---
title: "Reading a Menu When Vegetarian, Avoiding Heat or Allergic"
description: "How chay differs from vegan, why fish sauce is fish, where fermented fish and dried shrimp hide, what to tell staff. Our 31-dish table is the example."
canonical: https://nhahang.thenexova.cloud/en/journal/reading-a-menu-vegetarian-spicy-allergy
lang: en
last-updated: 2026-10-05
---

[Vegetarian, spicy, allergies](/en/journal/topic/diets-and-allergies) · Start here

# Reading a Menu When Vegetarian, Avoiding Heat or Allergic

> How chay differs from vegan, why fish sauce is fish, where fermented fish and dried shrimp hide, what to tell staff. Our 31-dish table is the example.

Nguồn / Source: https://nhahang.thenexova.cloud/en/journal/reading-a-menu-vegetarian-spicy-allergy


How chay differs from vegan, why fish sauce is fish, where fermented fish and dried shrimp hide, what to tell staff. Our 31-dish table is the example.

[Mai Thanh Vân](/en/team/mai-thanh-van) · Sous chef, vegetarian dishes and allergens · Published 7 Aug 2026 · Updated 5 Oct 2026 · 8 min read

![A bowl of shelled red-skinned peanuts and peanuts in the shell, a hand reaching beneath it](/_astro/journal-allergy.qCBEJo3t_frHnD.jpg)

Reading a Vietnamese menu when you are vegetarian, avoiding heat or allergic means reading three things at once: the name of the dish, what is really in it, and what the restaurant says or leaves unsaid. Dish names are short and do not tell the whole story. “Rau muống xào tỏi” (water spinach stir-fried with garlic) sounds like vegetables, but in many kitchens it is cooked with fish sauce, which means it contains fish. I am Vân, the sous chef at Bếp Rơm, and I keep the allergen table for our 31 dishes. This piece uses that table as its example, so you know what to ask at any restaurant.

One thing first: I am a cook, not a doctor. If you or someone you eat with has a serious allergy or a medical condition that affects what you can eat, ask your doctor about the level of risk, then call the restaurant to find out what is in each dish. A restaurant cannot replace that step.

## What “chay” and “thuần chay” mean at Bếp Rơm

Chay (vegetarian: no meat, fish or fish sauce) at Bếp Rơm means no meat, no fish or seafood, no fish sauce, no fermented fish or shrimp, no lard. Egg or milk may be present, and when they are, they are listed as allergens. Thuần chay (vegan) means chay and also no egg, milk or honey.

That definition is ours. Other places may use “chay” differently, so at another restaurant ask four things: do the sauces and broth contain fish sauce or fermented fish or shrimp, is there onion or garlic if you avoid those (vegetarian at Bếp Rơm does not exclude them: the cà tím nướng hành phi has fried shallots), is there egg or milk, and is it cooked in oil or in lard.

Bếp Rơm has 9 vegetarian dishes, 8 of them vegan. The table below follows our menu data exactly:

| Dish                                                             | Price      | Spice | Diet       | Allergens    |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------- | ----- | ---------- | ------------ |
| Gỏi cuốn rau củ nấm (vegetable and mushroom fresh rolls)         | VND 58,000 | 0     | Vegan      | peanut, soy  |
| Nấm rơm nướng muối ớt (straw mushrooms grilled with chilli salt) | VND 88,000 | 2     | Vegan      | none listed  |
| Cà tím nướng hành phi (grilled aubergine with fried shallots)    | VND 78,000 | 0     | Vegan      | peanut, soy  |
| Canh chua nấm đậu hũ (sour soup with mushroom and tofu)          | VND 88,000 | 1     | Vegan      | soy          |
| Đậu hũ non sốt cà chua (soft tofu in tomato sauce)               | VND 78,000 | 0     | Vegan      | soy          |
| Cơm trắng (a bowl of rice)                                       | VND 15,000 | 0     | Vegan      | none listed  |
| Chè bắp nước cốt dừa (sweet corn in coconut cream)               | VND 48,000 | 0     | Vegan      | none listed  |
| Chuối nướng nước cốt dừa (grilled banana in coconut cream)       | VND 58,000 | 0     | Vegan      | peanut       |
| Kem dừa trái (coconut ice cream in the shell)                    | VND 62,000 | 0     | Vegetarian | milk, peanut |

Rau muống xào tỏi (VND 68,000) has a vegetarian version on request, made with soy sauce in place of fish sauce, so its listed allergen changes from fish to soy. Say so when you order. The vegetarian mâm (a set of dishes laid for the whole table) for 4 is VND 570,000 (VND 142,500 a head) and every dish in it is vegan, but four of them contain peanut or soy, so the set as it stands does not suit a peanut or soy allergy. For that table, order from the menu with the filter. See the [vegetarian dishes page](/en/menu/vegetarian) and the [set menus](/en/set-menus).

The demand for vegetarian food is real. According to Tiền Phong on 17 February 2026, vegetarian restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City were packed on the first day of Tết, and many simple vegetarian places kept their price at about VND 35,000 to 40,000 a portion. That article is about low-priced vegetarian eateries, not a restaurant like ours; I cite it only to say that vegetarian tables on special days are busy, so book ahead.

## Where allergens slip through

The nine groups the kitchen tracks: crustaceans, fish, molluscs, peanut, soy, egg, gluten (wheat), sesame, milk. A Vinmec article (updated 12 March 2025, in Vietnamese) names 8 main food groups behind about 90% of food allergy cases, including cow’s milk, egg, seafood, peanut, tree nuts, wheat and soy, and says peanut allergy affects about 0.5 to 1% of children. Our table differs from that list in two ways: it adds sesame, and it does not track tree nuts. If your allergy is to tree nuts, celery or anything outside the nine groups, call before you book: our table cannot answer that question.

The places I see allergens slip through most in Vietnamese food:

| Hidden thing                            | Group             | Where it turns up                                  | Example at Bếp Rơm                                            |
| --------------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Fish sauce (nước mắm)                   | fish              | Dipping sauce, stir-fries, braises, soup seasoning | Rau muống xào tỏi (standard), cơm chiên cá mặn, bánh khọt tôm |
| Mắm nêm, fermented fish or shrimp paste | fish, crustaceans | Dips for grilled fish, lẩu mắm                     | Cá lóc nướng trui and bò nướng lá lốt (mắm nêm); lẩu mắm      |
| Dried shrimp                            | crustaceans       | Kho quẹt, salads, some sa tế                       | Kho quẹt rau luộc                                             |
| Peanut sauce                            | peanut, soy       | Dip for fresh rolls and nem nướng                  | Gỏi cuốn tôm thịt, gỏi cuốn rau củ nấm, nem nướng cuốn        |
| Oyster sauce                            | molluscs          | Stir-fries                                         | Bò xào bông thiên lý                                          |
| Soy sauce, bean sauce                   | soy               | Stir-fries, marinades, dips                        | Sườn heo nướng mật ong, đậu hũ non sốt cà chua                |
| Batter and wrappers                     | gluten, egg       | Spring rolls, fried food                           | Chả giò tôm thịt                                              |
| Sesame sprinkled on top                 | sesame            | Marinated grilled dishes                           | Sườn heo nướng mật ong                                        |

Two things to remember. One: fish sauce is fish. If you are allergic to fish, a dish of “just vegetables” stir-fried with fish sauce is a dish with fish. Two: a dish name does not say everything, only the ingredient list does. At Bếp Rơm, mực nướng sa tế (grilled squid with satế) is listed with molluscs and peanut; elsewhere satế may be made differently, so ask at each restaurant.

## How to read the nine-group table for our 31 dishes

Every dish on our menu has one line of allergens in the nine groups. How to read it:

1. Start from your group, not from each dish. Use the filter on the [allergen page](/en/menu/allergens): choose what to avoid, and the dishes that remain are those that do not list it.
2. Read “none listed” carefully. Four dishes list nothing in the nine groups: gà ta nướng muối ớt, nấm rơm nướng muối ớt, cơm trắng and chè bắp nước cốt dừa. “None listed” means that by our recipes they contain none of the nine groups. It does not mean there is nothing of concern outside the nine groups, and it does not mean the dish never carries a trace.
3. A filter is not enough on its own. After filtering, reread the dish description to see which dipping sauce comes with it.

The kitchen is shared, so we cannot promise there are no traces. We cook the vegetarian dishes on a separate pan and rack when we can, but it is still one kitchen, one grill area and some shared equipment. So the table tells you what a dish contains by recipe; it does not say that a dish can sit beside everything else. And we do not call any dish “safe” for someone with an allergy: that is a guarantee a shared kitchen cannot give.

An illustration with an invented guest: Madam Sen, 68, vegetarian on the 15th of the lunar month, books a round table for 6 across three generations; one 5-year-old grandchild is allergic to peanut. She says so when booking, and the confirmation page repeats “peanut”. Filtering for vegetarian and no peanut leaves five dishes: nấm rơm nướng muối ớt, canh chua nấm đậu hũ, đậu hũ non sốt cà chua, cơm trắng and chè bắp. She adds the vegetarian version of rau muống xào tỏi (soy sauce, so it contains soy). Two grilled straw mushrooms are VND 176,000, two tofu in tomato sauce VND 156,000, two vegetarian sour soups VND 176,000, one vegetarian water spinach VND 68,000, 6 bowls of rice VND 90,000, 6 sweet corn desserts VND 288,000 and 6 roasted brown-rice teas VND 228,000\. The total is VND 1,182,000, about VND 197,000 a head, and with under 8 guests there is no deposit. I phone her on Zalo, remind her the kitchen is shared, and ask whether the family has asked the doctor about the level of the allergy. The line she says, as an illustration: “I only need to know which dishes have peanut. The page lists it, so I don’t have to ask about each one.” An illustrative story for this demo site; figures assumed.

## The 0 to 3 spice scale

Heat needs reading too. One person’s “medium” is not another’s, so the menu uses numbers:

| Level | Name      | Dishes | Examples                                                  |
| ----- | --------- | ------ | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| 0     | Not spicy | 19     | Bánh xèo tôm thịt, thịt heo kho nước dừa, bò nướng lá lốt |
| 1     | Mild      | 6      | Cá lóc nướng trui, cá lóc kho tộ, canh chua cá lóc        |
| 2     | Medium    | 5      | Gà ta nướng muối ớt, nấm rơm nướng muối ớt, lẩu mắm       |
| 3     | Hot       | 1      | Mực nướng sa tế                                           |

That makes 12 dishes at level 1 or above and 6 at level 2 or above. Every dish except lẩu mắm can be made milder or served with the chilli on the side: tell us when you order. Lẩu mắm is level 2 and cannot be changed, because the chilli is in the broth. How the kitchen hears each level is in [the spice scale piece](/en/journal/spice-scale-0-to-3), and the [spicy dishes page](/en/menu/spicy) filters by level. For a table with small children, give the spice level for the whole table when you book: the form has a place for it.

## What to say when you book

Three clear sentences beat one long one:

- “Someone at the table is allergic to peanut.” Name the group. Do not just say “allergic to something”. If you say “one person is allergic” without saying to what, we will ask rather than guess.
- “The whole table is vegetarian,” or “one person is vegetarian.” Say whether it is chay or thuần chay, and whether egg and milk are fine.
- “No spice,” or “spice level 1.” If there are small children, say so.

At Bếp Rơm the booking form has those fields. We repeat the allergens back in the confirmation message, and if you do not see them, message us again. Call 0963 929 241 if your allergy is serious or outside the nine groups. Booking details are on the [reservation page](/en/reserve), and the steps for a large party are in [booking a Vietnamese restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City](/en/journal/booking-a-vietnamese-restaurant-ho-chi-minh-city). For single topics there is [the piece on shellfish, fish and peanut](/en/journal/allergies-shellfish-fish-peanut-vietnamese-food) and [the piece on vegetarian days](/en/journal/vegetarian-days-booking-ram-mung-mot).

## What we do at Bếp Rơm

- Every dish carries its allergens in the nine groups, a spice level from 0 to 3 and its diet (chay, thuần chay) in one place on the menu page, even with JavaScript off.
- I update the table every time a recipe changes.
- The kitchen is shared. We track the nine groups only and do not promise there are no traces.
- If your allergy goes beyond the table, we say plainly that we cannot answer it, and you go to your doctor.

_Updated 5 October 2026\. Prices include 8% VAT, valid until 31 December 2026._

## Hold a table

Pick the party size, see free times, note diets and allergies in one form.

[Reserve](/en/reserve)

## Sources checked

1. [Vinmec: Some foods that can cause allergies (updated 12 March 2025, Vietnamese)](https://www.vinmec.com/vie/bai-viet/mot-so-loai-thuc-pham-co-gay-di-ung-vi) (read 5 Oct 2026)
2. [Tiền Phong: Vegetarian restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City packed on the first day of Tết (Vietnamese)](https://tienphong.vn/quan-an-chay-o-tphcm-dat-hang-mung-1-tet-post1821535.html) (read 5 Oct 2026)

## Dishes in this article

- [![A row of round white mushrooms grilling on a small grill outdoors against a soft green background](/_astro/dish-nam-rom-nuong.BXmfuYVl_Z1LHGgy.jpg)Grilled straw mushrooms with chilli saltWhole straw mushrooms brushed with oil, grilled with chilli salt and finished with shredded lime leaf.88,000 VNDVeganMediumNone of the 9 allergen groups](/en/menu/nam-rom-nuong)
- [![Several spatchcocked chickens marinated golden with turmeric, grilled over charcoal until the skin is browned and blistered](/_astro/dish-ga-nuong.BQNN48s4_1Xmal3.jpg)Free-range chicken with chilli saltHalf a free-range chicken rubbed with chilli, salt and lemongrass, grilled over wood, with lime leaf.268,000 VNDMediumNone of the 9 allergen groups](/en/menu/ga-ta-nuong-muoi-ot)
- [![A fish hotpot seen from above, topped with fresh chilli, fried shallots and herbs, on a small tabletop burner with rice paper beside it](/_astro/dish-lau-mam.DG527oQy_ZSJ9Wk.jpg)Lẩu mắm hotpot (for 2 to 3)A fermented gourami broth with snakehead, prawn, squid, pork belly, aubergine, field greens and fresh noodles.458,000 VNDMediumFishShellfishMolluscs](/en/menu/lau-mam)

## Read next

- [Vegetarian, spicy, allergiesThe 0 to 3 Spice Scale at a Vietnamese Restaurant: MediumLevel 0 no chilli, 1 mild, 2 medium, 3 hot. Which dishes can change level and which carry the chilli in the broth. The twelve dishes with heat at Bếp Rơm.](/en/journal/spice-scale-0-to-3)
- [Vegetarian, spicy, allergiesShellfish, Fish, Peanut Allergy in Vietnamese FoodFish sauce is fish, mắm tôm is crustacean, the roll dip has peanut, satay can carry dried shrimp. Telling the kitchen, the 31-dish table, what we cannot do.](/en/journal/allergies-shellfish-fish-peanut-vietnamese-food)
- [Vegetarian, spicy, allergiesVegetarian Lunar Days in Saigon: When to Book, What to OrderVegetarian restaurants fill on rằm and Vu Lan. Booking early, the 4-seat vegan mâm at VND 570,000, and what Mrs Sen's family ordered with a peanut allergy.](/en/journal/vegetarian-days-booking-ram-mung-mot)