Vegetarian in Vietnam: Vocabulary and Notes

Cha Gio Chay - Vegan spring rolls

Strap in - I'm about to start a series of my favorite veg restaurants in Saigon, according to area!

But first, a little background information...

It's absurdly easy to be a vegetarian here in Vietnam, and I've been upping my vegan intake in 2020 - a lot. At this point I'm probably about 60-70% vegetarian, and I feel great. I've also noticed that, even though I still sweat like a waterfall, I've got less BO! It's the little things, people.

Buddhists in Vietnam traditionally eat vegan two to four times a month, the day before and after the full moon, and before and after the new moon. For this reason, there's almost always a few veg places around, and even meat-centric places will often offer a vegan version of their most popular dishes on those days. It's very popular to gather in groups on these days and go out to restaurants, but many people also choose to cook at home.

So without further ado, here are some things to look out for, to understand, and some words that will help you navigate menus and street food signs across the city and through Vietnam. They'll also help you understand what you're drooling over when I post lists of my favorite locations.

Onward, to learning!

Vietnamese Vegetarian Vocabulary 

I've been learning Vietnamese for a while now, and I found that the easiest place to start is with food. We all have to eat! This also lets you try your pronunciation and some limited listening skills in a relatively safe environment - there's usually a menu backup to help you get your point across, and you get to practice numbers when it comes to the bill.

Here's a quick primer!

There are a few important Vietnamese keywords to keep in mind as you're perusing a vegetarian ('chay') menu, besides your regular food vocab, or if you're looking at trying some veg street food (some of these are Southern Vietnam-specific):

Vegetarian/Vegan - chay

Vegetables - rau // rau củ

Vietnamese-style Salad - gỏi

Western-style Salad - xà lách

Crunchy/Fried - giòn // Chien giòn

Soft - mềm

Boiled - luộc

Green - xanh

Tofu - đậu hũ // tàu hủ

Tofu Skin - đậu hủ ky // tàu hủ ky

Mushroom - nấm

Abalone // Oyster Mushroom - bào ngư

Seaweed - rong biển

Lotus - sen

Potato - khoai tây

Onion - hành // hành tây

Ginger - gừng

Bamboo Shoots - măng

Coconut - dừa

Other Common Vietnamese Food Vocab

These above are in addition to your standard food vocab, although I'm not sure I've ever broken those down for this blog, so here you go - keep this bookmarked in your phone and pull up as needed:

• Noodles (in general, but also wheat noodles) - mì
• Vermicelli // Rice Noodles - bún
• Glass/Cellophane Noodles - miến
• Vietnamese Udon Noodles - Banh Canh
• Flat Rice Noodles - Bánh phở // mì phở
• Square-cut Rice Noodles - hủ tiếu
• (White) Rice - cơm (trắng)
• Fried Rice - cơm chiên

Tofu Skin Rolls with Black Sesame

• Roll - cuộn
• Dumplings (usually shrimp) - há cảo
• Bread // Vietnamese Sandwich - bánh mì
• Curry - cà ri
• Vietnamese Crepe - bánh xèo
• Hotpot - Lẩu
• A Small, Clear Side Soup - canh
• Spring Rolls (fried) - chả giò
• Salad/Summer Rolls (fresh) - gỏi cuốn
• Rice Paper - bánh tráng
• Soy Sauce - nước tương
• Chili Sauce - tương ớt
• Fish Sauce - nước mắm

• Cooked/Grilled - nướng 
• Stir-fry - xào
• Spicy - cay
• Sweet - ngọt
• Sour - chua
• Hot - nóng
• Cold - lạnh
• Wet Napkin - khăn lạnh
• Iced Tea - trà đá
• Bottled Water - nước suối

Banh Beo Chay - Steamed vegan rice bowls with vegan fish sauce

Important Notes

1. Many, but not all, chay restaurants use mock-meats in their dishes, and the names of the dishes are EXACTLY the same as the normal, meaty versions (or, with 'chay' appended at the end), i.e. Bun Bo Hue or Bun Bo Hue Chay. If it's in a chay restaurant, it's vegetarian.
   
   
2. Chay restaurants are almost always completely vegan, not just vegetarian. Chay dishes very, very rarely include eggs or animal milk products. If they do, and you're allergic, be on the lookout for those particular vocabulary words - memorize them and be diligent.
   
   
3. Chay restaurants can often be found clustered around pagodas and frequented by monks. If you're walking around a pagoda during a mealtime, look for the busiest one, even if the floor is messy. (Actually, the messier the better, sometimes!)
   
   
4. A fine way to look for places online is to search google maps for 'chay near me' - most veg restaurants will have this in their name (but not all).
   
   
5. It's possible, but risky, to ask for a chay version of a dish at a normal restaurant. There's the possibility of being misunderstood, but also your dish might have pre-made elements in it that contain meat or seafood, which can't be altered. A good example is any kind of soup, which often have animal-based broths. Those of us lucky enough to be able to eat anything might not have to worry, but those with specific allergies or dietary restrictions should be extra-cautious and stick to dedicated chay places.
   
   
6. Finally, lots of regular restaurants will have a vegan section on the menu with at least a few dishes, since vegetarianism is relatively widespread here.

Mi Xao Mem Chay - Soft yellow noodles with sautéed/vegetables in sauce

My first breakdown will be, of course, the veg restaurants I most often frequent near my new house in Tan Dinh ward. Stay tuned!

Thank you for reading, and GOOD LUCK with your Vietnamese ordering!