Vietnamese cuisine is celebrated for its fragrant broths, herb-filled dishes, and balance of flavors—and while meat and fish often take center stage, plant-based traditions run deep. In Hội An, a small town already renowned for its lantern-lit streets and centuries-old trading history, vegan food is not only possible—it’s abundant. From family-run eateries to modern vegan cafés, it’s one of the easiest places in Southeast Asia to eat plant-based, with menus full of creativity, color, and heritage.
Much of this ease stems from Vietnam’s long-standing Buddhist traditions, where vegetarian eating—known as ăn chay—is practiced regularly as a form of compassion and spiritual discipline. This means that many dishes have always had vegan or easily veganized versions. A bowl of phở, for instance, can be prepared with mushroom or root-vegetable broth instead of beef bones. Fresh spring rolls rely on rice paper, herbs, and tofu. Even iconic regional dishes like cao lầu (Hoi An’s chewy noodle specialty) or bánh xèo (crispy turmeric pancake) are easily adapted without losing their essence.
Hội An’s vegan food culture is also deeply connected to place. Just outside the old town, Trà Quế Vegetable Village has, for generations, supplied locals and restaurants alike with fragrant herbs, lettuces, and greens. Farmers there still enrich the soil with river seaweed—a practice that keeps the land fertile and flavors uniquely vibrant. When you bite into a dish in Hội An, it’s often the herbs that linger: basil, mint, lemongrass, Vietnamese coriander. Their freshness is not incidental but rooted in centuries of careful cultivation.
Layered onto this is Hội An’s own history as a trading port, where influences from China, Japan, and later Europe mingled with central Vietnamese traditions. This blending is visible in the cuisine—rich noodle soups, turmeric-spiced broths, soy-based proteins, and French-inspired baguettes reimagined as bánh mì. In modern times, the town (along with nearby Đà Nẵng) has become a hub for health food and wellness culture, meaning you’ll find not only traditional vegan staples but also smoothie bowls, vegan cheese platters, and globally inspired plates designed with creativity and care.
Whether you’re savoring a steaming bowl of vegan mì quảng, biting into banana blossom salad with a citrusy dressing, or sharing a colorful platter of spring rolls, eating vegan in Hội An is a chance to taste both continuity and reinvention. This guide shares our favorite spots across town—places where heritage and innovation meet, and where plant-based food is treated not as substitution, but as abundance.
Chickpea Eatery
Chickpea Eatery quickly became our most-visited spot in Hội An, and it’s easy to see why. Fully vegan, relaxed in atmosphere, and endlessly creative with its menu, it’s the kind of place you can order from daily without ever feeling bored. We often had their food delivered straight to Hub Hoi An, but we also loved sitting in their courtyard café space—airy, colorful, and full of small details that make it feel like a gathering spot as much as a restaurant.
Cozy, colorful, and fully vegan, Chickpea Eatery became our go-to in Hội An
The menu is as abundant as it is inventive. They make their own chickpea tempeh in-house, which shows up in skewers grilled with spices, tucked into spring rolls, and scattered over salads.
Chickpea Eatery’s menu highlights and vibrant vegan plates
Their cao lầu is one of our absolute favorites in town—a vegan version of Hội An’s signature noodle dish that still delivers the chewy texture and herb-forward balance the dish is known for.
Another highlight is their vegan cheese platter, which feels almost surreal to find in a small Vietnamese town: wedges of nut-based cheeses paired with fresh fruit, crackers, and herbs.
Our daily go-to was the vermicelli salad topped with fried spring rolls—bright, crunchy, and hearty enough to fuel a long afternoon of work.
Their fresh spring rolls are also fantastic, packed with herbs, mango, chickpea tempeh, and served with a tangy dipping sauce.
And when we wanted something a bit different, the chickpea tempeh skewers never disappointed, smoky and satisfying with a squeeze of lime.
Beyond the food itself, what we loved most was the ethos behind Chickpea Eatery. Everything feels intentional, from the presentation to the ingredients, and the staff are always warm and welcoming. It’s the kind of place you can recommend to anyone—vegan or not—and know they’ll leave happy.
More excellent food from Chickpea Eatery
Chickpea Eatery also offers a vegan cooking class, which we took and loved (so much so that we wrote a full post about it).
Scenes from Chickpea Eatery'd vegan cooking class
If you want to dive deeper into Hội An’s culinary culture, we highly recommend it.
Rau Oi Eatery
Rau Ơi Eatery is one of those rare places that manages to feel both deeply traditional and forward-looking at once. The restaurant is fully vegan, yet it doesn’t shy away from the flavors that make Vietnamese cuisine so distinctive—herbs, fermented notes, broths layered with spice and depth. The owner’s mission is to advance veganism in Vietnam by keeping the country’s food culture at the center: authentic dishes, reimagined without compromise.
On the menu, you’ll find an impressive variety of options. Their phở is a highlight: a deeply flavorful broth simmered with vegetables, roots, and spices until it achieves the same comfort and intensity of the meat-based version. Clay pot dishes, fragrant with herbs and bubbling at the table, provide a richer, earthier side of the cuisine. Their teriyaki tofu skin offers something more playful—crispy, chewy, and coated in a sweet-savory glaze. Poke bowls bring in fresher, lighter flavors, piled high with vegetables, tofu, and rice, while their bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancake) is golden and crisp, folded around heaps of herbs and vegetables.
Rau Ơi Eatery blends tradition with creativity
One standout dish that we kept coming back to was the banana blossom salad. Already a Vietnamese staple, Rau Ơi’s version is elevated by a dressing laced with passionfruit juice. Sweet, tart, and aromatic, it turned the dish into something layered and unforgettable. Paired with crisp rice crackers, it’s as much about texture as flavor—chewy, crunchy, soft, and juicy, all at once.
The banana blossom salad with passionfruit dressing is one of Rau Ơi’s best dishes
Beyond eating at the restaurant, Rau Ơi also offers a vegan cooking class, which we took and loved. It was one of the most immersive food experiences we had in Hội An. A highlight was visiting Trà Quế Vegetable Village beforehand, where we met farmers, learned about the seaweed they use to enrich the soil, and even tried our hand at planting herbs ourselves.
At the market, we sampled fruits and learned about vegan products unique to the area. And back in the kitchen, we got to see rice paper made from scratch—watching the steaming cloth, the batter spread thin, and the delicate sheets peeled away by hand. That moment alone made the class worth it.
By the end of the day, we had cooked a full spread—phở, banana blossom salad, vegan chicken rice, and more. It was generous, educational, and full of warmth, just like the restaurant itself.
Scenes from Rau Ơi Eatery's vegan cooking class in Hội An
If you’re in Hội An, Rau Ơi is unmissable: whether you’re going for a casual meal or carving out time for the cooking class (read our full post on it), it’s one of the best places to taste how veganism and Vietnamese tradition can thrive together.
The Fisherman
Located right on An Bàng Beach, The Fisherman is a fully vegan restaurant that pairs fresh food with unbeatable views. Tables spill out onto the sand, with colorful umbrellas and the sound of waves setting the scene. Whether you’re starting your day with breakfast or lingering into the evening, it’s one of the most relaxed and scenic spots to eat vegan in Hội An.
Beachfront dining at The Fisherman
The menu runs from smoothies and breakfast bowls to hearty lunches and dinners. Their spring rolls are fresh and packed with herbs, perfect with a side of dipping sauce. A chickpea curry brings comfort and spice, while the gnocchi is rich, garlicky, and satisfying. Smoothie bowls topped with fruit, nuts, and coconut are another favorite, ideal for a hot afternoon by the water.
From smoothie bowls to chickpea curry, The Fisherman makes plant-based dining feel like a holiday
The Fisherman feels like part of the beach itself—easygoing, nourishing, and always worth a visit when in Hội An.
Kurumi
Kurumi is a fully vegan spot in Hội An that has quickly become a favorite for its cozy vibe and creative menu. It consistently delivers dishes that feel nourishing and carefully made.
One of their standout dishes is the chickpea omelette—fluffy, golden, and drizzled with sauce, it’s a comforting plate that feels both hearty and light. Their vegan cream of tomato soup, enriched with coconut cream, is another highlight: rich, velvety, and perfectly balanced between tangy and creamy. For something a bit more unusual, the vegan mushroom stroganoff with buckwheat and red pickled onion offers depth and texture that you don’t often find in Hội An.
Peanuts
Peanuts is a fully vegan establishment in Hội An that has become something of a local legend among plant-based travelers. Affordable, reliable, and consistently tasty, it’s the kind of spot people happily order from every single day. If you’re looking for a filling vegan meal without spending much, this is one of the best options in town.
The menu focuses on veganized versions of common Vietnamese favorites—comfort dishes made accessible and quick. Their fried spring rolls are a standout: crisp on the outside, packed with vegetables on the inside, and served with a nutty dipping sauce that takes them up a notch. It’s simple food, but done well and offered at a price that makes repeat orders almost inevitable.
Red Dragon
Red Dragon isn’t a fully vegan restaurant, but it’s still worth knowing about if you’re in Hội An with a mixed group. While much of the menu features meat and seafood, they offer several excellent vegan options that feel thoughtfully prepared rather than like afterthoughts.
Yellow curry, black tahini spring rolls, and mango sticky rice make Red Dragon a vegan-friendly surprise
The Vietnamese yellow curry with grilled vegetables is a highlight—rich, warming, and beautifully spiced, paired with rice and seasonal produce. Their vegan spring rolls are another favorite, served with a striking black tahini dipping sauce that’s both savory and slightly nutty. And if you’re staying for dessert, the mango sticky rice is also vegan.
Hít Hà Cafe
Also known as Sniff, Hít Hà Café is more than just a café—it doubles as a coworking space with an ocean view upstairs. We spent a few days working from here and found it a refreshing change from Hub Hoi An. With the sea breeze, plenty of natural light, and a social but relaxed vibe, it’s a great weekend or day-off spot for digital nomads.
Vegan focaccia sandwich and raw berry cake at Hít Hà Café
Food-wise, their menu isn’t fully vegan, but they do offer some standout options. The vegan focaccia sandwich with vegan ricotta was an unexpected find—warm, hearty, and packed with flavor. We also enjoyed one of their vegan raw desserts, a berry cheesecake-style slice that was both rich and refreshing. While the vegan menu is limited, what they do serve is carefully made and delicious.
Hub Hoi An
While not a café or restaurant, Hub Hoi An, our coworking space, deserves a mention for its vegan-friendly food. You do need a coworking pass to eat here, as meals are available exclusively for members working onsite.
The menu is simple but reliable. For breakfast, there are vegan smoothie bowls loaded with fruit, granola, and seeds. At lunch, you can choose quinoa or brown rice paired with grilled mixed vegetables or tofu in tomato sauce. It’s hearty, nourishing food that fits seamlessly into a workday. To drink, there’s good coffee with plant milks and a variety of herbal teas.
Smoothie bowls and nourishing Buddha bowls fuel coworking days at Hub Hoi An
Ordering lunch is done via WhatsApp, and at 1.15 pm, the team sets them out on a communal table with names labeled on each dish. It’s a small detail, but it creates a sense of shared rhythm: coworkers pausing to eat together, conversations spilling naturally across the table. On days when we didn’t feel like ordering delivery, Hub Hoi An’s in-house meals were a welcome, healthy option—made better by the fact that they were shared.
Eating vegan in Hoi An
Hội An, unlike many destinations, is an incredibly vegan-friendly place to eat. Plant-based food isn’t just an afterthought—it’s woven into local tradition through Buddhist cuisine, fresh produce from Trà Quế Vegetable Village, and dishes that rely more on herbs, noodles, and rice than on dairy or heavy fats. Add to that the town’s growing reputation for health-conscious dining, and vegan options are everywhere.
From family-run eateries to modern vegan restaurants, we rarely had to search hard. Fresh spring rolls, cao lầu noodles, banana blossom salad, hearty curries, and smoothie bowls were just the beginning. And while HappyCow is always a good backup tool, in Hội An we found that simply walking through the old town or scrolling Grab was often enough to uncover something delicious and fully plant-based.
Eating vegan here felt abundant, flavorful, and deeply tied to place—whether through centuries-old dishes adapted with a vegan touch or creative new plates dreamed up in local kitchens. For travelers who eat plant-based, Hội An is not just easy—it’s a joy.
