Short answer: The three phrases that do most of the work are "Tôi ăn thuần chay" (I eat vegan), "không nước mắm" (no fish sauce) and "không trứng, không sữa" (no egg, no milk). Add "Món này có ... không?" (Does this dish have ...?) to ask about any ingredient. Because Vietnamese is tonal and street stalls are noisy, keep the phrases written on your phone and show them; vendors are used to it.
Why a few words go a long way
Vietnamese has six tones in the northern standard and fewer distinct tones in the south, and the same syllable can mean completely different things depending on pitch. Do not let that scare you. Food vocabulary is highly predictable in context: a vendor standing over a noodle pot who hears something like "chai" will understand chay. What helps most is using the right words for ingredients rather than abstract categories. "Vegan" is not a word every street vendor knows, but every cook knows nước mắm, trứng and thịt.
Vietnamese writing uses the Latin alphabet with diacritics, which makes it easy to save phrases on your phone and show them. If you only learn to say one thing, learn chay. If you learn five, learn the core phrases below. For background on what chay means and where it differs from vegan, see our guide in the Eating Vegan in Vietnam section.
The core phrases
| Vietnamese | Rough pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Tôi ăn chay | toy an chai | I eat vegetarian (Buddhist style) |
| Tôi ăn thuần chay | toy an thwun chai | I eat vegan (pure vegetarian) |
| Không thịt, không cá | khom tit, khom ka | No meat, no fish |
| Không nước mắm | khom nuoc mum | No fish sauce |
| Không mắm tôm | khom mum tom | No shrimp paste |
| Không trứng | khom chung | No egg |
| Không sữa | khom sua | No milk |
| Không bơ | khom buh | No butter (also used for mayonnaise-type spreads) |
| Món này chay không? | mon nai chai khom | Is this dish vegetarian? |
| Có nước mắm không? | ko nuoc mum khom | Is there fish sauce in it? |
| Cho tôi nước tương | cho toy nuoc tuong | Please give me soy sauce |
| Cảm ơn | gam un | Thank you |
The pronunciation column is only a rough guide for English speakers. The letter đ sounds like an English "d", while plain d sounds like "z" in the north and "y" in the south. The final "-ng" and "-nh" are soft, and không sounds more like "khom" than "kong". You will be understood far more often than you expect.
Ingredient words worth knowing
These are the words you will see on menus and hear from vendors. Knowing them lets you read a menu board quickly and ask precise questions.
- Proteins: đậu hũ or đậu phụ (tofu, southern and northern words), tàu hũ ky (tofu skin), mì căn (wheat gluten), nấm (mushroom), đậu (beans), chả chay (vegetarian loaf or cold cut).
- Animal products to avoid: thịt (meat), heo or lợn (pork), bò (beef), gà (chicken), cá (fish), tôm (shrimp), cua (crab), hải sản (seafood), trứng (egg), sữa (milk), mỡ (animal fat), mật ong (honey).
- Sauces and seasonings: nước tương or xì dầu (soy sauce), nước mắm chay (vegetarian fish sauce), dầu hào (oyster sauce), hạt nêm chay (vegetarian seasoning powder), tương ớt (chili sauce), sa tế (chili oil, some versions contain dried shrimp).
- Vegetables and herbs: rau (vegetables), rau muống (morning glory), ngò or rau mùi (cilantro), dưa leo or dưa chuột (cucumber), đồ chua (pickled carrot and daikon).
- Dish words: cơm (rice), bún (round rice noodles), phở (flat rice noodles), xôi (sticky rice), bánh mì (baguette sandwich), lẩu (hot pot), gỏi (salad).
One word deserves a special note: bơ means both avocado and butter. "Sinh tố bơ" is an avocado smoothie, but "bánh mì có bơ" usually means a sandwich with a butter or mayonnaise spread.
North versus south: the same food, different words
Vietnam's regional vocabulary differs, especially for everyday food. You will be understood with either version, but using the local word is friendlier and avoids confusion when reading menus.
| English | Southern (Saigon) | Northern (Hanoi) |
|---|---|---|
| Tofu | đậu hũ / tàu hũ | đậu phụ |
| Peanut | đậu phộng | lạc |
| Pork | heo | lợn |
| Cilantro | ngò | rau mùi |
| Soy sauce | nước tương | xì dầu |
Some useful phrases are not regional at all. For takeaway, both mang về and mang đi are used and understood in every region; to ask for the bill, tính tiền and thanh toán both work anywhere.
A ready-made card to show the cook
Copy this into a note on your phone. It is polite, specific and covers the hidden ingredients that matter most for vegans. Show it before you order, ideally while the vendor is not in the middle of a rush.
"Xin chào! Tôi ăn thuần chay. Xin đừng cho thịt, cá, tôm, nước mắm, mắm tôm, trứng, sữa, bơ hoặc mỡ. Nước tương và rau thì được. Cảm ơn nhiều!"
In English: "Hello! I eat vegan. Please do not add meat, fish, shrimp, fish sauce, shrimp paste, egg, milk, butter or animal fat. Soy sauce and vegetables are fine. Thank you very much!" If you have an allergy as well, add "Tôi bị dị ứng ..." (I am allergic to ...) followed by the ingredient, for example đậu phộng (peanuts).
Useful questions and answers you will hear
When you ask "Món này chay không?", you will usually hear one of a few replies. "Chay" or "Có, chay" means yes, it is vegetarian. "Không" means no. "Có thể làm chay" means "we can make it vegetarian", which is helpful but also your cue to ask about the broth and sauce. "Hết rồi" means sold out, which you will hear a lot at popular stalls after lunch.
For ordering itself, "Cho tôi một ..." means "Give me one ...". For banh mi in the south the classifier is ổ, so "Cho tôi một ổ bánh mì chay" is "One vegetarian banh mi, please". In the north people tend to say cái or chiếc. To ask the price, say "Bao nhiêu tiền?" (How much?). To specify spice, say "không cay" (not spicy) or "ít cay" (a little spicy); our Street Food Know-How section has more on handling chili.
When words are not enough
Even with the right phrases, small stalls sometimes misunderstand, or a helper adds the usual topping out of habit. Three habits reduce mistakes. First, order the simplest version of a dish and add things yourself from the condiments on the table. Second, watch the assembly when you can, which is easy at banh mi carts and noodle stalls where cooking happens in front of you. Third, favor places where vegetarian food is the whole business. At a fully vegan shop, such as Bánh Mì XANH in Saigon, you can order straight from the menu without any of these phrases at all, which is a relief after a long day.
Translation apps help too, with limits. Camera translation is good for reading a printed menu, but it often renders dish names literally, so "bún chả" may come out as "noodle sausage" and tell you little about the broth or sauce. Voice translation struggles in loud streets. Use apps to understand a menu, then switch to your own short, specific phrases for the order itself. And if something arrives with egg or a fish-sauce dip despite your best efforts, a calm "Xin lỗi, tôi ăn chay" (Sorry, I eat vegetarian) is usually met with an apology and a fresh plate rather than an argument. Mistakes are almost always habit, not indifference, and a smile keeps the exchange friendly.
Sources
- Vietnam National Authority of Tourism – vietnam.travel
- Local Vietnam, "Traveling with food allergies in Vietnam" – localvietnam.com
- Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), travel guidance – foodallergy.org
Frequently asked questions
Do Vietnamese vendors understand the English word vegan?
In tourist areas and at international-facing shops, often yes. At ordinary street stalls it is safer to say chay or thuần chay and list specific ingredients like fish sauce and egg.
What is the difference between chay and thuần chay?
Chay is Buddhist-style vegetarian food without meat or fish, while thuần chay means fully plant-based, with no egg, dairy or other animal products.
How do I say no fish sauce in Vietnamese?
Say "không nước mắm". To ask whether a dish contains it, say "Có nước mắm không?", and request nước tương (soy sauce) instead.
Will my pronunciation be a problem?
Rarely, because food words are clear in context. If a vendor looks unsure, show the written phrase on your phone; it is a normal and polite thing to do.
Are northern and southern words both understood?
Yes, Vietnamese speakers understand both, but menus use local terms. Knowing pairs like đậu hũ and đậu phụ helps you read menus in each region.
A vegan shop where you can skip the phrasebook
Practice your Vietnamese anywhere, but in Saigon you can also relax at Bánh Mì XANH, where every banh mi is fully vegan and no special requests are needed. Its five central shops, including one near Bến Thành Market, are open 24/7, and delivery can be ordered online.
Visit Bánh Mì XANH near Bến Thành Market · 24/7 hotline / Zalo +84 923 183 183
