Lao intersection), Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This is a very small take away food spot, there aren’t any tables or chairs, so if you’re looking for a quick bite, this is the place. They have meat and vegan options here. They have banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) and banh bao (steamed buns). They also have vegan sticky rice which comes with sautéed mushrooms which was very delicious.

Gotcha Burger Falafel Kebab Taco

224A Bùi Viện, St, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 700000

This place has a variety of western foods for a pretty decent price. The food isn’t amazing but if you are craving something western, without the western price tag, this place is it. I had the veggie burger and fries which, again, wasn’t amazing, but the price was right. It’s good for some quick comfort food. They also serve meat.

Vegetarian

 Tiem Chay Dinh Y 

171b Cong Quynh, Q1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

This was the place I spent most of my time at. The menu does say “vegan” on it, but they have given me a side dish of fish sauce before. Just be aware. Their fake meats are also questionable, I’m not sure if they are indeed fake, or just highly processed meat. That being said, the food is delicious if you like noodle soups and rice dishes. My favorite is the Tom Ga soup. Happy Cow says that this place is vegetarian, so I’ll go with that.

Chan Nu II

133 De Tham, P. Co Giang, Quan 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

A great little buffet place if you like to pick and choose different items. They have mock meats available with a great selection of vegetables and vegan options. You can also order a banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) or a noodle soup.

Vegan

Veggie Saigon

42 De Tham St, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Here is a great Vietnamese vegan restaurant that’s a little more expensive than the others in this post, but it’s well worth a visit. They have various noodle and rice dishes with plenty of vegetables. The oyster mushroom appetizer was very delicious. If you have a bit more money to spend, I would say, spend it here.

 Au Lac Healthy World 

120 Nguyen Trai, Phuong Pham Ngu Lao, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 700000

A vegan buffet that is a great price. The food is good, but nothing amazing. The best part about it is the vegan supermarket where you can find some nice vegan treats. But if you’re looking for a decent vegan buffet, try this place out.

There you go, there are countless places with vegetarian and vegan options, these are just a few. Even you meat eaters would enjoy the lovely flavors of the veggie life.

Tell me, which place was your favorite?

Amanda is a freelance writier who is traveling the world by bicycle. She has her own travel website at Global Bike Trip, please check out what she's up to now.