Thanks to a strong Mahayana Buddhist tradition of vegetarian eating (com chay), Ho Chi Minh City has a genuinely deep vegetarian food culture that predates and goes well beyond the recent, more Western-style vegan cafe trend — both scenes are worth knowing about, since they offer quite different experiences.

Traditional vegetarian food (com chay)

Buddhist vegetarian restaurants, often simple and inexpensive, serve plant-based versions of classic Vietnamese dishes, sometimes recreating the taste and texture of meat using soy, mushroom and wheat gluten-based ingredients. These restaurants are typically busiest on the 1st and 15th days of the lunar calendar month, when many Vietnamese Buddhists eat vegetarian as a matter of religious observance, regardless of their usual diet.

Modern vegan cafes

A newer wave of specifically vegan cafes and restaurants, concentrated in District 1, District 3 and Thao Dien, serves more Western-influenced plant-based menus — smoothie bowls, plant-based burgers, dedicated vegan bakeries — alongside plant-based takes on Vietnamese dishes.

Ordering street food as a vegetarian: "Không thịt" means "no meat" and is a useful phrase, though fish sauce is a near-universal ingredient in Vietnamese cooking and isn't always obvious from a dish's name — ask specifically ("không nước mắm") if avoiding fish sauce matters to you, or stick to dedicated vegetarian/vegan restaurants where this is handled for you.

Dishes to look for

Fresh spring rolls without the usual shrimp, tofu-based claypot dishes, vegetable pho (less common but increasingly available), and banh mi chay (vegetarian baguette sandwiches) are all reasonably easy to find, particularly at dedicated vegetarian spots.

Traditional optionCom chay (Buddhist vegetarian) restaurants
Modern optionVegan cafes in D1, D3 and Thao Dien
Watch forFish sauce in otherwise vegetable-looking dishes