27 Best Restaurants in Vietnam

More of a café than a bar, this tiny place serves great, healthy breakfasts as well as Western sandwiches, salads, and pizzas, all by the beach. Bar200 makes their own pizza dough, sandwich bread, and burger buns in house. There's covered seating as well as outdoor tables on the deck.

A quirky, fun little coffee shop serving coffee as well as tea, smoothies, and beer, Bicycle Up is a great place to hang out and recharge with a book or gawk at all the wondrous retro treasures.

Serving creamy cappuccinos and delicious lattes in calm and quiet surroundings, Habakuk might be the best spot in the city for withdrawing from Hanoi's chaos with a book. Though best known for its excellent coffee, Habakuk morphs into a bistro serving delicious lasagna in the evenings.

The flagship location of this well-loved café chain offers a chic Old Saigon vibe to go along with reliably good, contemporary café fusion fare including salads, sandwiches, pastas, and other Western and Asian favorites. The all-day breakfast menu is also popular as are the gorgeous desserts. Head upstairs for a trendy retail space featuring Vietnam-inspired clothing and gifts from local designers and more seating.

Loading T won fame in 2017 when CNN featured their egg coffee, a unique cinnamon-infused take on the Hanoi specialty drink. The cafe is notable for its extraordinary architecture; it sits within a grand colonial-era house that was appropriated and partitioned by the government in the 1950s.

Little sister to Hanoi institution The Hanoi Social Club, Ma Xo is the place to go for coffee, cocktails, and quick bites. The menu features home brunch comforts and innovative creations, such as fresh spring rolls with roast pork, a modern take on the neighborhood's favorite dish. A pretty lakeside location only enhances the experience.

With a terrace overlooking rooftops sloping down the hillside, this sweet bistro has an eclectic menu, from brunch classics, healthy options, and an all-day vegan menu, to heartier pizza, pastas, and burgers, all consistently good.

This intricately designed café is a feast for the eyes. Its sharp angles, giant staircases, and glowing skylights make it feel more like an architectural display than a place to eat, but the coffee and sandwiches are worth the visit. The coffee is good and there is ample seating.

There’s good reason this café, conveniently located just across the road from the cable car station, has been in business for over a decade: this plant-filled oasis has pretty views of the verdant valley, as well as a delectable brunch menu.

Full of bricks, books, and artistic locals, Bluebird's Nest is a quiet oasis where you can work, study, or kick back and get some leisure reading done. This café often hosts intimate events, like film nights or acoustic music shows, and you might overhear a private English or Vietnamese lesson if you stay the afternoon. They don't serve a full menu, but their coffee and cakes are enough for a light breakfast or snack.

Across the road from the marina, this small, neat, and cozy café is a good place to stop for a coffee, ice cream, milk shake, or smoothie, as well as light meals such as sandwiches, burgers, and Vietnamese dishes.

If you're looking for a change of scenery away from Mui Ne's main strip, head up the hill to Cargo Remote, and enjoy salads, burgers, pastas, and other casual Western dishes in a modern space made from industrial metal and bamboo.

Located across from An Hai Beach in the center of town, this simple café consists of a few tables and umbrellas set under big shady trees in front of the former French Maison des Passagers (Customs House). The outdoor-only setup gives customers a great view of the beach, making it an ideal spot for sunset drinks, except when the staff turns up the V-pop volume or when it rains. The basic menu includes coffee, tea, soft drinks, and juices as well as a very popular coconut ice cream.

This riverside café features a sizeable koi pond at its center and an extensive drink menu, from espresso and milk tea, to cold brew, in addition to a small menu of snacks and desserts.

The main draw here is the convivial, bohemian atmosphere. Housed in a stunning 1920s French-colonial villa in a quiet part of the Old Quarter, the café is rustic and warm, with original tiles, wooden furnishings, and high ceilings. The menu has undergone quite an improvement in recent years, with fabulous breakfast and brunch options. An adequate list of wine and beers and regular music and art events make the café a decent bet in the evenings, too.

This stunning café was designed by international-award-winning Vietnamese architect Vo Trong Nghia, who specializes in structures made completely out of bamboo. Part of the Indochine Hotel, it's a local drinks-and-ice cream spot overlooking the Dak Bla River, with soaring inverted cone-shaped bamboo columns and many peaceful fish ponds.

Half a block north from the market, this bright, fan-cooled café has a rustic chic style. The menu is geared toward travelers, with sandwiches, pastas, steaks, and other Western comfort fare. There is a small selection of Asian dishes.

A small and cute café full of travelers and cats, Like Coffee is a hit with its simplicity. The chai tea latte and fluffy pancakes are excellent, but it’s the milk shakes and egg coffee that bring repeat business.

This all-day café serves up some of West Lake's best coffee, with freshly baked cookies, cakes, and croissants to match. Tuck into overnight oats and fresh juice for brunch or peruse a small but thoughtful selection of sandwiches for lunch.

Down a hidden alley in the Old Quarter, this quirky, three-tiered Hanoi hot spot has a rooftop terrace popular with travelers. Choose from a variety of coffees, teas, cocktails, and small bites. Antiques blended with hip decor give this bar plenty of character day and night.

Funky wall art, exposed brick, and black metal gives character to this tucked-away vegetarian cafe where you can find healthy fare such as salads, sourdough toasts, and smoothie bowls.

With its exposed brick, whitewashed walls and artsy bookcases, this photogenic café wouldn't be out of place on a Greek island. It's popular with the young Instagram crowd, but come anyway for its delicious smoothies and blended drinks. The healthy breakfast and lunch offerings are also crowd-pleasers.

Serving a mishmash of international, Tex-Mex, and Vietnamese fare, Snap is an open-air family-oriented café-restaurant set in a large thatched hut overlooking a children's playground. Popular with the local expat community, Snap caters to nonfamilies with its quieter library section tucked away on one side beside a manicured tropical garden. The restaurant tries hard to please all comers, with burger nights, quiz nights, live music, and an extensive menu. The staff is friendly, especially to kids. Snap is located in a complex with boutiques and other dining options, so leave some time to wander.

A pretty pink café specializing in cupcakes and macarons, Sweet and Sour supplies many cafés and restaurants around town. Sweet and Sour has a little dollhouse to keep kids happy and a Champagne menu to keep the parents happy. They also serve great coffee. Elaborate cakes can be ordered with a few days' notice if you'll be celebrating a special day while you're in Saigon.

In a tastefully restored former teahouse, this café-restaurant is the perfect place to unwind over a coffee and French pastry or a cold beer during a busy day of sightseeing. For people-watching grab a balcony table; for shady seclusion there's a quiet courtyard garden; and for rainy days there's a pool table and games room. Despite a promising dinner menu offering both French and Vietnamese delights, meals can be a bit disappointing.

This arty and uncluttered space has tasty drinks and souvenirs made by local artisans. Vui, which means "happy" in Vietnamese, is a calming escape from the chaos of the Old Quarter, but probably won't fit groups bigger than four or five comfortably.

Trung and Linda Nguyen accomplished a dream by opening this excellent restaurant and coffee shop across the river from Bai Chay in Hong Gai. The couple purchases their beans from the mountainous Dalat region and roasts them on-site. Their big goal is to improve coffee culture in the city and show Vietnam how other countries drink coffee. The staff loves to help travelers discover the area.