Reposted from the web

Summary: A Vietnam halal food map for Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang, covering Indian restaurants, Muslim-friendly food stops, halal seafood notes, and the original travel photos and names.

Vietnam has about 65,000 Muslims, making up 0.08% of the total population. This is the third lowest percentage in Southeast Asia, with only Laos and East Timor having fewer. Most Vietnamese Muslims are Cham people who follow the Sunni Shafi'i school. They mainly live in Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, and An Giang provinces. In the 17th century, the Champa king converted to Islam, which led most Cham people to become Muslims.

I traveled to Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang. Before leaving, I heard that Vietnamese customs officers often ask Chinese tourists for tips. The amount is only a few dozen yuan, but it feels unfair because they rarely ask tourists from other countries. While waiting in line, the Chinese travelers behind me tucked tips into their passports. They said they were worried about trouble with their visa-on-arrival, so they prepared the money. I had already obtained my visa paper in advance and was prepared to face trouble if I refused to pay a tip. I figured if they gave me a hard time, I just wouldn't visit Vietnam. I have been to Southeast Asia many times, and it is all quite similar, so I would not have any regrets. Luckily, I was not asked for a tip at either entry or exit and passed through smoothly. However, I went through Ho Chi Minh customs; I heard Nha Trang customs is very corrupt and hard to avoid.

1. Shanti Indian Cuisine



Halal restaurants in Vietnam fall into two main categories: Southeast Asian cuisine and Indian-Pakistani cuisine.



This Indian restaurant is exceptionally clean and tidy, with fresh flowers of different colors on every table.





The restroom has a bidet sprayer for wudu (small ablution), which is common in Vietnamese restrooms.







At Indian restaurants, I always order roti, commonly known as flying bread (feibing). It is a simple Indian flatbread that tastes great when dipped in curry sauce.



See the business card in the image above for the restaurant address.

2. MUSAKARIEM



This is a Malay-Vietnamese restaurant run by Vietnamese Cham Muslims. You can eat both Malay and Vietnamese food here. A woman wearing a black veil greeted us at the door. This style of dress is hard to see in China nowadays.





While we waited for our food, a white man came in and asked the girl if she was from Malaysia. The girl said she was local, and that was when I learned they were Cham.





The squid here is very fresh and tasty. I ate one plate and ordered another; it was delicious and cheap.





This pancake is a Vietnamese-style pancake, which is actually just an egg crepe, nothing special. The restaurant address is below the sign in the picture.

3. MORNING COFFEE



I found this halal fast-food burger shop by accident on the small delta island of Thanh Da. When I entered, only the hostess was there. She is Vietnamese. After talking, I learned her husband is an American Muslim. My first thought was that he might be of Indian descent, as most American Muslims I have met are.







To my surprise, after we finished our meal, we met the hostess's husband. He was a tall white American. A thunderstorm started outside, so we stayed to wait out the rain and chatted with him for a while. He said he is from Ohio in the United States and converted to Islam five years ago. He also mentioned that many white people in the U.S. have converted to Islam just like him. He has been to Hong Kong and has lived in Vietnam for a year. He goes back to the U.S. once a year and loves traveling all over the world.





We had a great chat. Before we left, he gave us a business card for a restaurant his friend owns, saying we should eat there if we have the chance.



4. Saigon Green House



This restaurant also mixes Malay and Vietnamese food, but I think it is the best halal restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City.







This was my first time eating Vietnamese beef noodle soup (pho). The beef was tender and the broth was delicious. Vietnamese noodles are much better than I imagined.





Prices in Vietnam are very low. Freshly squeezed fruit juice at restaurants costs less than 10 RMB, so I make sure to drink plenty every time.



The address is in the picture above.

5. Halal Saigon Restaurant



I originally wanted to come here for seafood. It is a Singaporean halal restaurant with fish, shrimp, crab, and more on the menu. Unfortunately, they were out of crab and shrimp when I went at noon. Muslims in Southeast Asia belong to the Shafi'i school of thought, so they are allowed to eat shrimp and crab.





In Southeast Asia, restaurants with halal certification do not serve alcohol. Restaurants that sell alcohol cannot apply for halal certification and can only label themselves as pork-free.







Claypot stewed sea fish.



Vietnamese spring rolls. Unless you have a specific taste for them, I suggest you skip these. The flavor is really strange. They are filled with raw chives, raw green onions, cilantro, and a local herb rolled up with shrimp.



The bill was 574,035 Vietnamese Dong. Don't worry, 1 RMB is about 3,300 Vietnamese Dong, so this meal cost less than 200 RMB.

The address is on the receipt, right across from the Saigon Mosque.

6. HAJI IDRIS RESTAURANT





This Haji restaurant serves Chinese food and the prices are not expensive.



I ordered a grilled fish, and it tasted good.



The small mushrooms in the vegetable soup were delicious.







This meal cost 485,000 Vietnamese Dong, which is about 145 RMB. The address is on the receipt.

Nha Trang

7. OMAR INDIAN RESTAURANT



There is currently no mosque in Nha Trang. Because Nha Trang has always been a Vietnamese naval base and only became a tourist destination in recent years, there are very few Muslims. I found a few halal Indian restaurants on the island. This is a fairly excellent Indian restaurant that has appeared on the Ctrip food list.



This is the Vietnamese flag in the shop.







Even though it is a tourist city, the cost of living in Nha Trang is even lower than in Ho Chi Minh City. A glass of fresh mango juice is 8 RMB.







The address is on the sign. You can find it by searching for Omar on Baidu Maps or Google Maps. The shop faces the beach.

8. GANESH INDIAN RESTAURANT



I did not eat at this shop because I went to another Indian restaurant right next door.



9. TAJ GRILL





This place is also on Dazhong Dianping. The waitress was very friendly and kept asking if we liked the food.











The yellow dish is fish. I suggest you skip the curry fish and just stick to the chicken, lamb, or beef curry.





Maybe it was because I was hungry after coming back from the sea, but I ate four thin flatbreads (naan) at this shop.

Note: If you want to visit the mosque (dousiti) in Ho Chi Minh City, I suggest staying near Ho Chi Minh Square in the city center. The Saigon Mosque is right next to the square, and there is a street with halal food nearby. Within a 2-kilometer radius, you can walk to popular spots like Bui Vien Street, Notre Dame Cathedral of Saigon, the War Remnants Museum, the Central Post Office, and the Cafe Apartment. There are 15 mosques in Saigon, so it is easy to find halal restaurants.

Nha Trang has a four-island tour that you can book through any hotel front desk. It costs about 45 yuan per person, including round-trip transfers, the boat ride, and lunch, but you have to pay extra for activities on the islands.

The 100 Egg Mud Bath costs 70 yuan per person and is worth a soak.

The best part of Nha Trang is the one-day trip to Vinpearl Island. Tickets are 240 yuan per person. You can enjoy all the water activities and amusement park rides on the island without waiting in line. It is much more fun than Happy Valley back home.

I passed through Mui Ne on my way from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City. The scenery is average and it is a bit quiet, so you can skip this place if you are short on time. view all