We spent the biggest chunk of our trip inwards Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), separate past times the few cooler days nosotros had inwards Đà Lạt. We stayed correct inwards the pump of the backpacker district Pham Ngũ Lão at the wonderful (and affordable) Duc Vuong Hotel. This had a few upsides beyond the decent, air-conditioned rooms as well as ridiculously friendly staff - inwards item the spectacular rooftop bar atop the hotel as well as the location, correct inwards the thick of the city's densest cluster of vego restaurants.
The rooftop bar offered lovely views across the rooftops of the city, mutual depression temperature beer, an array of first-class smoothies, ludicrous multi-coloured cocktails as well as some really mediocre chips. We also sampled the deep-fried tofu (a flake bland) as well as eyed off the mushroom dumplings all week, but never got unopen to to ordering them. Next time.
We sat on the rooftop on our offset eventide inwards town scanning the Happy Cow app, puzzling over the vegan eatery located 0.05 miles from where nosotros were sitting. Somehow, on our initial explorations we'd walked straight past times Saigon Vegan, which is literally straight across the route from the hotel.
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It has a pretty straightforward alternative of Vietnamese dishes - noodle soups similar phở, rice dishes, hot pots, tofu dishes, salads as well as therefore on (mains 45,000-60,000VND AU$2.80-$3.70). Somewhat unusually, it doesn't offering much inwards the agency of mock meat. We grabbed some first-class lunchtime bánh mis 1 24-hour interval (pictured above, centre right), stuffed alongside pate, tofu as well as sweet, onion-based veggie floss (25,000VND AU$1.50 each). At other meals the lemongrass fried tofu (pictured overstep right) as well as the vermicelli alongside confine rolls (bottom left) were amid the highlights. The primary argue nosotros kept going dorsum though was for the Vietnamese iced coffees (top centre), a vegan version of the classic mix of drip coffee, condensed milk as well as H2O ice (35,000VND AU$2.15). It's a lovely spot to sit down alongside a snack as well as a java as well as picket the hordes of pedestrians, cyclists as well as motorbikes on the teeming Bùi Vien.
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Before nosotros discovered Saigon Vegan, nosotros stumbled onto Bee Saigon, a hotel as well as eatery on a side street off Bùi Viện that has an eight-page vego department inwards the card (20,000-40,000VND AU$1.25-$2.50 per dish). Our tiffin hither was unproblematic as well as successful - avocado salad, kokosnoot fried rice, a bánh xèo as well as some vego confine rolls, summation a couplet of (non-vegan) iced drinks. The nutrient was decent as well as cheap, but likely didn't hitting the heights of some of our afterward meals inwards the city.
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Trang is likely nevertheless superior, but at 16,000VND ( AU$1), this is a damn adept value snack. The sit-down eatery is to a greater extent than impressive, alongside iii levels as well as a mix of tables as well as traditional Vietnamese flooring seating. We made a couplet of lunch-time visits, exploring every bit much of the mock-meat heavy card every bit nosotros could (meals are betwixt 40,000 & 65,000VND AU$2.50-$4).
Cindy ordered the mango salad hither as well as it was therefore adept that nosotros injure upward ordering salads almost everywhere else nosotros visited. The chicken wings were memorable, every bit were the ludicrously real-seeming grilled pork. The tofu-based mock egg inwards the braised pork hot-pot was intriguing every bit well. We broke the mock meat upward alongside some rice as well as tofu dishes, but the mock as well as the salads were the stars.
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As inwards Đà Lạt, nosotros brutal dorsum on the nutrient courtroom at the marketplace for the occasional cơm chay - a trusty as well as inexpensive agency to consume a wonderful as well as varied lunch. We alone establish 1 veggie house at the Ben Thanh Market, but that was enough. The drinkable alternative at this house was bully - I had a dragon fruit juice, patch Cindy spurned the jellyish noodle drinks inwards the cabinet for her offset saccharide tin juice of the trip. Food-wise, you lot pay 40,000VND (AU$2.50) as well as they serve upward a plate of rice alongside a alternative of mock meat, veggies, pickles as well as condiments - these ones didn't quite stair out upward to the amazing lunches nosotros had inwards Đà Lạt, but they were nevertheless likely the best value repast nosotros had inwards HCMC.
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We spent a afterward morn wandering unopen to the Ngoc Tho, a house that is no longer totally vego but nevertheless has a massive as well as separate vegetarian menu. The array of average looking pizzas as well as Mexican nutrient on the card had me worried that the standards were going to hold upward pretty low, but the Vietnamese dishes nosotros ordered were pretty ace. Dishes damage betwixt 35,000VND as well as 60,000VND (AU$2.15-3.70). There are eggs inwards a publish of dishes, therefore vegans ask to tread carefully.
We had the veggie pork ribs both times nosotros visited as well as were completely blown away - the mock pork inwards Vietnam is actually side past times side level. We were therefore enamoured that nosotros tried an club of the special veg BBQ pork alongside rice noodles as well as veggies every bit good - the pork was typically great, but nosotros were a flake confused nigh the structure process. The garlic fried rice was likely the best rice dish of the trip, as well as the mock chicken alongside lemongrass as well as chilli was a standout every bit well. Cindy snuck into the Western card to sample a mango pancake for brekkie, which was pretty good, but didn't come upward nigh my fried rice alongside eggs (even if I idea I'd ordered Indian fried rice).
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We stumbled across Pham Chay merely unopen to the corner, a supermarket reminiscent of Footscray's Vincent's. It's basically a temple to mock meat, as well as actually non much role unless you've got access to a kitchen, but it did accept us daydreaming nigh living inwards Vietnam as well as perfecting our BBQ pork ribs. We brought dorsum some pate as well as mock deer jerky, but at that topographic point was therefore much nosotros were miserable to teach out behind.
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Happy Cow also pointed us towards Hoa Khai, a vegan house alongside to a greater extent than than 100 card items to select from as well as aught to a greater extent than expensive than 55,000VND (AU$3.40). We were into a pretty adept ordering groove past times the fourth dimension nosotros came hither - some fried mock meat (chicken wings this time), confine rolls, a tofu dish (Sichuan tofu), a salad (coconut sprout salad) as well as some to a greater extent than fried mock meat (chilli as well as lemongrass 'vegetarian meat').
This was a massive success - the kokosnoot salad was likely my favourite salad of the calendar week (I'm nevertheless non certain what the chewy jerky-like things were on top) as well as both the mock meat dishes were superb. The Sichuan tofu was lacking a flake of bite, but that's a youngster quibble amid a magnificent meal. Added bonus: the eatery had some air-con and a few fans cranking the cool air around, making it a welcome recess from the oppressive estrus outside.
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Our in conclusion local vego see was to Com Chay Mani, a brusque walk across the commons from our hotel. It's some other air-conditioned place, working a similar fashion of nutrient - salads, rice dishes, soups as well as mock meats, all for betwixt 30,000VND as well as 55,000VND (AU$1.80-$3.40). The 35,000VND (AU$2.15) laid breakfast/lunch card (main course, stir-fried veggie dish as well as a soup alongside steamed rice) looks similar incredibly adept value, but nosotros didn't teach inwards dorsum to endeavor it out. Instead Cindy as well as I separate the light-green tea fried rice as well as a Thai salad (no mock meat!), which were both first-class - the fried rice inwards item knocked my socks off. It was a shame nosotros discovered Mani therefore belatedly inwards the trip, it definitely deserved some other visit.
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Our in conclusion morn didn't teach out much fourth dimension for eating - merely a quick breakfast at the hotel buffet (which has a adept hit of fruit, but is non otherwise super veg friendly) as well as and therefore a sneaky walk unopen to the corner for a in conclusion banh mi at Anpham. There was a steady stream of motorbikes pulling upward as well as grabbing rolls, which was reassuring - the stall sells a mix of meaty as well as veg dishes, but it's pretty unproblematic to betoken at the 'banh mi chay' sign. The rolls hither came inwards at 16,000VND (AU$1), amid the cheapest of the trip, as well as had a overnice mix of mock meat, mushrooms as well as salad. There was a condiment that was suspiciously mayo-like, therefore these mightiness non hold upward vegan-friendly - I'm non certain how to check. Still, it was a bully agency to destination our fourth dimension inwards Vietnam - inexpensive as well as delicious street nutrient ordered alongside pointing as well as sign language.
We had a vivid fourth dimension inwards Saigon/HCMC - along alongside all this food, there's loads to come across as well as do. We were peculiarly knocked out past times the War Remnants Museum, the Reunification Palace as well as the Fine Arts Museum, every bit good every bit all the beautiful buildings downtown (the post office inwards item stands out). Our walk through the pagodas inwards Cholon was bully too, although the estrus got a piddling overwhelming. It's a wonderful metropolis - buzzing alongside ludicrous traffic, stuffed alongside glorious nutrient as well as filled alongside therefore many amazingly friendly people. We'll hold upward dorsum for sure.
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