This is your complete guide to the best vegan food in Hoi An, from upscale restaurants to quick bites on the street. I hope you love the vegan food in Hoi An as much as I do!
- Top Picks: 4 Best Places in Hoi An for Vegan Food
- Vegan Noodle Stalls in Hoi An
- Vegan Banh Mi in Hoi An
- Vegan Vietnamese Casual / Fast Food (Quan Chay)
- Hoi An Vegan Vietnamese Restaurants
- Vegan Smoothie Bowls, Breakfasts & Lunch
- Vegan Burgers in Hoi An
- Fancy night out for vegans
- Vegan Ice Cream & Desserts
- Vegan Market Moon Days
- Vegan Tours & Activities in Hoi An
Sometimes, it’s hard to find great vegan food in Vietnam. But not in Hoi An!
There are dozens of vegan restaurants in Hoi An, from the buffet-style local-focussed quan chay that dot the city to the restaurants offering Western breakfasts, burgers, and international delights. In Hoi An, you can get a full plate of vegan Vietnamese food for less than $2, or you can spend $20 on a slap-up meal.
Even without the variety of vegan food, Hoi An would still be one of our favourite places in Vietnam. Despite it being one of the top tourist attractions in the country, it still manages to be charming, romantic, and peaceful. Plus, the gorgeous An Bang beach is just a quick scooter ride out of town.
If you’re coming to Hoi An, you might want to add an extra day or two onto your itinerary — this is the type of place you don’t want to rush. Plus, you’ll have more time to try our 30+ recommendations for Hoi An vegan food!
So, if you’re hungry in Hoi An, read on for our guide to…
Hoi An Vegan Eats & Treats
Don’t miss our guides to vegan food in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hue. And make sure you read our complete vegan travel guide to Vietnam!
Top Picks: 4 Best Places in Hoi An for Vegan Food
ROM Bistro
Vegetarian Asian fusion with mostly vegan menu
We probably never would have found ROM Bistro if our guesthouse in Hoi An hadn’t been right around the corner. After we saw the big “vegetarian” sign and the bright, cheery decor, we had to give it a try!
They serve a mix of Vietnamese classics, and other dishes from around Asia, including Japan, Thailand, and Korea. We’ve now eaten there several times and the food is always exceptional.
The breakfast noodle bowls (Cao Lau, Bun Rieu, and Mi Quang for $1 each) are so much more flavourful and fresh than the equivalent in most Hoi An restaurants — they are clearly prepared fresh with the best ingredients.
Also, we know they’re fresh because every time we ordered breakfast the chef had to pop down to the market and buy the ingredients — so order a drink while you wait. Their fresh teas and kombuchas are incredible.
Lunch and dinner options are also next-level stuff compared to the standard. Every dish we had here was tasty, fresh, and perfectly prepared. Plus, the portions are bigger than most — we kept over-ordering and leaving stuffed.
Some dishes do include egg and cheese but they are very aware of veganism, so just tell the waitress and you’ll get pure vegan deliciousness every time.
Hot tip: From 2pm–6pm they have a buy one get one free happy hour on all their drinks, which include quality brand-name spirits and local craft beers. Before 10am, stop in for their breakfast specials which are the best noodle bowls you’ll get in Hoi An.
Hungry Traveller?
Don’t miss our guide to getting fed as a vegan traveller anywhere in the world.
Annen Vegetarian
All vegan outdoor cafe at Annen yoga studio
Like ROM, the food at Annen Vegetarian came as a pleasant surprise. They have a small menu with typical Hoi An and Vietnamese fare, like Pho, Cao Lau, and tomato tofu. But they’ve taken these foods to their top-notch position, with super fresh ingredients and a talented chef in the kitchen.
I’ve had a lot of Cao Lau around the city but this was my favourite one. The chewy noodles swim in a dark salty broth, with big chunks of tofu and mushrooms — and it’s all served with a heaping plate of fresh lettuce and herbs.
We’ve also eaten a variety of other dishes here — including the tasty banh mi — all shining examples in their class!
The yoga studio is owned and operated by a Vietnamese woman who trained in Vietnam and California. They have classes in English every day but Sunday at 9:30am and 5:30pm (but always check the schedule before you head over incase anything has changed).
Vegan Zone
Cute vegan restaurant with an inventive Vietnamese fusion menu
A relatively new player in the vegan game in Hoi An, Vegan Zone has a new-school approach to food. They offer lots of the standard Vietnamese favourites, like noodle bowls, spring rolls, and lemongrass tofu but they also have a few more creative dishes, like eggplant crepes and tempeh rolls.
They also focus on clean, organic, and local products and work to reduce waste — you won’t see any plastic straws here.
We were impressed by the fresh and flavourful dishes, some traditional Vietnamese and some fusion items. I especially enjoyed the lemongrass tofu (one of my all-round favourite Vietnamese dishes) and the item that is just called “noodles” on the iPad photo gallery they provide to help you order.
Plus, they make smoothies using their homemade cashew almond milk. My Energizer Smoothie was so delicious!
We kept coming back to Vegan Zone and each time we did, the food just seemed to get better and better.
Rosie’s Cafe
Omnivore cafe with lots of vegan options
I’ll admit, I resisted putting Rosie’s Cafe in a top 3 spot, just because it’s already so popular with tourists and it doesn’t feel like much of a “find”. But, during out two months in Hoi An, Rosie’s became our go-to breakfast spot and a firm favourite.
Rosie’s is the closest thing to a Bali-style cafe that Hoi An offers, with a menu of smoothie bowls, avocado toast, granola, and plenty of smoothies, juices, and coffees. Most of the food is vegetarian — the most popular dishes are the egg dishes — with one or two fish options thrown in.
We went for smoothie bowls and pancakes. And then we went back. Again and again.
The smoothie bowls are creamy, cold and flavourful — not to mention huge. The vegan pancakes are the stuff of dreams — a hearty stack of fluffy but firm pancakes served with a big helping of fruit and palm sugar syrup.
In fact, the food is so good, I’m planning on going there for lunch today.
Also, when we found out we could buy their granola to take home we bought a bag and then hurried back for a refill every time we ran out.
Hot tip: They make cold-brew coffee infused with fruit juice, which sounds terrible but is totally delicious. If you love coffee, be sure to check out Rosie’s Cold Brew! We tried the passion fruit and the orange, both were light, refreshing and wonderfully satisfying.
Vegan Noodle Stalls in Hoi An
In much of Vietnam, it can be hard to find vegan noodles on the street — almost all have meat broth, actual meat chunks, shrimp, fish sauce, or all four! In Hoi An, there are a couple of places where vegans get to experience street noodles in all their glory.
Vegetarian Noodles at Chùa Pháp Bao Temple
Noodle stall at a Buddhist temple, open early morning
If you want to truly eat what the locals eat, skip your hotel breakfast and seek out this noodle stall before 9am. Note: it may take a couple of tries as I’m not sure it is open every morning.
To find it, go to the corner of Hai Ba Trung and Phan Chau Trinh. There you’ll see a big Buddhist temple. Look for a green sign outside the temple that says “vegetarian noodles” in English at the bottom. Walk in the temple gate and just to the left, if you’re there at the right time, you’ll see a little noodle stall.
If you don’t see the sign or the stall, then it means it’s not open. Either you need to get up earlier or it’s just closed that day.
The Bun Cu Qua is noodle soup packed with tofu and mock meat. It’s served with a basket of herbs, chilis, limes, and hot sauce. A bowl of tasty, filling soup costs 20,000 VND (less than $1 US).
Quan Chay Hoa
Noodle stall in an alley off Phan Chau Trinh, open mornings
If the temple noodle stall is not open, walk around the corner and look for the Quan Chay Hoa sign hanging from the wall. It’s only about 50 metres from the corner on the north side of the street, so if you don’t see the sign, it just means it’s not open.
This little stall has a few tables squeezed between two buildings. Walk right to the back of the alley where the owner has her noodle cart set up. No English is spoken, but as far as we know, you can get one of two things: noodle soup or a bowl of noodles with sauce.
To order, ask for soup (the Vietnamese is basically the same word: súp) or bún (which means noodles) and see how it goes. If there are others eating there, you can also try pointing at their meals.
Her dishes are always fresh and tasty and the quality is backed up by the many locals who are usually eating their breakfast there when we go.
Central market stalls
Omnivore stalls with limited vegan options
I don’t actually recommend eating at the central market. It really is just a place for tourists to eat, which means that the quality is not great and the atmosphere is lacking. But, if you want you can give it a shot.
There are no vegetarian stalls in the market but many places now offer vegetarian soups or Cao Lau — there’s enough English spoken that you’ll be able to ask for vegetarian and no eggs with ease.
Vegan Banh Mi in Hoi An
If you’re a lover of banh mi, you’ll be stoked to find out that there are at least 4 places in Hoi An where you can get a quality vegan banh mi, each for just $1 or $2.
Banh Mi Phuong
Sandwich shop made famous by Anthony Bourdain
This is the banh mi restaurant made famous by Anthony Bourdain, who calls their sandwiches the best in the world, or something along those lines. I was kind of hoping Banh Mi Phuong would be overrated, since I was never a fan of Bourdain’s total lack of respect for the animal kingdom.
Alas, despite the hype, these are, if not the best banh mi in the world, at least the best vegan banh mi in Hoi An. They come stacked with fried tofu, tofu marinaded in Phuong’s famous BBQ sauce, and big chunks of avocado. But the bread, light, flakey, and chewy all at the same time, is the best part.
Make sure to specify that you want it vegan with no mayo.
The only problem is that ever since Bourdain visited, this place has been packed!
You have two options here.
- Stand in line at the front for a take away banh mi — and make sure you get into the foreigners line. This is for take away only. Note that the shorter line at the very front of the shop is for locals only!
- Take a seat inside, look at the menu, and order from there. This usually takes longer but it’s more comfortable and you get to see what’s available before you order.
Please don’t be like the some tourists and bring your take away banh mi into the seating area. That’s just not how it works!
Banh Oi
Omnivore sandwich stall on Thai Phien
When we stayed in Hoi An for two months, Banh Oi became our go-to banh mi stall. While these sandwiches aren’t quite as good as those at Phuong, the service was a lot quicker and more personal!
This is a simple banh mi stall, which also offers smoothies. They only have one vegan option — but it is a delicious combo of tofu, tofu skin, and avocado. The excellent thing about this sandwich is that the woman who owns the stall fries the tofu once you order, so you get a sandwich stuffed with piping hot tofu and fresh veggies.
Make sure you specify you want it vegan with no cheese or you may get a spread of Laughing Cow in your sandwich.
Hot tip: The juices all come in big plastic cups (ironically with reusable straws) so avoid ordering those unless you bring your own cup.
Phi Banh Mi
Omnivore sandwich cart also on Thai Phien
While this banh mi cart doesn’t serve the best vegan banh mi in town (that honour goes to Banh Mi Phuong), Phi Banh Mi is a good spot to stop for a quick breakfast or a snack. They offer both a tofu banh mi and a mock meat banh mi — I preferred the tofu one since mock sandwich meat = kinda gross in my book.
Banh Mi Chay Co Hoi
Vegan banh mi cart near the Ancient Town
To my knowledge, Co Hoi is the only pure vegan banh mi stall in Hoi An. The sandwiches contain mock meat and an array of fresh veggies in an excellent Vietnamese baguette.
The woman who runs this stall is very friendly and though she only speaks a little English, she got one of her other customers to translate for her so we could have a chat.
Hot tip: Though she used to be open only in the mornings, she is extending her hours and will be there in the morning and in the late afternoon from 3pm–6pm — perfect for lining your stomach before happy hour!
Vegan Vietnamese Casual / Fast Food (Quan Chay)
If you’re not familiar with the term quan chay, now is the time to learn. This is what you’ll see outside small vegan restaurants all over Vietnam. Quan chay usually have a big buffet where they serve an assortment of mock meats and veggies on a plate of rice. Prices range from $1–2 for a full plate of food.
Quan Chay Ba Dam (aka Dam Vegetarian Restaurant)
Local vegan favourite right on the edge of the Ancient Town
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxsGBEUDOiX/A perennially popular restaurant, Ba Dam is nestled on the edge of the Ancient Town, making it an attraction for vegan tourists and locals alike.
Up front, they have a varied buffet, featuring every mock meat you can imagine, plus an assortment of veggie dishes. To get your food, just ask the person serving rice onto plates for one. She’ll pass your plate of rice to the woman working the buffet.
From there, just point out whatever dishes you want and she’ll add them to your plate. If you want more of a particular dish, just ask for more. Keep adding food until you have everything you want.
Then, you’ll get your plate and a ticket showing the price of your food. Head inside and grab a seat at any of the big tables.
Our meals always end up being between 30,000 and 40,000 VND. Not bad for a big plate of food!
If you prefer not to eat the buffet, you can also order a few local dishes, like Cao Lau and Banh Xeo, from the menu. Drinks are also ordered inside. Note that the service here is traditional Vietnamese service, so don’t wait for someone to come take your order, or you’ll be waiting a long time! Instead, beckon the waitress over, or stop her as she goes by, to get your order placed.
You’ll get a separate ticket showing the cost of your drinks and menu items.
Once you’re finished, take all your tickets to the cash desk at the front to pay your bill.
Hot tip: If you come on the first or 15th of the lunar month (aka the day before the new moon or full moon), be prepared for crowds, as this is when Vietnamese Buddhists eat meat-free meals. It can be a lot of fun to sit among the locals and listen to their chatter as you eat.
Quan Chay Tam Quang Minh 2
All vegan buffet with lots of mock meat
This is another typical quan chay establishment, convenient if you’re staying in the area around Ly Thai Tho. Tam Quang is a little tough to spot and we only discovered it by chatting with some other travellers while eating at Minh Hein 2 around the corner.
Here, you’ll get a heaping plate of rice and all the mock meats, tofu, and veggies you want for 30,000 VND. Some of the staff speak a little English and they’re used to foreigners since there a lots of hotels in the area. If you’re looking for a filling, budget meal, just walk up to the counter and point at what you want.
Other Quan Chay
This is by no means a list of all the quan chay in Hoi An. We ate at several others, many of which did not have enough business to even keep a buffet going. We found mixed service and food quality, and none were good enough to include in this guide.
But if you spot one on your wanderings around Hoi An, go check it out — have your own food adventures and let us know if you discover something great!
Hoi An Vegan Vietnamese Restaurants
Annen Vegetarian
This is the most casual of the restaurants included in this section but also had the best food of all of them. See our full review above in the Top 3 Picks section.
Am Vegetarian
Long-standing vegetarian restaurant with mostly vegan menu
A huge favourite with travellers, Am Vegetarian is a restaurant I really wanted to love.
On my first visit, I was pleasantly surprised to find Am buzzing with customers despite its location a little way out of the center. The rustic decor was a refreshing change from plastic tables and concrete floors, though the bench seating is not the most comfortable in world.
The food here is typical Vietnamese cuisine, with lots of soups, tofu, spring rolls, and claypot dishes on the menu. Everything we’ve eaten here has been pretty good, but none of it is outstanding.
The staff are outstanding though — always pleasant and super helpful.
Minh Hein Vegetarian Restaurant
Vegetarian favourite with 90% vegan dishes with 3 locations in Hoi An
Minh Hein is hands down the most popular vegetarian eatery in Hoi An. I have never been to the original location when it was not completely full of hungry tourists. Minh Hein 2 and 3 are less busy, but 3 is the most pleasant, set in a quiet garden just outside of Hoi An Ancient Town.
We’ve eaten at all the locations, at least half a dozen times at this writing.
Though they do use dairy products in some dishes, the menu is 90% vegan and all vegan items are now clearly labelled. You can get the typical Hoi An dishes, like Cao Lau, White Rose, and Mi Quang here, or go for other Vietnamese faves, like Banh Xeo, noodle soup, fried tofu, and grilled eggplant.
The food at Minh Hein is consistently good, fresh, and flavourful if not utterly outstanding. Plus, prices are a little higher here than at other similar restaurants and the portions are certainly smaller.
Karma Waters
Western, Indian, and Vietnamese vegan
Another of the long-standing vegetarian restaurants in Hoi An, beloved by many, I have always found Karma Waters a little underwhelming.
They offer a mix of Western, Indian, and Vietnamese dishes on the menu, all capably prepared by a friendly staff. While I applaud their no-waste, no msg, no sugar approach to healthy cooking, I don’t find the menu very inspiring or the food anything better than OK.
However, I am just one person and everyone I talk to really LOVES Karma Waters, so you should probably try it out.
Especially if you’re getting sick of fried food and want to eat something fresh, Karma Waters offers a nice selection of fresh salads, like mint and parsley salad and carrot and onion salad.
They also have gluten-free vegan desserts, including a range of cupcakes. We had a few of these for my birthday and they were pretty good for cupcakes in Vietnam, but on a global scale, just OK.
Vegan Smoothie Bowls, Breakfasts & Lunch
The smoothie bowl revolution has come to Hoi An! I’m a big fan of these bowls of fruity breakfast goodness, so I say, bring it on. Another great piece of news is the ready availability of delicious vegan pancakes! Here’s where you can get a delightful smoothie bowl and other Western vegan breakfast items in Hoi An.
Rosie’s Cafe
This was one of our top 3 places to eat in Hoi An and our favourite breakfast spot. See the top 3 section above for all the details.
Ellie’s Cafe
Omnivorous cafe with 98% vegan menu
This cute little cafe, located in the front garden of a small house, is run by Le, a local woman who had a dream and turned it into the reality that is Ellie’s Cafe. Her family fully supports this endeavour, and were around while we were eating, making it feel as though we’d come to visit friends.
(Le also has another job — the cafe is her passion project).
The menu is almost all vegan, with a few smoothie bowls that have yoghurt. And, curiously, there’s one menu item which includes chicken and bacon — possibly to create a more inclusive atmosphere?
But, let’s talk about the vegan food!
I loved my smoothie bowl, Call Me By Your Name, which had a ice-creamy dragon fruit base with an array of tasty toppings like granola and fresh coconut. Stephen at the Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl, which was a fresh bowl of veggies with roasted sweet potatoes and hummus.
But the best part was the vegan oatmeal pancakes! Thick and light with enough density to make them filling, I’ll definitely be back for another helping.
Nourish
Vegan cafe with Western & Middle-Eastern menu
When we were in Hoi An, Nourish had just opened their big open-air cafe in a brand new location.
If you want to linger over your meal, maybe spending some time working or editing your travel photos, this is a great spot. The seats are comfortable, the setting cool and calm, and there are plenty of power points should you need to plug in your laptop. And if you look up from your device, the two cafe dogs provide plenty of entertainment.
The menu centres around smoothie bowls, granola, smoothies, and a range of salads and burgers. All the food is freshly prepared, made from scratch, well-presented and very tasty.
The only drawback, for me, is the reliance on falafel and roasted beetroot as main ingredients in so many dishes. A more varied menu would definitely keep me coming back more often.
What Else Cafe
Omnivore cafe with vegetarian menu
On one of the cutest alleyways in Hoi An, What Else Cafe is a great place to stop in when you’re hungry in the Ancient Town.
Though the main menu is mostly meat, they have a separate vegetarian menu (you might have to ask for it) that contains all the Vietnamese favourites like Crispy Tofu, Morning Glory with garlic, Cao Lau and Pho Chay. They also have a vegan smoothie bowl.
We liked all the food here, though it wasn’t anything different than we’d had all over town. If we were staying in the area we’d happily go back.
The Fisherman
Vegan beach cafe with mostly Western menu
The best thing about The Fisherman, aside from its prime location on An Bang Beach, is the backstory. According to the menu, the restaurant is owned by a local fishing family, who used to make their living from the sea. Realizing the long-term un-sustainability of fishing, they opened a vegan restaurant to “…preserve our beautiful nature, to respect and love the animals and to give people healthy and delicious food.”
Their varied menu offers smoothies, smoothie bowls and vegan pancakes, plus a range of burgers, sandwiches and even a few local favourites, like tofu and tomato.
We had the breakfast burrito and the vegan burger, and while we enjoyed both, neither was outstanding in its class. We are planning a return trip to taste the vegan pancakes and smoothie bowls though!
Vegan Burgers in Hoi An
In case you’re getting tired of noodle bowls, mock meats and fried tofu, there are a couple of places in Hoi An to chomp down on some tasty vegan burgers instead.
Chef Burger
Omnivorous burger joint near Central Market
Finding ourselves hungry in the middle of the Ancient Town one evening, we popped into Chef Burger, a friendly little burger joint, to see if they could handle our vegan requests. It turns out, there are two burgers on the menu that are vegan: the tofu and lotus bean burger and the chickpea and lentil burger.
We ordered one of each, with sides of onion rings and fries. Both burgers were flavourful, if a little mushy, as vegan burgers tend to be. The fries and onion rings were really great, served piping hot and crunchy. It’s not the cheapest meal you’ll get in Hoi An but it will satisfy your craving for a Western-style burger.
Pasteur Street
Omnivore craft brewery with a vegan burger
Though we hate the meaty focus of the menus in most Vietnamese craft breweries, we do applaud the recent addition of vegan options for those of us who love beer, but hate eating animals.
Come to Pasteur Street for the best beer you’ll find in Hoi An, stay for the vegan jackfruit burger. The jackfruit is prepared in a barbecue sauce and prepped in a pulled-pork style. The fries here are pretty good too!
Fancy night out for vegans
Aubergine49
Upscale omnivorous fine-dining, vegans must call ahead
For the first time in years, Stephen and I were together on my birthday (he is usually away teaching yoga) and we were in Hoi An. So he organized a series of special birthday surprises for me, culminating in a 4-course dinner at fancy-schmancy Aubergine49.
Though they are an omnivorous restaurant with a focus on meat and seafood, Stephen called ahead to arrange a vegan set menu for the two of us.
We were very impressed that they not only understood veganism perfectly but were very sensitive to our requests and reassuring that everything they were serving was vegan. The service was top-notch in every respect, from the laying of our napkins across our laps, to the moment the last crumb was carefully swept from our white table cloth.
The food was also excellent. The dinner started with a tiny amuse bouche of tofu and veggies and moved on to the beautifully presented appetizer. The deep-fried tofu, which is, if I remember correctly, a Korean delight, was the best tofu experience of our lives thus far.
The other knockout course was dessert. It was a Dark Chocolate Delice — a creamy thick chocolate mousse with the surprise of oozing salted caramel inside.
If you’re looking for a place for a special occasion, or just want an upscale food experience to celebrate your time in Hoi An, we can recommend Aubergine49.
Vegan Ice Cream & Desserts
Scarcity means that usually, we just skip dessert when we travel. Often there is nothing vegan or the vegan options are also raw, gluten-free, and disgusting. In Hoi An, we managed to find too many options for vegan dessert! Here are our faves.
Coconut Ice Cream at GooFoo
Ice cream & coffee for the local crowd
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4bN-CpgeJx/We have been to GooFoo (which for some reason also says ‘Rin’s’ on the sign out front) several times now and it is always full of local families or friends, enjoying an ice-creamy night out. Though it’s just on the edge of old town, tourists haven’t really discovered it yet.
While almost all of the ice cream they have contains dairy, they specialize in sundaes made with their non-dairy coconut ice cream — and it is fantastic!
We love the Thai-style sundae, which is two generous scoops of coconut ice cream, served in a half coconut shell, and topped with fresh grated coconut and sugary toasted coconut. In my opinion, it’s plenty for two people to share, but Stephen disagreed! At 35,000 VND (around $1.50 USD) who am I to argue?
Vegan Ice Cream at Central Market
At An Hy Chay restaurant
About 50 metres up from the water, across from the east side of the central market, you’ll spot a little restaurant with a couple of signs outside — one is for vegetarian food and the other is for homemade ice cream.
Though we’ve never eaten a meal at An Hy Chay, we did stop for a couple of cups of their homemade vegan ice cream. It was a tasty break on a hot day at the market.
Vegan Gelato at Boulevard
2 locations in Hoi An
Though most of the ice cream shops in Hoi An only have dairy options, at Boulevard, they almost always have 4 fruit sorbets that are dairy free. So if you need a sweet cold cone on a hot sticky Hoi An day, you can get one here.
Che Stall by the River
Don’t leave Vietnam without having at least one authentic chè experience! This traditional dessert is a mix of grass jelly, sweet corn, various beans, mixed with ice and topped with sweet coconut milk. If you think it sounds weird, you’re right — to our Western palates its a bizarre combination. But in a good way.
You can find chè being served all over town (there are several stalls at the Lantern Market), but we liked the friendly stall along Bach Dang, on the east end among the stall that gather there in the evening. Just pull up a plastic stool and make yourself comfy. You can point at what you want or tell the owner you want a “mix” and she’ll do the rest.
This stall also serves warm tofu with ginger and palm sugar syrup — another great vegan dessert option in this part of the world!
More Vegan Desserts
Many of the restaurants we reviewed in this post also do dessert. We like Minh Hein’s fried bananas, Rosie’s vegan chocolate cake is delicious, and Karma Waters does pretty good gluten-free cupcakes. There are also non-dairy fruit sorbets at most of the ice cream and gelato stands and staff usually understand if you ask for “non-dairy”.
Vegan Market Moon Days
Vegan market food on Buddhist days
Venture inside the local’s section of the Central Market or Tiger Market on the day before the full moon and new moon to find twice-a-month vegan specialities.
There are usually just one or two stalls offering special vegan food, so it can be a little hard to find. But look for people selling containers of tofu skin, bags of mock-meat salads and the like.
Even if you don’t have a kitchen to cook it in, it’s worth going to see what’s on offer and trying to have a chat with the stall holder. Also there are usually some pre-made items, like crispy vegan spring rolls, that you can buy and munch on as you walk.
Vegan Tours & Activities in Hoi An
Vegan Walking Food Tour
It’s a rare thing when you can go on a walking tour that’s designed especially for vegans and vegetarians! But there is one in Hoi An! Through Backstreet Academy, you can take a vegan walking tour of Hoi An’s Old Town, discovering tasty bites that you would never notice on your own.
I have also taken a vegetarian food tour with Hoi An Food Tour. They were great about customizing the tour for my needs and I learned a huge amount about the myths and culture of Hoi An food.
There’s nothing I love more than a great food tour — so I highly recommend you go on one of these while in Hoi An!
Scooter Tour
When I was first in Hoi An, I took a fantastic scooter trip with Scooter Tours Vietnam. I loved that they use only electric scooters, keeping the noise and regular pollution of their trips to a minimum.
It was also a fun and exciting way to get around the outskirts of the city! We visited: tiny home-based businesses making lanterns, shoes, and rice paper; Tra Que vegetable village, where much of the food you eat in Hoi An restaurants is grown; and An Bang beach, for a cooling drink to top off the experience.
Don’t worry if you don’t know how to drive. You can either take their quick lesson before you begin, or ride as a passenger with one of the guides, leaving your hands free to shoot photos and video!
Vegan Cooking Classes
One of the best ways to explore a food culture is by joining a local cooking class. There are plenty of fabulous cooking classes in Hoi An, and most of them offer a vegetarian version – which is usually vegan too, since dairy is not a big part of Vietnamese food.
The highly-rated Sabirama Hoian Cooking Class and Grandma’s Home Cooking Class both offer a vegetarian menu and include a market tour and a boat trip as well. Plus, they look like a lot of fun!
Bicycle Tour
Rolling around Hoi An on a bicycle is my favourite thing to do there (aside from chowing down on vegan food, that is). If you want to combine your pedal power with some seriously transformational sight-seeing, try a Hoi An Countryside bike tour where you’ll get to see how the locals live.
Or, cycle quiet back roads and rural pathways that only locals know on your way to the My Son ruins.
Bike tours often include a snack break, so tell them you’re vegan when you book just in case.
Don’t miss our other vegan guides to Vietnam
Guide to finding vegan food in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh City vegan guide
Hanoi vegan & vegetarian guide
Hue vegan guide
Check our our Vietnam travel guides
Our complete guide to Vietnam travel
Your perfect 2-week Vietnam itinerary
Solo travel in Vietnam
Where to stay in Vietnam
We hope this guide to Hoi An vegan food leaves you with a full belly and a satisfied heart! Our goal is to help every reader make their trip transformational — and we know that great food can do just that! If you have any questions about your stay in Hoi An, hit us up via email or on Instagram.
♥ Happy transformational travels, Jane & Stephen
We’re not going to lie, it takes a LOT of work to create travel guides like this. But it’s easy to help us out! If you book or buy something using one of our personal links in this post, we’ll earn a small fee at no extra cost to you. Of course, we would never recommend anything we didn’t 100% believe in! Huge thanks in advance! –S&J