My 10 Best Vegan Restaurants & Cafes in Hoi An are listed below for you to check out while visiting Vietnam.

There’s an old saying, which has emerged as the trend towards veganism gathers momentum – ‘let’s get on the bandwagon’.

Whilst in Vietnam earlier this year, we regularly visited our 10 best vegan restaurants and cafes in Hoi An all of which delivered completely different eating experiences.

Before I cast my comments and opinion I want to add a rider. In all cases, I originally entered as a guest ‘off the street’ and made no mention at all of my ‘interest’ in vegan food.

Comments are in no particular order and my rating criteria is

1. General Ambiance
2. Food Taste and Presentation
3. Friendly and Engaging Staff
4. A Warm And Respectful Welcome

Below is my list of 10 best vegan restaurants and cafes in Hoi An:

Nourish Eatery – In A Rice Field off Cu Dai Road, Hoi An

This gorgeous traditional Vietnamese house is hidden away from the hustle and bustle and enjoys the peaceful surroundings of the rice fields. There’s no street address because the laneway that Nourish is on has no name. We found it by exploring shortly after they opened and following their Facebook page.

But what a wonderful surprise and the business partnership behind Nourish – Dutchman Frank Raveling and Vietnamese Linh have created something quite special.

Not only is the location serene and welcoming but also Linh’s food is only prepared with local fresh ingredients as ordered. The taste and flavours of this ALL-whole food plant-based vegan food are just beautiful.

Could this be described as a tapas type café? Not really. The menu is tight ‘street meets east and west’. Their burgers for-instance are to live for – my favourite is the Mango Chutney burger closely followed by the Falafel Burger.

You cannot go wrong with any of Nourish’s small but pleasing list of freshly prepared juices and smoothies.

Nourish also serves a variety of bowls for breakfast and lunch. As yet they do not serve dinner but I feel they have enough on their hands as it is without doing an evening service.

I am comfortable putting Nourish in the 10/10 category because of its all-round success in bringing whole food plant-based vegan food together with friendly service and a great locale. See the Google Maps link but once you have been there you will never forget how to find this unique vegan café. This is one of the best vegan restaurants in Hoi An.

10/10 – $$

Annen Yoga & Vegetarian – 471/7 Cua Dai, Hoi An – Down the side alleyway at the back.

There is a great saying in Hoi An – ‘Just follow the laneway’. In this case, it leads to a little vegan café oasis off the busy Cua Dai Road. A green garden and casual seating area greet guests and yoga folk along with a great locally inspired all-vegan menu.

Food is freshly made by friendly staff and if owner, Jyothi is not teaching yoga she will come and have a chat with you as her English is perfect.

Annen offers a selection of soup and stir-fried options but our favourite was perhaps the best Banh Mi in Hoi An, filled with freshly prepared seasoned tofu, green vegetables and topped with crispy seaweed.

Typically Vietnamese the Banh Mi is a split baguette filled with meat options, so to get to enjoy a non-meat option was a delightful experience.

Annen’s clay pots are also fabulously tasty. We enjoyed the Braised Mushroom in a clay pot. Their Tofu in Tomato sauce was also exceptional. Portions are large even by western standards, which makes eating a main for 45,000 Dong great value. That’s around $3 Australian!

We were staying not too far from Annen and would often pop over on the bike and pick up Banh Mi and a freshly ‘chucked’ coconut ready to drink.  Opening hours from 6 am to 9 pm makes it an ideal evening meal location. The evening lights cast a romantic pall over the café when the sun goes down.  

RATING: 9/10 $

Karma Waters –  213 Duong Nguyen Duy Hieu, Son Phong, Hoi An

Traditional and passable ‘comfort food’. Nice attempt to translate passion into something marketable and edible. The vegetable burger contained tofu, which was OK but would have preferred straight-up vegetables.

We understand the good folk at this eatery also feed those less fortunate, which is admirable but with just a tad tidying up around the edges this wee café could start to zing.

Comfortably priced by Vietnamese standards but a little flat and disappointing. We wondered just how many hours a day staff worked as we often caught staff sleeping after 2pm most days. This is however them no-doubt taking the traditional 11 until 2pm Hoi An siesta after their lunch service.

Salads were tasty and of ample proportions if you are needing just a raw vegan plate. So too their vegetable Pho – the traditional Vietnamese soup.

Reliable if you are in a hurry but as the name suggests – Karma Waters – take time to relax and take in the colours and contrasts of Duong Nguyen Duy Hieu road.  Open from 10 in the morning until around 8.30pm.

RATING: 7/10 $

Vegan Zone – 197 Duong Nguyen Duy Hieu, Son Phong, Hoi An

Opened 3 months ago from writing this and I have to say this is a real find in a small pond of vegan wannabes in Hoi An. Immaculate in its set-up with stylish Asian furniture, it was very welcoming with a good standard of spoken English.

The food was just glorious and whilst based on traditional Vietnamese cooking, the major point of difference is that the food is FRESHLY prepared to order.

The mustard leaf wraps are totally fabulous. Clare had the pan-seared mushrooms and I had the wraps and Vegan Zone’s signature dish of rice noodle soup and vegetables. We decided to try a dessert too and the Banana Pancakes with Chocolate Sauce is a real treat.  Light, fresh and so tasty. 

The staff are truly beautiful and even obliged us with a group picture as we left. We felt honoured and respected through the service and the high quality of ingredients and their FRESHNESS.

 I highly recommend this wee gem on the Hoi An vegan landscape and whilst slightly above average price-wise, it was well worth just to feel ‘at home’.

RATING: 10/10  $$$

Minh Hien 2 – 30A Duong Dinh Tien Hoang, Tan An, Hoi An

This is one of three Minh Hien vegan and vegetarian cafes in Hoi An. Mostly populated by visiting westerners who had followed the directions here via Trip Advisor or Happy Cow. The food was reliable and good value.

Food preparation and cooking is done by an ‘older person’ with a flawless complexion – which is a testament to the quality of the food – flawless and delightful.

They serve what is known as ‘Fresh Beer’ which is ‘day-old beer bought down from Da Nang each day. Whilst it was refreshing I would add a note of warning that it is made using Vietnamese water and both Clare and I went down with something the day after. We don’t know but err on the side of caution and go for a local canned beer, which will adequately complement the reliable and tasty food.

You cannot go wrong here and apart from the beer episode enjoyed several visits. Priced reasonably by Vietnamese standards.

RATING: 7/10 $$

Minh Hien 3 – Minh Hien 3 Vegetarian Restaurant – 29 Phan Chu Trinh – Hoi An

Part of the Minh Hien stable Number 3 is a really delightful experience. As you step off the pavement on the busy yet colorful and vibrant Phan Chu Trinh, the beauty of the garden in which dinners are seated immediately entrances you.

This locale is especially beautiful for an evening meal for a perfect sit down experience, which includes cloth napkins and good quality cutlery.

Fresh Pho Noodle with Mushroom was a fav of ours along with Braised Tofu and Vegetables in a clay pot. A starter of Minh Hien -3’s famous vegetable spring rolls will set the tenor for this eating experience.

Oh, they also serve a range of really interesting alcoholic and non- alcoholic cocktails too along with local beers and the local Dalat wine.

Overall, this is just one step away from fine dining midst a flourishing tropical garden. The staff are well trained and friendly and most speak good and passable English. Most of the wait staff are university trained and work here before heading off into another aspect of Vietnamese burgeoning tourist industry. They remember you when you return. How lovely is that?

RATING: 9/10 $$$

WhatElse Vegetarian Café – 10/1 Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Cam Pho Ward, Hoi An

Small out of the way vegetarian café, which also offers ‘old world’ foods. It’s off the main ‘old town’ thoroughfare down a side alley which means it is nice and quiet if you are over all the hustle and bustle. The view from the café window was sufficient enough to just ‘look at’ for an hour or two.

Serving traditional Vietnamese vegetarian food options we had the vegetable pho (which is normally served with a meat of some sort) that was really delightfully warm and nurturing. We had a vegetable burger on another occasion, which was Ok but nothing really to write home about.

They sell a cheap but palatable wine by the glass along with beer if you like both. We will visit again if we are down that way because the vegetarian selection is good, well prepared and tasty and of course, comfortably priced. Service is good if a little pedestrian but this was OK because we were happy to sit.

RATING: 6/10 $$

AM Vegetarian Restaurant – 33D Ly Thai To Street, Hoi An

Ly Thai To street is one of the longest streets in Hoi An so you have to be on the lookout for this rather atheistically interesting vegetarian café.

Clare and I were the only ones in the restaurant to be followed in by two more couples (off-season) but it came highly recommended.

We were not disappointed with my green papaya and banana blossom salad and Clare’s vegetable hot pot. Both were really lovely even more so because we splashed out on a raw G and T which cost 45,000 Dong which is just under $3 Australia.

Staff was very engaging include ‘new import’ Manuel, An Australian Colombian I think he said he was and was obviously trained in the art of good table and customer service.

AM’s menu is comprehensive with a variety to meet taste buds and budget. Servings were good and hearty and pricing in the ‘reasonable’ bracket. I mentioned atheistically interesting – yes indeed it was with walls and floors covered in a myriad of exotic colours.

It was always reliable for us when we felt the need to stray from our usual haunts. This is also one of the most popular vegan/vegetarian restaurants in Hoi An that is frequented by the growing ex-pat community. Great place for a party too!!

RATING: 7/10 $$$

The Fisherman – An Bang Beach Hội An

Don’t let the name fool you. The story goes that this was once a fish restaurant until the fisherman owner woke up one day and said he was going vegan because he was aware of the destruction to our oceans with overfishing and pollution. It’s not quite in Hoi An but very close and is the only vegan restaurant in An Bang Beach, so check it out.

Sitting towards the Southern End of An Bang Beach The Fisherman is an experience, which ran into several hours for us, as we took in the beachside ambiance.

A popular spot for western visitors, this all-vegan café is renown for its vegetable burgers, vegetable Pho, curries and falafel wraps. Whilst there was no real standout, the several times we visited always met our expectations.

Large salads and plates full of delectable Vietnamese flavours are The Fisherman’s specialties. They also serve a variety of local beers along with freshly prepared fruit smoothies and juices, ideal for beachside slumbering.

Staff are friendly but speak very little English and prices just OK for the combined beach and vegan café experience. Ideal for younger folk looking to make a day of the beach, the vegan café food washed down with a few cold beers or fresh juices.

RATING: 7/10 $$

Baby Mustard Restaurant – left off Hai Ba Trung on the Eastern Side of the Rice Paddies Heading to An Bang Beach, Hoi An

Backing onto to the Tra Que organic gardens this vegetarian/vegan café was always consistent. At one time we were living 50 meters from Baby Mustard and we could whip down to pick up a take away or sit in.

It serves traditional Vietnamese food but with ample vegan choices. A little off the beaten track but again once you have visited you will always remember your way back.

Run by a small family from the area, this café amongst the garden vegetables is both charming and quaint.

Vegetable Pho (local Vietnamese soup), stir-fried vegetables and tofu and the obligatory spring rolls are the most popular dishes- all tasty and clean. Baby Mustard is a very ‘nature-filled’ environment great for couples and families alike.

Reasonably priced for two around DG 200,000 or AUD$12.50

RATING: 7/10 $$

There are literally hundreds of cafes and restaurants in Hoi An now offering vegetarian or vegan options alongside the heavy meat and seafood orientated menus. We tended to stay away from these places simply because of the high level of potential cross-contamination and general level of consciousness.

The best authentic vegan cafes and restaurants are largely owned by people committed to the vegan way of living – love, care, and compassion – this is expressed in the tastiness of their food and as importantly, their friendliness.

Before I finish I would like to share a SECRET RECOMMENDATION! ……When you visit Vegan Zone make a point of asking for the Lemongrass Tofu!. This dish was perhaps one of my all-time Vietnamese favourites – with intense fresh flavours and lusciousness, which is indescribable.

Good luck and enjoy your time in Hoi An made all the better because the vegan food you eat and enjoy is readily available.

Scott Mathias and his partner Clare Darwish spent four months indulging in the culture of Hoi An, Vietnam from December 2018 to April 2019. They paid for their meals on all occasions and took the time to find out what makes these wonderful vegan cafes and restaurants the beautiful places they are.