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From tangy vegan crab noodle soup served in a nearly century-old house to crispy salt-roasted mushrooms and beautifully presented European-inspired dishes, Hanoi offers plenty of vegetarian experiences worth exploring during the seventh lunar month.
Vegan bun rieu and bun bo in a historic house
Tucked inside a house dating back to the 1920s on Chau Long Street in Ba Dinh, Chay Via He retains its tiled roof, wooden doors and old brick walls, along with an unusual style of service. Diners queue at the counter, order their food and carry it back to their tables themselves, choosing from simple Vietnamese vegetarian favorites such as bun rieu, bun bo, pate banh mi, fresh spring rolls and mushrooms tossed with roasted rice powder.
The standout dish is the vegan bun rieu. Its vegetable-based broth has a gently sour, naturally sweet flavor and comes generously topped with tofu, mushrooms and greens. Those who prefer something richer can try the Hue-style bun bo, fragrant with vegetarian fermented seasoning. In the evening, the restaurant also serves steaming bun rieu hotpot with fresh greens, mushrooms and a variety of ingredients for dipping.
The restaurant opens from around 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with no Sunday lunch service. Dishes cost around US$0.60-1.50, and the experience has proved popular not only with Vietnamese diners but also with international visitors.
Regional Vietnamese specialties on a vegetarian table
What makes Dana Vegan House on Dong Thai Street in Hoan Kiem distinctive is not only its nearly 100-year-old three-compartment wooden house, relocated from Nam Dinh to Hanoi and topped with a roof assembled from thousands of pieces of traditional do paper, but also its vegetarian menu inspired by specialties from across Vietnam.
Seng Cu rice, Chau Thanh mushrooms, Ke Village rice crackers, Moc Chau vegetables, Hue lotus seeds and Phu Quoc green pepper are transformed into familiar dishes representing Vietnam’s northern, central and southern culinary traditions. They include clay-pot rice, salt-roasted mushrooms and Muong Khuong banh khoai with fermented black bean sauce.
The salt-roasted mushrooms are crisp and fragrant on the outside while remaining juicy within, while piping-hot clay-pot rice paired with richly seasoned vegetable dishes is a favorite among groups.
Groups of two to four can order a shared Vietnamese-style meal for around US$19-31, making it easy to sample a wider variety of dishes. The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Vietnamese vegetarian dishes with a modern twist
Located on Bui Thi Xuan Street in Hanoi, Chay Vi Lai has built its identity around transforming familiar vegetarian ingredients into refined dishes with multiple layers of flavor. Rather than imitating meat dishes, the restaurant focuses on bringing out the crispness, softness, richness and natural sweetness of vegetables, mushrooms and tofu.
A meal might begin with a delicately sweet corn and mushroom soup or a tangy, spicy mango salad, followed by silky tofu in mushroom sauce, stir-fried noodles with crunchy rau tien vua, or richly seasoned braised breadfruit with tofu.
The menu also incorporates ingredients rarely encountered in everyday Vietnamese vegetarian meals. Morel mushrooms, for example, are paired with pasta and white wine, bringing an unexpected dimension to the selection.
Dishes are attractively presented and portions are designed for sharing, allowing larger groups to sample several choices in one meal. Lush greenery, ponds and secluded seating areas give Vi Lai its signature tranquil atmosphere.
Most dishes cost around US$3.30-7.80. The restaurant generally serves lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and dinner from 5:30 p.m. until 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., depending on the day.
Creative plant-based cuisine in a French colonial villa
Set inside a French colonial villa more than a century old on Quan Thanh Street, Hoi takes its name from the Vietnamese word for “return,” reflecting the idea of reconnecting with a sense of purity and simplicity that can easily be forgotten amid the pace of modern life.
That philosophy carries through to the menu, where familiar agricultural ingredients are reimagined through a combination of Vietnamese, European and broader Asian influences, catering to a diverse clientele that includes international diners.
The bestseller is a pate made from three types of mushrooms and lotus seeds, offering a rich, nutty flavor and served with pumpkin jam delicately scented with star anise. The mille-feuille sweet potato with truffle sauce is another favorite, with a crisp exterior, soft and chewy center and earthy mushroom aroma.
Other choices include winged bean salad with satay, assorted rice vermicelli platters, fresh rolls, sweet potato noodles, vegetarian pizza and several hotpots. Broths are simmered for hours with vegetables and sugarcane to produce a clean, natural sweetness.
The restaurant on Quan Thanh Street opens daily from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., with diners typically spending around US$11.50 per person.
The food at Hoi offers diners plenty of unexpected flavors. Photo: Chay Hoi
A vegetarian buffet that keeps diners coming back
One of the most distinctive features of Sadhu’s vegetarian buffet is that diners rarely need to leave their tables. Dishes are ordered from a menu and brought out in small, freshly prepared portions.
Guests can begin with a gently fragrant soup made with young green rice from Vong Village before working their way through dishes featuring mushrooms, jackfruit, tofu and vegetables, as well as cakes, fried and grilled selections. A meal can then finish with rice, pho or hotpot.
The small portions allow diners to sample numerous dishes without feeling overwhelmed, while favorites can simply be ordered again.
This makes Sadhu particularly suitable for families, groups of friends and people trying vegetarian cuisine for the first time who may be unsure what to choose. A meal typically costs around US$11.50-15.30 per person. Its Ly Thuong Kiet location in Hoan Kiem is open daily from around 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Hanoi’s vegetarian dining scene is becoming increasingly diverse and inviting. Each restaurant has its own way of turning vegetables, mushrooms, grains and seeds into meals enticing enough to appeal even to those who do not regularly eat vegetarian food.
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