An absolute must-do in Hanoi is a street food tour. I found Vietnamese food to be somewhat different than other Southeast Asian cities – primarily due to the fact that they eat everything and I mean everything. I won’t go into details but let’s just say that as an animal lover, it was pretty hard for me to even look at some of the meat they served. It is their culture, and I get that, but it doesn’t change the fact that it made me a little sad. So first time travelers to Vietnam – be warned.
A food tour is absolutely vegetarian friendly and a great way for vegetarians or anyone with dietary restrictions to know what their options are when it comes to street food in a foreign country.
We made our way through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, stopping at various places where our guide, Jimmy, would run into a place, pick up some food, come back and explain what he had for us to try. Some of the things we tried on the tour were crab spring rolls, custard apples, eel salad and soup, brown-sugar rice balls, sugar cane juice and pho (a Vietnamese noodle soup).
I found Vietnam to be less vegetarian friendly than Thailand. Finding suitable options wasn’t a problem but I would say Vietnam is a more meat-centric country.
Wellist Travel Tip: When ordering food, always go for the non-fried version when given the option (e.g., fresh spring rolls over fried). Fried food uses a ton of oil. It is important to limit our intake of oil – especially when it is heated to high temperatures during the frying process.
When going on a food tour, make sure you don’t eat a large meal (or don’t eat at all) beforehand. It is a lot of food and I mean a lot.
Suggested Food on Foot Tour
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