Hanoi - Post Report Question and Answers
What do people who suffer from environmental or food allergies need to know?
Probably avoid this country, it will be a challenge to meet your dietary needs, and parts of the year will be very polluted. The water quality is not bad, but it's not advised to drink right from the tap, unless it's filtered. - Aug 2021
This is not the place to have a nut, mold, or dust allergy. If that's you, do not come. - Dec 2019
Be aware many foods cooked with peanuts/nuts, but restaurants can accommodate food allergies. - Jul 2019
Peanuts are common in Vietnamese dishes. It’s easy to go gluten free, as so much is rice-based. There are quite a few vegan and vegetarian restaurants around. - Apr 2018
There's not a lot of awareness in Vietnamese society about food allergies (peanuts, eggs, gluten) so you'll have to be very specific/careful about asking about ingredients in restaurants. That said the food options in Hanoi are so plentiful and varied that you probably won't have too much difficulty avoiding food allergens, especially if you cook from scratch. Pollen isn't an issue but winter air pollution can exacerbate respiratory allergies. - Dec 2017
Seafood is in almost everything. - May 2016
Mold can be a problem in your house if you're not diligent. As in other parts of Asia, food allergies aren't really understood. For example, if you say you have a nut allergy, they may not put nuts in the dish, but they may cook it in peanut oil - Aug 2015
