Thailand vs. Vietnam for Vegans
Ask any vegan planning a Southeast Asia trip which country to visit, and the conversation usually narrows down to two contenders: Thailand or Vietnam.
Both incredible places show up on almost every vegan travel list out there. Both have real, centuries old vegetarian food traditions woven into the culture itself, not bolted on for the tourists. But neither one hands vegan travelers an easy ride, and neither pretends to.
This isn’t about which country is “more vegan.” It’s about which one wins in the specific, practical situations we actually run into as vegan travelers, the stuff that decides whether we eat well or go hungry on any given day.
I live in Thailand and have spent a good amount of time eating my way through Vietnam, and the honest answer is that neither one is a walk in the park, but neither one leaves us starving either.
So instead of picking an overall winner out of thin air, I’ve broken the decision down into seven rounds covering what actually matters on the ground, everything from the cafes and street stalls to the convenience store shelves you’ll end up staring at more than you’d like to admit, and called a winner (or a tie) for each one. Add up the scores at the end, and we’ve got our overall champion.
Thailand or Vietnam for vegans? Let’s find out.
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Round 1, Vegan Cafes and Restaurants
Start with the obvious question. Where can you actually sit down, look at a proper menu, and order a full vegan meal without cross examining the waiter?
Both countries deliver in a big way here. Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket in Thailand go toe to toe with Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hoi An in Vietnam, and honestly, the variety in all six cities is fantastic. I could happily eat my way through any of them for weeks without repeating a restaurant.
Step outside the biggest hitters and things shift a little. Smaller Vietnamese cities like Da Nang and Nha Trang still have solid options (you won’t go hungry, I promise), but the pickings get noticeably slimmer.
Thailand’s equivalent smaller spots, think Koh Phangan or Pai, tend to offer a bit more, and there are simply more of them scattered across the country. Pai in particular has this laid back, almost hippy energy where new plant based cafes seem to pop up every time I visit. That comes down to Thailand having a longer running tourist scene, though Vietnam is catching up fast, and in some spots, arguably overtaking it.
Neither country does much for you once you’re off the beaten path here, but that’s a battle for later.
It’s genuinely one of the closer calls in this whole comparison, and depending on which specific towns you visit, you could easily argue it the other way.
Winner: Thailand, but only by a whisker!
Thailand & Vietnam Travel Inspiration
Before you book anything, check out these helpful articles.
The Most Vegan-Friendly Islands in Thailand
Where to Find Vegan Food in Bangkok
Ethical Elephants Sanctuaries to Visit in Thailand
The Best Spots for Vegan Food in Chiang Mai
Vegan Guide to Phuket
The Best Vegan Restaurants in Ho Chi Mihn
Where You Must Go for Vegan Food in Hanoi
The Best Vegan Cafes and Restaurants in Hoi An
Round 2, Street Food, Markets and Walking Streets
Walking streets, markets, and street food stalls are where you really soak up the culture, following your nose towards sizzling woks and hoping there’s something vegan inside.
Both countries are brilliant for atmosphere, but both come with the same catch, most of what is on those grills is not vegan. That’s just the reality of Southeast Asian street food, and no guide is going to change it.
However, in the tourist heavy spots, vendors have caught on. They know there are hungry vegans lurking around the corner, and they’re not going to miss that opportunity. You’ll find accidentally vegan Thai and Vietnamese dishes, veganized local classics, and food made specifically with travelers like us in mind. They’ll make sure we know it’s vegan too, with clear signs in English.
Head somewhere less touristy, and the options thin out, but they don’t disappear. Markets, walking streets, and street vendors in both Thailand and Vietnam will usually have a few vegan finds tucked away. You just need to know what you’re looking for, and be willing to whip out Google Translate for a fun conversation.
Neither country pulls ahead here. The wins and the frustrations balance each other out almost perfectly, city to city, market to market. Some of my favorite meals in both countries have come from a random stall I almost walked straight past, so keep your eyes open and don’t be afraid to point and smile.
Winner: tie.
Round 3, Big City, Tourist Area Ease
No dancing around this one. Both countries are vegan paradises the moment you’re in a major tourist hub.
Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket hand you an overwhelming amount of choice, from all day vegan cafes to fine dining that just happens to be entirely plant based. Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and Hoi An do exactly the same. I’ve had days in each country where the hardest decision was picking which incredible vegan restaurant to try that evening (a genuinely tough problem if you’re only there for a few days).
Naturally, the further you drift from these hubs, the thinner the options get. You’ll still stumble across the occasional Chay or Jay restaurant in smaller towns, but nothing like the density you get in the big cities.
Within these tourist hotspots though, there’s simply no separating the two. Vegan travelers landing in Bangkok or Hanoi can both breathe an equally big sigh of relief, and honestly, that first easy meal after a long flight matters more than people give it credit for.
Winner: tie.
Round 4, Authentic Vegan Food
This round matters to me more than most, because eating real, local food as a vegan, rather than an adapted, watered down version of it, is one of my favorite parts of travel.
Both countries deliver here in spades. Thailand’s Jay restaurants serve up genuine regional dishes, from vegan “fish” curries in the south to plant-based “pork” noodles up north, using recipes locals have cooked for generations.
Vietnamese Chay restaurants and street vendors match it with vegan banh mi, pho, and a long list of other classics, all fully plant-based and just as steeped in tradition. Best of all, in both countries, this food is cheap. A proper, filling meal rarely costs more than a couple of dollars.
There’s one small operational difference worth knowing. Jay restaurants in Thailand are more widespread and easier to stumble across than Chay restaurants in Vietnam, but they usually close before dinner. Chay restaurants, on the other hand, often stay open late and are happy to serve you an evening meal.
So Thailand wins on availability, Vietnam wins on hours. It balances out, and either way, you’re eating better and cheaper than you would back home, by a long way.
Winner: tie.
Round 5, Off the Tourist Trail
Head off the beaten path in either country, and finding a dedicated vegan restaurant or cafe becomes genuinely tough. You might get lucky in the odd town or small city, but don’t count on it.
This is where Jay and Chay restaurants become your best friend again, and it’s also where the two countries properly split apart.
Jay restaurants in Thailand are everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Every single one of Thailand’s 76 provinces, no matter how big or remote, has at least one, often several. From tiny mountain villages in the north to sleepy beach towns in the south, I’ve never gone more than a day without finding one when I really needed it.
Vietnam’s Chay restaurants exist in similar spirit, but they simply aren’t as widespread once you leave the cities and the popular routes behind.
If your trip involves genuine off grid exploring, this contrast matters a lot. It’s the difference between confidently rolling into town knowing you’ll find something, and hoping you packed enough snacks just in case.
Winner: Thailand, clearly.
Round 6, Convenience Stores
We all end up here eventually, grabbing a slightly sad but reliable snack from a convenience store at a bus station in a random town, or something cold to enjoy on a beach day.
Thailand’s not so secret weapon is 7-Eleven. It’s everywhere, refreshingly consistent, blissfully air-conditioned, and stacked with vegan options once you know what to look for. Think chips, nuts, plant based protein drinks, dairy free ice cream, seaweed snacks, spicy konjac imitation squid (a personal favorite, and yes, it’s exactly as strange and delicious as it sounds), sesame seaweed pots you can dump over some microwaved rice, instant noodles, bananas, and if you’re lucky, bao buns, a frozen vegan pad kra pow, or a microwave veggie burger.
Vietnam has its own convenience store chains, WinMart and Circle K among them, and they stock plenty of warm, ready to eat options too. The catch is that far fewer of them are actually vegan.
Thailand’s clear Jay symbol labeling, paired with 7-Eleven’s sheer consistency nationwide, gives it a decisive edge in this round. There’s a real comfort in knowing that whatever remote corner of the country you end up in, that familiar orange and green sign is never too far away, with something vegan waiting inside.
Winner: Thailand.
Round 7, Cost
By now you get the picture, both countries are ridiculously affordable if you’re coming from the US, the kind of affordable where you double check the bill because it feels like a mistake. But it’s worth putting real numbers next to that, because there is a gap.
Street food in Vietnam runs a shade cheaper than Thailand overall, think a dollar or two for a banh mi versus two to four dollars for a plate of pad thai. Zoom out to a full daily budget and most 2026 travel comparisons put Vietnam somewhere around twenty to thirty percent cheaper than Thailand, accommodation included.
Thailand does have one card up its sleeve though. Jay restaurants are absurdly cheap, a full sit down vegan meal for under two dollars is completely normal, so for dedicated vegan eating specifically, the gap narrows a lot.
I’ll say this too, prices in both countries are creeping up. Living rurally in northern Thailand, I barely notice it day to day, my local Jay ladies still charge close to what they always have. But visiting Phuket this February, the jump hit me hard. Tourist hotspots in both countries are quietly getting pricier every year, so enjoy the bargain while it lasts.
Winner: Vietnam, but just a little!
Our Winner: Thailand
So there you have it, seven rounds down, and Thailand narrowly comes out on top.
It’s a close call though, closer than most people probably expect. Vietnam tied Thailand in three categories and beat it outright in one, cost, while Thailand only pulled ahead in three. This isn’t a case of one country being vegan friendly and the other not, and Vietnam has every right to that cost win.
Thailand’s edge really comes down to infrastructure built up over decades. A longer running tourist scene, Jay restaurants tucked into every province, and 7-Eleven’s unmatched consistency and clear labeling all add up in its favor. But Vietnam is catching up fast, and in plenty of places, Hoi An’s food scene alone could make a strong case, it’s already ahead.
This was never really a blog about picking a loser. Both countries are genuinely wonderful places to travel as a vegan, with rich, centuries old plant based food traditions that go far deeper than a niche tourist trend. Whichever one you choose, you’ll eat incredibly well.
But honestly, the smartest move might just be to visit both. Thailand or Vietnam for vegans?
Thailand, but only by a nose.
Need Help Planning Your Vegan Thailand or Vietnam Trip?
If all of this sounds incredible but the planning feels overwhelming, you don’t have to figure it out alone.
Rebecca at Veggies Abroad is an all-in-one vegan travel planning extraordinaire and runs her own vegan tours worldwide, including in Thailand and Vietnam.
She can take all the stress out of traveling plant-based and make sure your trip is everything it should be.
Trust me, you’re in the safest of hands.
