Hanoi Old Quarter: Vegan Street Food Tour & Local Guide

4.94

(137 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You really eat that?” Linh grinned at me, holding out a crispy bánh cuốn stuffed with mushrooms. I’d barely managed to say “xin chào” without her laughing (in the friendliest way), so I just shrugged and took a bite. The Old Quarter was already humming — scooters weaving past, someone roasting chestnuts on the curb, incense curling up from a tiny altar wedged between shops. We’d only just started the Hanoi Vegan Food Tour but I could already smell lemongrass everywhere, mixed with exhaust and something sweet I couldn’t place.

I didn’t expect so much vegan street food in Hanoi, honestly. Most blogs say you have to stick to restaurants or pay extra for “special” menus, but Linh knew every alley where locals actually eat. We ducked into this narrow lane behind Dong Xuan Market — it felt like stepping into someone’s kitchen. Tofu sizzling in oil, rice noodles cooling on bamboo trays, people shouting orders over each other but somehow nobody seemed annoyed. At one point we tried this jackfruit salad that tasted almost floral? Not sure how to describe it except that I still think about it when I’m hungry late at night.

We wandered past Hoan Kiem Lake as the sky went a little gold and everyone slowed down for a minute — couples sitting close on benches, old men playing chess under banyan trees. Then Linh led us to a tiny café near the Opera House for eggless Vietnamese coffee (thick and chocolatey — nothing like what you get back home). She scribbled down more vegan spots for us on a napkin before we said goodbye. The whole thing felt less like a tour and more like tagging along with someone who knows all the shortcuts.