Vegan Food Tour Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam has 500+ dedicated vegetarian restaurants in Saigon alone, rooted in a Buddhist tradition that dates back centuries. Ride pillion through 5 districts and taste 10+ plant-based dishes at the street stalls and com chay kitchens where locals eat every 1st and 15th of the lunar month.
Why Choose Our Vegan Food Tour?
The only motorbike vegan food tour in HCMC that covers 5 districts in one evening. Here is what makes us different.
100% Vegan, Zero Compromise
Every dish is fully plant-based. No fish sauce substitutions, no "we can remove the meat" workarounds. We partner with dedicated com chay kitchens that have been cooking vegan for decades.
Centuries-Old Buddhist Tradition
Vietnamese "an chay" food is not a Western import. Saigon has had vegetarian restaurants since the 1800s. We take you to the real ones, not the Instagram-friendly ones that opened last year.
Female Local Guides
Your driver-guide is a Saigonese woman who has completed 500+ tours. She grew up eating at these stalls. She knows which vendors use mushroom broth, which ones sneak in fish sauce.
5 Districts by Motorbike
Walking tours cover 2 blocks. We ride through Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Cholon) in 4 hours. From temple food in District 3 to Chinese-Buddhist mock meats in Chinatown.
5 Districts, 4 Hours of Vegan Saigon
Each district has its own vegan identity. From Buddhist temple kitchens to Chinese mock-meat masters, this is a tour through the real plant-based culture of Ho Chi Minh City.
District 1 Ben Thanh & the Old Quarter
Home to Hum Vegetarian (ranked top 10 vegetarian restaurants in Asia by TripAdvisor). Vegan banh mi stalls on Nguyen Trai Street. Over 40 dedicated com chay restaurants within walking distance of Ben Thanh Market. The highest concentration of plant-based dining in Vietnam.
District 2 Thu Duc & Thao Dien
The expat quarter has driven a wave of modern vegan cafes. Hum Garden, the flagship of Vietnam's most awarded vegetarian restaurant group, serves a 7-course plant-based menu in a French colonial garden. Quiet alleys hide family-run com chay shops catering to nearby pagoda communities.
District 3 Pagodas & Temple Food
The spiritual heart of Saigon's vegan scene. Com Chay Nang Tam has served 30,000 VND ($1.20) rice plates for 20+ years. Chua Vinh Nghiem and Chua Xa Loi temples offer free vegan meals on the 1st and 15th of each lunar month. The highest density of pagodas in HCMC means the highest density of authentic com chay kitchens.
District 4 Local Alley Food
The least touristy food district in central Saigon. Hidden alley com chay stalls serve workers from the nearby port. Vegan banh xeo (turmeric crepes) cooked on charcoal by vendors who have held the same corner for 30+ years. No English menu, no TripAdvisor reviews, just authentic food.
District 5 Cholon (Chinatown)
The crown jewel of vegan Saigon. Chinese Mahayana Buddhism brought a mock-meat tradition that produces vegan "duck", "fish", and "pork belly" from wheat gluten, mushrooms, and jackfruit. Binh Tay Market has vegan dim sum stalls. Thien Hau Temple (1760) is surrounded by the oldest com chay restaurants in the city.
What You'll Eat on the Vegan Food Tour
10+ dishes across 3 categories. Every dish is 100% plant-based. Vietnamese vegan food uses soy sauce (nuoc tuong) instead of fish sauce, and the mock-meat tradition here is among the most sophisticated in the world.
Vietnamese Classics
The foundation of Vietnamese cuisine, fully plant-based. Mushroom and vegetable broths replace bone stock. Tofu and wheat gluten (mi can) replace meat.
Phở chay
Bánh mì chay
Gỏi cuốn chay
Cơm tấm chayStreet Food
Street-side cooking on charcoal and hot pans. These dishes are naturally vegan or have been adapted by Buddhist kitchens for over a century.
Bánh xèo chay
Bánh cuốn chay
Chả giò chay
Bánh khọt chayDesserts
Most Vietnamese desserts are naturally vegan. Coconut milk, tropical fruit, mung bean, taro, and tapioca are the base ingredients.
Chè
Kem dừa
Xôi chay
Trái câySafe Street Food Rides Through Ho Chi Minh City
Open-face helmets
High-quality, cleaned after each tour
Licensed local drivers
100% female, HCMC-born, 3+ years experience
Maintained scooters
Automatic, inspected and serviced weekly
4,000+ tours completed
Since 2019, zero incidents
30 km/h average speed
Comfortable pace through city streets
Free cancellation
Up to 24h before, no fees
How Your Vegan Food Tour Works
From booking to the last bite. Every stop is pre-vetted for 100% plant-based food. No fish sauce surprises.
We Pick You Up
Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby in District 1, 2 or 3 at 5:30 PM. She hands you a helmet, confirms any allergies (gluten-free, nut-free), and off you go.
Ride Through 5 Districts
Hop on the back of the motorbike and ride through Districts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 (Cholon). See the city light up at dusk while your guide explains Saigon's Buddhist vegetarian culture.
Eat 10+ Vegan Dishes
Stop at 3 food spots and 2 sightseeing locations. From pho chay at a 20-year-old noodle shop to mock-meat masterpieces in Cholon's Chinese-Buddhist kitchens.
Drop-Off at Your Hotel
After 4 hours of eating and exploring, your guide safely rides you back to your hotel. Full belly, clear conscience, unforgettable memories.
Everything Included in Your Vegan Food Tour
$57 per person, all-inclusive. No hidden fees, no wallet needed during the tour.
What Our Vegan Guests Say
"I'm vegan and usually dread food tours because they just 'remove the meat'. This was completely different. Every single dish was intentionally plant-based and absolutely delicious. The mock duck in Chinatown was mind-blowing."
"As a long-time vegan, I thought I knew Vietnamese food. I had no idea about the Buddhist com chay tradition. My guide took me to a temple kitchen that has been serving free vegan meals for 40 years. This tour changed how I see Vietnamese cuisine."
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about the vegan food tour in Ho Chi Minh City.
Yes. Every dish is fully plant-based. We partner exclusively with dedicated com chay (vegetarian) restaurants and stalls that do not cook meat on the same surfaces. We also verify that no fish sauce (nuoc mam), oyster sauce, or egg is used. If you have specific allergies (gluten, nuts, soy), let us know when booking and we adjust the menu.
Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhism has a centuries-old practice called "an chay" (eating vegetarian). On the 1st and 15th of every lunar month ("ngay ram"), millions of Vietnamese eat fully vegan. This created a massive infrastructure of com chay restaurants, temple kitchens, and vegan street food stalls across Saigon. Vietnam has the highest percentage of part-time vegetarians in Southeast Asia after India.
Com chay literally means "vegetarian rice". It refers to a rice plate served at Buddhist restaurants, typically including: white rice, braised tofu, mock meats made from wheat gluten (mi can) and mushrooms, stir-fried vegetables, and soup. A plate costs 25,000 to 50,000 VND ($1 to $2 USD). Most com chay is naturally vegan.
The regular tour includes meat and seafood dishes. This vegan tour visits entirely different vendors: dedicated com chay kitchens, Buddhist temple food stalls, and Chinese-Vietnamese vegetarian restaurants in Cholon. The route is the same (5 districts by motorbike), but every food stop is 100% plant-based. Same price, same duration, completely different menu.
Regular pho uses beef or chicken bone broth and is not vegan. Pho chay uses a broth made from dried mushrooms, daikon radish, corn, and aromatic spices. It is topped with fried tofu, sliced mushrooms, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs. At a dedicated com chay restaurant, pho chay is always 100% vegan. We take you to a shop that has been making pho chay for over 20 years.
Yes. Many Vietnamese vegan dishes are naturally gluten-free: pho chay (rice noodles), goi cuon chay (rice paper rolls), banh xeo chay (rice flour crepes), and most desserts. We avoid wheat gluten mock meats (mi can) and soy sauce for gluten-free guests. Let us know when booking and we prepare a modified menu with 10+ gluten-free vegan dishes.
"Toi an chay" means "I eat vegetarian/vegan". For specific requests: "khong nuoc mam" (no fish sauce), "khong trung" (no egg), "khong sua" (no dairy), "khong thit" (no meat). Your guide handles all communication, but these phrases are useful if you explore on your own.
Pickup at your hotel at 5:30 PM, drop-off around 9:30 PM. The evening timing is intentional: Saigon's vegan street food stalls open at dusk, the city is cooler, and the neon-lit streets are best experienced after dark.
No. You sit as a passenger (pillion). Your guide does all the driving. She is a licensed local driver with 500+ tours completed. Average speed is 30 km/h through city streets. Open-face helmets are provided. Over 4,000 guests have ridden with us safely.
Very easy. Saigon has 500+ dedicated vegetarian restaurants. Look for signs saying "Com Chay" or "Nha Hang Chay". On the 1st and 15th of each lunar month, even regular restaurants offer chay options. The app "HappyCow" lists 200+ vegan-friendly spots in HCMC. Your guide will also give you personal recommendations at the end of the tour.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the tour. No deposit required, pay on the day of the tour. If it rains, we provide rain ponchos and continue. In case of typhoon-level weather (rare), we reschedule for free.
Absolutely. Vietnamese vegan food is delicious whether you are vegan or not. The mock meats in Cholon fool even local meat-eaters. Many of our guests are mixed groups where one person is vegan and others are curious. Everyone leaves impressed.
Ready to Taste Vegan Saigon?
Tours run daily at 5:30 PM. Groups fill up fast, especially on lunar calendar days (1st and 15th) when the whole city eats vegan. Book now and secure your spot on the only motorbike vegan food tour in Ho Chi Minh City.
Book Your Vegan Food Tour $57Traveling with non-vegans? Our Street Food Tour and Michelin Food Tour cover the same 5 districts with meat-and-seafood menus.