Vietnam has many gluten free dishes, rice, rice noodles and rice paper are in many of the local dishes. It is often said to be one of the easiest South East Asian countries to follow a gluten free diet. Be careful with condiments that are served with your meals, the north uses soy a lot but the south prefers fish sauces (which is mostly GF).
6 Gluten Free Dishes you can enjoy in Vietnam
PHO
My go to meal, it is so flavourful and tastes can vary restaurant to restaurant. You can find it everywhere in Vietnam.
Pho consists of bone broth, rice noodles, fresh herbs and thinly sliced meat. Pho Bo uses beef and pho ga uses chicken. Both are delicious but Pho Bo tends to have more depth in its flavour.
Bánh Xèo – Savoury Pancake
Crispy rice flour pancake stuffed with chicken, pork or prawns and vegetable such as beansprouts. The batter is made with rice flour, water, coconut milk and to give it that golden colour turmeric. The best ones are from food stalls on the street or at markets.
The pancake is usually served with fresh leaves and rice paper. It is often cut to make it easier to eat.
Please be mindful that some places use a premixed batter that contains wheat so it is always a good idea to ask.
Cha Gio – Deep Fried Spring Roll
Cha Gio is made up of minced pork, noodles and vegetables wrapped in rice paper and then deep fried. They are served exceptionally hot and you are given leaves that you wrap around it the roll to cool it down and then dip into a sauce.
Bun Cha
Pork meatballs and thin sliced of pork belly are served in a sweet broth in which you dip your rice vermicelli, vegetables and herbs into.
Mi Quang
A hearty central Vietnamese dish comprising of thick rice noodles, meat herbs and a turmeric broth served with peanuts and sesame rice crackers.
Summer Rolls
A healthier alternative to deep friend spring rolls. They are wrapped in rice paper and served cold. They look deceptively simple but are bursting with flavours are are surprisingly filling. I love making these at home for an alternative to a sandwich.
Gluten Free Friendly Restaurants
Although I struggled to find completely gluten free restaurants, I found many restaurants that had a large selection of GF meals.
Gluten Free Friendly Restaurants in Da Nang
Gluten Free Friendly Restaurants in Hanoi
Gluten Free Friendly Restaurants in Nha Trang
Gluten Free Friendly Restaurants in Hoi An
Gluten Free Friendly Restaurants in Saigon
Grocery Shopping in Vietnam
The shops are full of fresh fruit and veg making it easy to eat a well balanced diet. What I found really difficult were finding sauces that did not contain soy or thickeners so I made simple sauces from scratch with coconut milk and spices. My usual daily diet was:
Breakfast: chia seed pudding with berries and almond milk
Lunch: Summer rolls or quinoa, chicken and kimchi
Dinner: Pho or homemade satay chicken, rice and veg
Snacks: 80% + dark chocolate, nuts
The main shops in Vietnam are Lotte Mart, Big C, WinMart, Anam Gourmet & Moonmilk. Of all these brands I found the most GF products in Moonmilk and Annam gourmet, they have many Western products so expect to pay more.
Let me know below your favourite gluten free dish in Vietnam
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