The Best Vegan Restaurants in Hanoi, Vietnam

Finding vegan restaurants in Hanoi can initially be somewhat challenging as the city is incredibly overwhelming when you first arrive. However, when you do find vegetarian and vegan cuisine, prepare yourself for a taste sensation.

Having heard mixed things about finding vegan food in Vietnam, I wasn’t sure what to expect. However, it’s very normal for me now to spend some time researching vegan restaurants in every destination I visit, before I travel, so I went prepared with a long list.

_{This post may contain affiliate links which means that I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you, for qualifying purchases. For more information, read our disclaimer.}   

Where To Eat As A Vegan – Vegan Restaurants In Hanoi

I arrived enthusiastic about trying as much Vietnamese cuisine as possible, and while I was loving it at first, I must admit I did quickly get bored of it.

Vietnamese food is traditionally quite bland in my opinion – everything contains Thai basil (which I really don’t like) and is heavily flavoured with black pepper and/or lemongrass.. the other spices are so mellow, you don’t taste them as much. Spicy food isn’t really a thing here, but regardless, we dined at some amazing vegan restaurants in Hanoi and these are the places you must check out..

Met Vietnamese and Vegetarian restaurant

Our first meal in Hanoi was outstanding. We stumbled upon Met Vietnamese and Vegetarian restaurant when walking around the Old Quarter. They have 5 restaurants in the Old quarter, all with the same menu. 

I ordered the vegan Vietnamese pancake (which was under the list of side dishes, but it’s a huge portion) and stewed lotus root with mushrooms.

Both were phenomenal.

I’d never had a Vietnamese pancake before and we got a tutorial by the waiter on how to wrap up the pancake at the table which was a lovely touch. 

This place is a great compromise if you’re dining with non-vegans so that they have more options available to them too. Jass ordered the traditional grilled fish pancakes which he thoroughly enjoyed too.

All of it was incredible. So delicious – highly recommend!

We paid £14.15 for 2 mains, an appetiser, a beer and a soft drinks

Bánh mì Long Hội

My first bánh mì of the trip and it was absolutely delightful. They only have one vegetarian option, which I believe can be made vegan without the butter and mayo – just don’t quote me on that.

It was perfect for a quick lunch. My top tip is to add lots of the chilli sauce they have on the table, if you’re a fan of spice, this just elevated an already delicious baguette.

Truly sensational.

I only realised much later that they were missing the Vietnamese pickles that I adore, which could have only made it better in my opinion!

We paid £3.85 for 2 banh mi & 2 cokes

Katze Vegan & Veggie

Katze vegan and veggie is a family run traditional Vietnamese vegan restaurant; a true hidden gem, nestled on the second floor down a dark alley with no obvious signs. The owners speak virtually no English and there’s no obvious indication that this is a vegan place.

It almost feels like an exclusive little eatery for those in the know. I love that.

The menu is confusing and at first glance we thought it said to order 5 dishes to share but thankfully a group of backpackers on the table next to us said to only order two as they bring out numerous sides.. and they weren’t wrong!

We ordered the vegan crab claw in black pepper sauce and vegan beef with vegetables. They make a spicy, zingy dressing at the table for you and along side this, they bring out a huge bowl of rice, the traditional tofu in tomato sauce, a big bowl of salad bits (coriander, bean sprouts, cabbage and Thai basil which I’ve noticed they use a lot here. I really really don’t like it).

Towards the end of the meal, they serve you a clear broth with morning glory. They show you how to add rice to it in your own bowl, how to sip the broth and use chopsticks to eat the greens. While this might seem like a bland addition to the meal, I really enjoyed this.

Fascinating experience and truly heartwarming food. Just be prepared to be comfortable using chopsticks. If you’re lucky, you may get a serving spoon.. but that’s all the utensils you need here.

We paid £9.97 for all this food and what a feast!

I honestly wish we had more time to go back to all of these vegan restaurants in Hanoi! The mock meat at Katze in particular is outstanding.

The Veg – organic vego & tea

We accidentally stumbled upon The Veg – organic vego & tea when searching for somewhere to have a coffee with dairy free milk options. We had a couple of hours to wait for a train to pass through Train street and decided we might as well have an early dinner while we were here.

The rice flour nachos with mushroom and tofu were delicious and unlike anything I’ve ever had. The mushroom and tofu mixture in particular was delicious; it had a little kick to it, but wasn’t spicy.

The veggie stuffed tofu with red rice main was really unusual but incredibly tasty. I’ve never had stuffed tofu before, and paired with the red rice made for a great combination.

We paid £8.24 for one main, one side & 2 coffees.

Where to find coffee with dairy-free milk in Hanoi

Hanoi is brimming with coffee shops on every corner, but finding one that serves anything other than cow’s milk is a challenge to say the least.

Our hotel in Hanoi had no dairy free milk options either, which was not only surprising given this is Asia and soya milk is big deal here, but also pretty disappointing to find in 2023. I expect a soya milk offering in hotels and coffee shops at the very least, but I had to resort to hunting down coffee in vegan restaurants in Hanoi instead.

..Let’s just say I’m not approachable until I’ve had my caffeine fix in the morning, and sadly my tastebuds are not keen on black coffee.

Chayfood

Thankfully Chayfood opened at 6am, bang on time for me to grab a coffee before breakfast at the hotel. After a bit of confusion and the guy telling me a regular coffee with soya milk won’t be very nice, I ended up with a Vietnamese coffee with cashew condensed milk instead.

I don’t have a sweet tooth and this really wasn’t what I needed first thing in the morning, but honestly, I cannot complain. After almost 48 hours of caffeine withdrawal thanks to a long travel day (and no, diet coke doesn’t hit in the same way), I guzzled it down faster than a severely dehydrated person. 

I must admit it was lovely as maybe an afternoon treat or dessert for me though.

Update – I had this as an iced coffee on my last morning in Hanoi and it was so, so much nicer! If only somebody had told me that before.

We paid £3.68 for 2 Vietnamese coffees.

The Veg – organic vego & tea

Not only is this a vegan and vegetarian restaurant, they also have soya milk, cashew milk and homemade walnut milk for your hot drinks. 

You have to try the banana coffee with cashew condensed milk  – it was surprisingly excellent!

I ordered the vegan version, while Jass opted for the regular condensed milk in his, which he said was much sweeter. Thankfully, mine wasn’t overly sweet and it was great to be able to try a veganised version of something so unusual.

Note Coffee

Now Note Coffee is obviously an Instagram hotspot, located on the edge of Hoàn Kiếm lake in Hanoi Old Quarter. This was already on my list of places to visit in Hanoi, though I wasn’t expecting them to have any dairy-free milks available to have a coffee.

You know what they say about low expectations..

To my delight, they offered soya milk and so inevitably I ordered an iced mocha. The coffee isn’t very strong, so I asked for an extra shot and they were more than happy to oblige.

This is a great little spot and not just for the coffee! People watching and observing the chaos of Hanoi from one of the upper floor windows here is also entertaining.

We paid £3.31 for two iced coffees.

Vegan Ice cream & Dessert in Hanoi

It’s no secret that I’m not one for dessert but after racking up over 15000 steps in the heat and humidity of Hanoi, I needed something to cool me down and cheap beer was just not going to cut it. 

Cue one of my favourite finds in Hanoi..

Little Bowl Hanoi

Little Bowl Hanoi is such a gem and one of my favourite discoveries here in Hanoi. At first glance, I wouldn’t have known that they offer vegan options, had it not been for my fabulous dessert-loving friend who told me I need to visit this place.

I ordered the traditional mixed bowl of che or chè thập cẩm as it’s known in Vietnamese.

Essentially a coconut milk bowl full of red kidney beans, mung beans, taro, pandan jelly, beetroot jelly, pomelo and banana, that you simply add ice to. 

Sounds weird, I know. I was skeptical at first too, but the ice drew me in and I’m so glad it did. 

It was that good, we ended up having two bowls each!

Little Bowl Hanoi is a must visit. We only paid £3.80 for 4 bowls.

2creams

2creams ice cream shop was another recommendation from my friend. They serve a small selection of vegan ice cream, and I predictably, went for the peanut butter.

Scoops are small but like everything else in Vietnam, it was incredibly affordable so I’m not complaining. I’ll be honest, I’m mostly only in it for the cone anyway, I don’t love a lot of ice cream, I just needed something to cool me down.

We paid £2.33 for two single scoops of ice cream.

There were so many more vegan restaurants in Hanoi that I would have loved to try out – both on my list and the numerous places we walked past in the city.

With only a short time in the city, there were just far too many to try. However, you’ll be pleased to hear that you won’t be short of options when looking for vegan restaurants in Hanoi. Would you add any more to my list? Let me know in the comments.

If you’re planning a visit to Halong Bay from Vietnam, you’ll want to read my post on the best Halong Bay luxury cruise experience.

Have a closer look at our time in Hanoi in my vlog below:

Our next stop is Hoi An, so be sure to check out my post on the best restaurants in Hoi An for vegans too! From there, we will be travelling to Saigon and I’ve written about the best veggie restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City too.

Pin this post for later!

If you’re planning to travel throughout Vietnam, don’t miss these posts:

• How To Spend 2 Days in Hanoi, Vietnam
• Paradise Elegance: The Best Halong Bay Luxury Cruise
• Ultimate 2 Week Vietnam And Cambodia Itinerary
• Ultimate Vietnam Bucket List: 40 Amazing Things You Must Do
• 20 Scams in Ho Chi Minh City and How To Avoid Them
• The Best Restaurants In Hoi An For Vegans & Vegetarians
• 25+ Authentic Things to Do in Hoi An, Vietnam (That You’ll Absolutely Love)
• How To Spend 2 Days in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
• The Best Vegetarian Restaurants In Ho Chi Minh City
• Full Day Trip to Mekong Delta: Is This a Tourist Trap?