Vegan Options in Vietnam Becoming "Increasingly Popular"
Vietnam News has reported a recent “surge” in “vegetarian food, mostly vegan” in the cities of Vietnam over the last few years. While noting that all iconic national dishes are meat-based in the country, the article states:
“With its abundance of delicious vegetables, fruits and roots, Vietnam has all the conditions to cater to vegans. All major cities, including the capital, have many restaurants that serve vegan food, and their number is increasing everyday. Increasing numbers of people are also turning to a plant-based diet for health reasons, and are strengthened by their resolve by environmental considerations.”
Author Bạch Liên elaborates on the specific vegan and vegetarian foods available, including faux meat dishes:
“The most common vegan dishes are made of đậu tương (soybeans). Apart from tofu, steamed and fried, soybeans lend themselves to tương đậu nành (soya paste), chao (fermented tofu), chả luạ chay (veggie Vietnamese ham) and a wide variety of other dips and dishes. Vegans can also find in Vietnam many dishes that look like they’re made with real meat. For example, chicken legs are of citronella stems with a special tofu wrapping that even has the texture of meat. Barbecued pork chops, beef wrapped in a lot of leaves, stewed chicken, steamed fish - the list goes on and on.”
And the vegan options extend beyond restaurants to street food as well. According to Liên, Vietnam’s largest city, Ho Chi Minh City, has “whole stretches of a street or alley that exclusively serve vegetarian food,” and gives the example of the Chay Xóm Giá with its sixteen stalls that “sell vegetarian food at cheap prices.” And although “vegetarian food has been late in coming” to the capital city of Hanoi, it still has “several dozen places” that serve vegan food.
To read the full article and see the list of vegan and vegetarian restaurants Liên suggests, visit this link.
Photo Credit: www.tourismonline.vn
