Buddhism is the predominant religion in Vietnam. And the people following Islam in the country form a small minority. Most of the Vietnamese Muslims are the Cham people. Therefore, finding a good place to pray and eat could be a little bit challenging. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh cities are the two most Muslim friendly places where most travelers choose to spend their trip. In these places, you can have a guide with an itinerary specializing in Muslim travel.

So, is Vietnam halal? Let’s check out the most common questions about halal travel and the answer.

1. Is There Halal Food in Vietnam?

Yes, definitely. In Vietnam, there is a halal certification board to testify the food for Muslim. Therefore, you can find restaurants which are halal-certified to have lunches or dinners. Most of these restaurants are located in District 1, Saigon and around West Lake, Hanoi.

2. Is it Easy to Find Halal Food in Vietnam?

If you stay in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh city, it is quite easy to find halal food just by searching on the Internet. However, if you are staying in the small provinces, it would be a little bit challenging to find one.

In Hanoi, a number of Muslim food certified restaurants can be found around West Lake and Hoan Kiem district. Some of these Muslim restaurants serve both local Vietnamese and international courses, but they mostly focus on Indian food. You also can find a lot of street food which is famous for being tasty and cheap. Though it is not halal-certified, you can ask carefully about its ingredients and how they cooked it before deciding to buy or not.

In Ho Chi Minh, you can find halal restaurants along Tran Hung Dao street and Malaysian street in District 1 and District 8. Compared to Muslim food in Hanoi, the food in these restaurants are more various with both local traditional Vietnamese dishes and Indian dishes. Besides, they also serve Arabic, Malaysian, and Singaporean cuisine. Like Hanoi, you can find many street food stalls along the roads in Ho Chi Minh, especially in backpackers’ street. And, don’t forget to ask the ingredients and see how they make it before trying the food.

In the outside areas of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh, finding halal food is so challenging. So, it is better to bring your own food or stick to vegetarian fare. However, if you go to the villages where the Cham Muslims live, you may not need to worry about the food.

3. Where to Find Halal Food in Vietnam?

To help you address this question, we will give you a list of halal restaurants in most visited cities by Muslim, from Hanoi, Saigon, to Hoi An, Phan Thiet, etc.

3.1 Hanoi

Nowadays, finding a halal food in Hanoi gets easier when you can google a numerous list of Malaysian, Middle-Eastern, and Indian restaurants in the capital city. Hanoi has all kinds of restaurants, from luxurious to mid-range restaurants. Here are our suggestions:

• El Patio restaurant (upscale, international cuisine and buffets)
  • Address: Melia Hotel, 44B Ly Thuong Kiet street, Hoan Kiem district.
• Chez Manon Hanoi (upscale, Vietnamese classic and international cuisine)
  • Address: 01 Le Thanh Tong, Hoan Kiem district.
• Batavia restaurant & cafe (Halal, Vietnamese food, Singaporean cuisine)
  • Address: 116 Ngoc Ha street, Ba Dinh district
• Little India Restaurant (Malaysian, Chinese, Indian food)
  • Address: 32 Hang Tre, Hoan Kiem district
• Dalcheeni (bar, halal food, Indian restaurant)
  • Address: 100 Xuan Dieu street, Tay Ho district
• P.K Spice Restaurant (Pakistani, Indian cuisine)
  • Address: 10 Hang Manh street, Hoan Kiem district

3.2 Saigon

Saigon has the largest expat and Muslim community in Vietnam. If you are expecting a halal foodscape to relax around the mosques in Saigon, we strongly recommend these following restaurants:

• Zeytun Restaurant (Mediterranean, Arabic, Middle Eastern, and Vegetarian Friendly)
  • Address: 185 Bui Vien street, District 1
• Halal Saigon Restaurant (vegetarian, Malaysian, halal food)
  • Address: 31 Dong Du, District 1
• Pho Muslim (Vietnamese cuisine)
  • Address: near Nancy Mosque, District 1
• Baba’s Kitchen (Vietnamese, Indian, Vegetarian food)
  • Address: 274 Bui Vien, District 1
• King Kebab (Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Arabic)
  • Address: 230 Bui Vien street, District 1

3.3 Danang

As you may know, Danang is known as the best city to live in Vietnam which is located in central Vietnam. The city offers numerous skyscrapers, arrays of craft shops and shopping retails, as well as plenty of natural beauties such as Marble Mountains and My Khe beach. Below is a list of the best halal restaurants in Da Nang:

• Family Indian Restaurant (mainly serves Indian food)
  • Address: 231 Ho Nghinh street, Son Tra district
• My Casa (Asian, Malaysian, Spanish)
  • Address: 52 Vo Nghia street, Son Tra district
• Simpur Halal Restaurant (halal, Malaysian, Indonesian cuisine)
  • Address: 165 Tran Hung Dao street, Danang

3.4 Hoi An

The ancient town is a popular destination to travelers who love its antique beauty and stunning architecture combined both local and international influences. With a sizeable number of Muslim travelers, local people open more halal restaurants in Hoi An.

• Omar’s Namaste (Indian, halal)
  • Address: 441 Cua Dai street, Hoi An
• Fullmoon restaurant (vegan, local food)
  • Address: 101 Cua Dai street, Hoi An
• Ganesh (Asian, Indian)
  • Address: 24 Tran Hung Dao street, Hoi An

3.5 Phan Thiet

The heaven for beach lovers, Phan Thiet, have several Muslim restaurants, most of them are Indian ones.

• Goa Indian (Seafood, Vegan, halal food)
  • Address: 137 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Phan Thiet city
• Mughal House Indian Halal Restaurant
  • Address: 109 Nguyen Dinh Chieu street, Phan Thiet city

3.6 Nha Trang

Like Phan Thiet, most of Muslim restaurants serve Indian food. Among them, Omar Khayyam and Ganesh are certified by halal association.

• Omar Khayyam restaurant
  • Address: 89B Nguyen Thien Thuat street & 8 Tran Phu, Nha Trang
• Ganesh Indian restaurant
  • Address: 82 Nguyen Thien Thuat street, Nha Trang

4. Is KFC Vietnam Halal or not?

You can find KFC in every district of Hanoi and Saigon. However, these KFC are not halal certified. So, it’s better to ask them about the oil they use and the way they make their chicken dishes before trying.

As a Muslim traveler, in case you wish to eat Halal fast food in Vietnam, see more details here.

So now did you get the answer for the question “is Vietnam halal?”. Hope that this guide is useful for your halal trip in Vietnam.