Vietnam is unique with its rich diversity of languages, cultures, and cuisine. Traveling to Vietnam, visitors not only have a great chance to explore all the hidden charms and beauties of Vietnam, but also taste the best food of the world, especially, Vietnamese vegetarian dishes.
It is a big fault not to mention how famous its cuisine is with a mixed flavor of sweet, sour, spicy, salty, and sometimes, a little bitter. Tourists can feel a balance in each type of Vietnamese food, a combination of green herbs, meat, and spices based on the Yin and Yang concept; in particular, the opposite characteristics of heat and coldness. As a result, the food is healthy and easy to digest. You will never feel too full; it is like a harmony of your body and soul when you have even the first taste.
Besides, being a vegetarian in Vietnam is not a big deal. With the popularity of vegan food varying from North to South, you can enjoy your meal at every corner of the country, either in a luxurious restaurant or a small stall on the street. The word “vegetarian” is translated into Vietnamese as “chay” – a simple and not so complicated word to remember. Why is Vietnam the perfect destination for foreign vegetarians? It is cheap but safe, diverse in types, and more than that, it is surprisingly good! Here is the list of Top 10 Vietnamese vegetarian dishes in Vietnam.
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Top 10 Vietnamese Vegetarian Dishes You Must Try
1. Vegetarian Vietnamese Spring Rolls
You might or might not have heard about it before – Vietnamese Vegetarian Spring rolls, served as snacks or a dish for your lunch or dinner. With the mixture of yummy-looking elements inside, you can freely utilize your creation and imagination to change and add more flavors to your taste. Normally, this food is made of herbs, glass noodles or rice noodles, mushrooms, fungus, cucumber, tomatoes, or carrots to add colors, and crispy fried tofu. Never forget to dip this white and full roll into a creamy nut-based sauce. You will fall for these full rolls because they are fresh, healthy, and satisfying!
2. Vegan Vietnamese Pho (Pho chay)
Never miss this second dish on your must-try list: Pho chay or Vietnamese Vegetarian Pho. Pho is the most widely known food in Vietnam and does not sound so exotic. Instead of traditional Pho with beef and bone-steamed soup, this veggie version brings you into the world of beans, rice noodles or Pho, tofu (if any), green herbs, young onion, and all of these fancy ingredient’s swimming in the broth or a special soup, which is the soul of this Pho.
3. Banh Xeo
Banh xeo or Crispy & Savory Vietnamese Crêpes is the third recommended Vietnamese vegetarian food. Crispy outside and inside, there is everything you can find: glass noodles, bean sprouts, fungus, carrot, egg, and coconut juice. This yellow crepe looks like an omelet and is so yummy! You can eat it with vinegar-based sauce and, of course, herbs.
4. Vegan Steamed Buns (Banh bao chay)
Having been affected by the cultures of Chinese in the past, Vietnamese people nowadays also enjoy Banh bao or Steamed dumplings/ buns as one of their favorites. This is served as breakfast or brunch or even snacks after work. Hidden inside the white and soft wrapper, there are tiny ingredients as you make it, including glass noodles, minced fungus, diced carrots, diced jicama, and young onion. Everything is good for your health!
5. Vietnamese Curry Vegetarian for Indian
According to a recent survey by the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), the number of Indian visitors to Vietnam increased 3.5-fold or 344 percent, from over 16,000 in 2010 to more than 60,000 people in 2015 and 85,000 people in 2016. When you are in Vietnam, they offer you Vietnamese vegetarian curry. With the mixture of chopped tofu, chopped mushroom, chili flakes, Chinese eggplants, potato/ sweet potato/ taro, lemongrass, minced ginger, green beans, lime leaves, and curry powder, you will never feel disappointed since these tastes wonderful and exactly applies the Yin and Yang concept.
6. Vegan Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Tomatoes (Dau sot ca chua)
Next on the list of Vietnamese vegetarian dishes is Vegan Vietnamese Fried Tofu with Tomatoes or Dau sot ca chua. This dish is perfect for a cold day if it is served hot. Moreover, this looks delightful and attractive since it has the red color of tomatoes, the green color of young onions, and the yellow color of fried tofu. At the same time, the minced or chopped onion will be a great added flavor, together with the pasty broth. You may be enchanted by the feeling it creates on the first try.
7. Vegan Egg Fried Rice
Com rang is another popular dish in Vietnam, not only for vegetarians but also for others. Here we are talking about Com rang chay or Vegan Egg Fried Rice, especially for vegetarians. This is served both as your breakfast or lunch, or dinner. It can be served the whole day. Since they are always together, you can find this type of Vietnamese vegetarian food in a Pho restaurant. The taste of crispy fried rice, the good smell of fried egg, and a lot of tiny vegetables such as corn, beans, and diced carrots fill your life with colors!
8. Lau Chay – Vegan Hot Pot
Vietnam is a place that can offer you various types of food in the whole four seasons of the year. If you visit the country under the cool weather of Autumn or in the cold days of winter, or you are staying there during the wintertime, you can try Vegan Hot pot or Lau chay. This one is truly delicious since it is everything you need for a full, tasty, but also healthy meal. The soup is extraordinary and the key to the tastiness of this dish. Imagine it is breezing so heavily outdoors; inside the restaurant, you are sitting with the good smell mixing into the air and the slurp of drinking the hot soup.
9. Vegan Banh Mi
For those who have not come to Vietnam yet or are considering visiting it one day, please bear in mind one food – typical for everyone, from older adults, adults, teenagers, or kids. This is called “Banh mi”. And Banh mi chay is for vegetarians. It is a different world inside it: green herbs, cucumber, carrot, chili sauce, mayonnaise, and a kind of fake meat from vegetables. Banh mi should be eaten when it is hot so that you can feel the crispy wrapper. It contains high nutrition.
Beside Vietnamese Vegetarian Dishes, you can read other artiles: Clam Rice: A Special Rice Dish in Hue City, Vietnamese Eating Habits You Must Know, Top 8 Popular Vietnamese Noodles You Must Try, Grilled Pork Noodles: Appetizing Vietnamese Street Food.
10. Garlic Bok Choy (Vegan & Gluten-Free)
Last but not least, Garlic Bok Choy (Vegan & Gluten-Free)! It is very healthy since it is merely bok choy (cai thia) – a lot of vegetables and added garlic flavor. Making it is very simple: stir your Bok choy with minced garlic, adding salt, broth mix, and pepper if you like hot food. It helps to boost your immune system capacity, reduces cold symptoms, and is good for digestion.
Once again, Vietnam brings us from surprise to surprise with the variety of delicious vegetarian culinary cultures. It is not exaggerated when you say this is a paradise for vegetarians worldwide. If you ever think of coming to this country and trying some of the best Vietnamese vegetarian dishes, why not?
