Vegan Vietnam from Hanoi to the Mekong
HAN-SGN-14-VE
Vegan Vietnam
Travel from Hanoi to the Mekong with vegan meals planned from the outset, local chay traditions and community-based experiences along the route.
Travel from Hanoi to the Mekong with vegan meals planned from the outset, local chay traditions and community-based experiences along the route.
Vietnam is especially well suited to vegan travel because plant-based eating is not a recent import. Vietnamese đồ chay has long been part of daily life through Buddhist practice, family traditions and regular vegetarian days observed by many people who do not otherwise identify as vegetarian or vegan.
Travel from Hanoi through Ninh Binh, Ha Long Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon and the Mekong on a full cultural route with vegan meals planned from the outset. Along the way, visit garden houses, farms, kitchens and a community meal initiative that show how plant-based food, Buddhist traditions and everyday community life meet in Vietnam. Animal-based entertainment is not included in the group programme.
A classic north-to-south route with time for local chay traditions, community experiences and independent exploration between food-focused activities.
Arrive at Noi Bai Airport and transfer to a central hotel. Keep the rest of the day free to recover before an informal welcome dinner featuring contemporary Vietnamese vegan cuisine.
Begin in Ba Dinh with the Ho Chi Minh historical complex and One Pillar Pagoda, then continue to the Temple of Literature. After a vegan lunch, walk selected Old Quarter streets and communal spaces before a traditional water-puppet performance. Dinner is at leisure, with a short list of recommended vegan restaurants provided.
Travel south through the Red River Delta to Hoa Lu, capital of the Dinh and Early Le dynasties. After a vegan Vietnamese lunch and hotel check-in, take an easy guided bicycle ride through rice fields, limestone valleys and village lanes, with supported transport available. Dinner is fully vegan.
Visit the Thiện Dưỡng Catholic community in the Ninh Van area, meeting local hosts and hearing about family life, religion, stone-working and agriculture. Continue to Trang An for a rowing-boat journey through rivers, caves and limestone valleys, then return to Hanoi after a vegan lunch.
Board an overnight cruise through Ha Long Bay or a quieter neighbouring section of the bay system. Lunch and dinner are fully vegan. Afternoon activities may include kayaking, a small-boat excursion or cave visit; fishing, squid fishing and other animal-based recreational activities are excluded from the group programme.
Begin with the quiet atmosphere of the bay and an optional early activity before a substantial vegan breakfast. After disembarkation, transfer for the flight to Central Vietnam and continue to Hue. No formal evening programme is scheduled.
Explore Kim Long by bicycle or supported vehicle, visiting traditional garden houses and meeting local families with long ties to the former imperial capital. Share a vegan home-style lunch in the garden-house setting. In the evening, travel by cyclo between several vegan food stops while the guide explains Hue’s chay tradition and its links with Buddhist practice.
Visit Hue Imperial City and walk through the gates, palaces and ceremonial spaces of the Nguyen court. After a vegan lunch, travel south across the Hai Van area to Hoi An. The evening is free for an independent walk through the old town.
Make a traditional lantern using bamboo with cotton or synthetic fabric; natural silk is not used for the group workshop. Continue to Tra Que to explore the herbs and vegetables behind Central Vietnamese cooking, then join a cooking session designed as fully vegan from the outset. Finish with a basket-boat journey through Cam Thanh without crab catching or fishing activities.
Enjoy a free morning to revisit the old town, shop, relax, visit the beach or arrange a spa treatment. After check-out, transfer to Da Nang for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City. Dinner is at leisure with recommendations across Saigon’s extensive vegan restaurant scene.
Join the regular volunteer team at Quán Cơm Nụ Cười 2.000, an operating community meal initiative. Prepare, cook and serve a fully vegan lunch alongside local volunteers, then eat the same meal together after service. Keep the afternoon free for independent time in Saigon.
Visit selected sections of the Cu Chi tunnel system, focusing on the landscape, engineering and living conditions; the group does not include the shooting range. Return to Saigon for a vegan lunch, then continue to a preserved urban weapons bunker and the War Remnants Museum. The guide covers rural warfare, clandestine organisation in the city and the later public memory of the conflict.
Travel into Ben Tre, beginning at a functioning local market before continuing by boat and local transport through coconut-growing communities. Visit family enterprises using different parts of the coconut palm, then take a hand-rowed sampan through smaller canals. A fully vegan Mekong lunch is prepared with regional produce before returning to Saigon.
Breakfast at the hotel. At the appropriate time, transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for departure.
Mixed breakfast buffets are acceptable only when substantial, clearly identifiable vegan choices are confirmed in advance, including at least one filling hot option where possible.
The selected vessel must provide complete vegan meals, sauces and snacks. Squid fishing and other animal-based recreational activities are excluded from the group programme.
Included meals use dedicated vegetarian or vegan restaurants where possible, or vetted kitchens able to prepare complete vegan menus from the outset.
Cooking programmes are fully vegan from the outset. Fish sauce, oyster sauce, shrimp paste, dairy, egg, honey where relevant, stocks and seasoning powders are screened.
No animal riding, animal performances, fishing, crab-catching or similar animal-based entertainment is included. Where practical, cultural activities are adapted to avoid animal-based elements.
Materials are screened where practical—for example, cotton or synthetic lantern fabric instead of natural silk. Guests still visit working markets, stay in mixed hotels and spend time in ordinary public spaces throughout the route.
Hanoi, Ninh Binh, the bays and mountain routes, with practical advice on pacing and connections.
See destination →Imperial sites, garden houses, pagodas, food and how long to stay.
See destination →Hoi An, Da Nang, Mỹ Sơn, craft, food and realistic Central Vietnam weather planning.
See destination →Central Saigon, Chợ Lớn, neighbourhoods, food and wartime sites.
See destination →Compare Bến Tre, Cần Thơ and Châu Đốc before choosing the Delta route.
See destination →
Follow Vietnam from Hanoi to the Mekong through markets, family tables, farms and working producers, with regional food placed within the wider journey.
A gentle journey through Vietnamese food, belief and everyday rituals, with Hue as its contemplative centre.
Travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City through monasteries, historic pagodas, imperial Hue and contemporary Buddhist life.
Send the dates, group profile and preferred hotel level. We will confirm vegan operating standards, supplier capability and any activity adaptations before proposal.