Must-see restaurants in Vietnam

  • Tree Hugger Cafe

    Dong Hoi

    Splendid Tree Hugger's combo of coffees, juices and Western-style snacks lures throngs of travellers and English-speaking Dong Hoi locals. There are also…

  • Tadioto

    Hoi An

    One of Hoi An's culinary secrets, Tadioto (owned and run by author, award-winning journalist and polylinguist Nguyen Qui Duc) belongs in its own charming…

  • Fatfish

    Danang

    This stylish restaurant and lounge bar has led the eating and drinking charge across the Han River on the eastern shore. Innovative Asian fusion dishes,…

  • Old Compass Cafe

    Ho Chi Minh City

    This cafe/cultural centre is a gem. It's tricky to find: off busy Ð Pasteur, along an alley and then up steep stairs in a somewhat rundown apartment…

  • Padma de Fleur

    Ho Chi Minh City

    This wonderful florist-cafe is run by an artistic owner who takes as much care with her bouquets as she does with her cooking. The food is healthy,…

  • Green Karst

    Dong Van

    This friendly restaurant serving Vietnamese and Western dishes is fast becoming Dong Van's hub for foreign travellers. The couple who run it have lots of…

  • Ganh Hao

    Vung Tau

    With tables by the ocean, this wonderful seafood restaurant boasts the perfect setting. Don't be put off by its size (Ganh Hao is huge and seats hundreds)…

  • Phu Quoc Night Market

    Phu Quoc Island

    The most atmospheric and best-value place to dine on the island, Duong Dong’s busy night market has stalls of snacks, coconut ice cream and a parade of…

  • Bassac Restaurant

    Chau Doc

    Chau Doc's most sophisticated dining experience is at the Victoria Chau Doc Hotel where the menu veers between wonderful international dishes (roast rack…

  • Quan Bui

    Ho Chi Minh City

    Stylish Indochinese decor features at this slick place where the focus is on authentic local cuisine. Many dishes feature the more hearty flavours of…

  • Taco Ngon

    Danang

    This small spot thrust down a back street serves quite possibly Vietnam's best tacos. Tuck into fusion flavour combos like pork with wasabi coleslaw, fish…

  • Madam Thu

    Hue

    Ever-stuffed and frugal-looking Madam Thu draws in the crowds for its superb menu and lovely, very polite and helpful staff. The mushroom-and-carrot fried…

  • Hanh Restaurant

    Hue

    Newbies to Hue specialities should start at this busy restaurant. Order the five-dish set menu (120,000d) for a speedy lesson in banh khoai (savoury prawn…

  • Gia Minh

    Con Dao Islands

    Outstanding new place on the outskirts of town run by an accomplished chef. Specialises in handmade noodles, which are available in many delicious guises,…

  • Hill Station Signature Restaurant

    Sapa

    A showcase of Hmong cuisine with cool Zen decor and superb views. Dishes include flash-cooked pork with lime, ash-baked trout in banana leaves, and…

  • Lac Canh Restaurant

    Nha Trang

    Lac Canh has shifted across the road from its original location but remains a memorable dining experience, a somewhat scruffy-looking barbecue joint…

  • So True

    Phu Quoc Island

    Located in the heart of Ong Lang, this restaurant does an excellent turn at mod-Viet cuisine, with signature specialities such as bo so tru (beef with…

  • Cargo Club

    Hoi An

    This remarkable cafe-restaurant, serving Vietnamese and Western food, has a terrific riverside location (the upper terrace has stunning views). A relaxing…

  • Binh Quan

    Mai Chau

    Want to join the locals on a night out? Consider this simple, tasty restaurant, located on Mai Chau's main strip. Everything on the brief menu is made…

  • Saigonese

    Phu Quoc Island

    The hippest casual dining on Phu Quoc delights with fusion dishes lifted from designer cookbooks. The seasonal appetisers excel in bao (steamed buns…

  • Bep Me In

    Ho Chi Minh City

    At the rear of a nail-bar alley near Ben Thanh Market, this superb resto offers rustic, honest dishes from rural Vietnam in hip surrounds. On the ground…

  • Dong Vui Food Court

    Mui Ne

    This attractive open-air food court has loads of independently run cook stations offering everything from Punjabi cuisine to paella, German sausages and…

  • Nam Giao

    Haiphong

    Haiphong's most atmospheric dining choice is hidden within this colonial building. Rooms are an artful clutter of Asian art, old carved cabinets and…

  • Casa Bonita

    Cat Ba Island

    This is one of our Cat Ba favourites for its combination of good service, tasty mains (try the seafood curry or fish in a clay pot), lighter options such…

  • Sea Shell

    Hoi An

    Shaded by a decades-old banyan tree, Sea Shell is a flavour-packed offshoot of Nu Eatery in Hoi An's Old Town. Try snacks like tempura-prawn rolls and…

  • Kiwami

    Nha Trang

    One of the best Japanese restaurants in coastal Vietnam, this is an intimate affair with a specialist sushi chef: perch on a bar stool and watch the…

  • Bun Cha 34

    Hanoi

    Best bun cha in Vietnam? Many say 34 is up there. No presidents have eaten at the plastic tables, but you get perfectly moist chargrilled pork, zesty…

  • Co Yen

    Haiphong

    This streetside stall sells one thing only: banh da cua, Haiphong's signature breakfast noodle dish. It's a combination of thick dark rice noodles in a…

  • Nam Bo

    Can Tho

    With a charming, romantic Mediterranean feel, this restaurant does a good mix of Vietnamese and Western dishes. We're fans of the lemongrass chicken and…

  • Itaca Resto Lounge

    Phu Quoc Island

    This much-applauded restaurant has a creative Mediterranean-Asian fusion menu (with tapas), an inviting al fresco arrangement and friendly, welcoming…

  • Sandals

    Mui Ne

    For a memorable meal in Mui Ne head straight to Sandals in the Sailing Club hotel. It's particularly romantic at night, with tables set around the…

  • Thu Ngan

    Cao Bang

    One of our favourite com binh dan (point-and-choose dishes served over rice) joints in northern Vietnam. Enter to find a reliable spread of appetising…

  • Ba Ha

    Dong Van

    Where the locals go for breakfast in Dong Van. The menu begins and ends with banh cuon – freshly-steamed and filled noodles – served the northern way with…

  • Le Rabelais

    Dalat

    The signature restaurant at the Dalat Palace is the colonial-style destination, with the grandest of dining rooms and a spectacular terrace that looks…

  • Oasis Bar

    Ha Tien

    Run by a resident Western expat and his Vietnamese wife, this friendly little restaurant-bar is a great spot for a cold beer, plunger coffee, impartial…

  • La Badiane

    Hanoi

    This stylish bistro is set in a restored, whitewashed French villa arrayed around a breezy central courtyard. French cuisine underpins the menu – La…

  • Hanoi Social Club

    Hanoi

    On three levels with retro furniture, the Hanoi Social Club is an artist hub and the city's most cosmopolitan cafe. Dishes include potato fritters with…

  • Hill Station

    Hoi An

    With a superb location in one of Hoi An's most charming and fascinating historic mansions, the Hill Station is ideal for a drink and snack after a busy…

  • Sailing Club

    Nha Trang

    A beachfront institution: people-watch from elegant seating by day, sip on a cocktail at sundown, dine on gourmet food under the stars and then burn it…

  • Yen Ninh Vegetarian Restaurant

    Dien Bien Phu

    This is an unexpected find down a nondescript residential alley in the commercial northwest of town – a family home doubling as a bookshop that serves up…