What are the best vegetarian restaurants in Hanoi?
Miến Trường Sinh (31B Hàng Hành, Hoàn Kiếm) is the most consistent vegetarian restaurant in the Old Quarter — Buddhist-style, affordable, no processed meat substitutes. Quán Chay Nàng Tâm (79A Trần Hưng Đạo) is more upscale with a broader menu. Both open for lunch and dinner. Budget 80,000–150,000 VND per person.
Hanoi has a functioning vegetarian food culture tied to Buddhist practice that predates the international vegan movement by decades. Finding good meatless food is possible — you just need to know which type of vegetarian cooking you’re looking for.
The two types of vegetarian cooking in Hanoi
Ăn chay (Buddhist vegetarian): no meat, no fish, and no pungent vegetables (garlic, onion, shallots). This is the traditional Vietnamese vegetarian style and tends to produce lighter, cleaner flavours. Restaurants in this style are the most reliable for genuinely meatless food because the prohibition is a matter of practice, not just menu labelling.
Modern vegetarian / vegan restaurants: newer spots that cater to international visitors and health-conscious locals. These may use mock meats, dairy, and eggs, and may be inconsistent about what “vegetarian” means in practice.
Recommended restaurants
Miến Trường Sinh — 31B Hàng Hành, Hoàn Kiếm. The most accessible Buddhist vegetarian restaurant in the Old Quarter. The menu centres on noodle soups (miến — glass noodles — and bún), rice plates, and vegetable dishes, all cooked without meat, fish, onion, or garlic. Simple space, low prices: 60,000–90,000 VND for a full meal. Open 11am–9pm.
Quán Chay Nàng Tâm — 79A Trần Hưng Đạo, Hai Bà Trưng. More elaborate menu, slightly more formal setting, and some dishes use egg and dairy. The pho chay (vegetarian phở) is one of the better versions in the city — clear mushroom broth, rice noodles, tofu. A meal here runs 100,000–180,000 VND per person. Open 10am–9pm.
Loving Hut — multiple Hanoi locations, search for the nearest on Google Maps. A Vietnamese Buddhist-founded international chain; the Hanoi locations are consistently good. The menu covers Vietnamese dishes adapted without meat — bún bò chay, bánh mì chay, cơm chay (rice plates). Prices 70,000–120,000 VND. Labels vegan dishes clearly.
Hum Vegetarian — 12 Tông Đản, Hoàn Kiếm. More upscale, with a café atmosphere and a menu aimed partly at expats and international visitors. Good for a sit-down meal: 120,000–250,000 VND per dish. Less traditional in style — the menu borrows from pan-Asian vegetarian cooking — but well executed.
Street food vegetarian options
Outside restaurants, street-level vegetarian options exist but require some navigation:
- Xôi chay (vegetarian sticky rice): sold at xôi stalls, usually on request or at dedicated chay carts
- Bánh mì chay: bánh mì with tofu and vegetable filling, available from some vendors
- Bún đậu mắm tôm: the tofu and noodle base is vegetarian; ask to skip the meat and order without mắm tôm (the fermented shrimp paste) if strict
On the 1st and 15th of the lunar month, some Old Quarter stalls switch to entirely meatless offerings — look for signs reading “ăn chay” hung at street food carts.