Vietnam for Gluten-Free Travelers: A Celiac’s Delight!

I recently posted about how China was notttt wildly gluten friendly, with tips on how to cope if you’re a celiac traveler like myself.

Unlike China, Vietnam has been AMAZING as a celiac. Most foods here are naturally gluten free, and where they aren’t - I’ve found that many restaurants understand this concept thoroughly and are able to cater to my needs.

A few things you’ll want to know:

1) Make sure no soy sauce, oyster sauce, or really any sauces at all unless you’ve seen the bottle

2) No powders of any kind. The devil is in the powders! Flakes (such as chili) are green light for go 🙌✅

3) “Wheat flour” is not an understood concept. Instead, ask if it has “bread flour” mixed in . Most flours are rice flours, but pastries, spring rolls and waffles will often have “bread flour” (aka wheat flour) mixed in

4) Ask ALL the cross contamination questions. Many foods are deep fried.. so make sure it’s not deep fried and if it is, ask whether a dedicated frier. If you see breaded, fried foods on the menu.. don’t take the risk. Also check that it doesn’t share a grill with foods that use soy sauce. I for sure got sick from cross contamination with this one. Ugh.

5) Understand that in Thailand, “Allergy” is NOT a serious word. It seems that I got a better understanding with “I will be very sick and vomiting”. No one wants you vomiting in their restaurant, so suddenly they take care 😂

One little treat.. I added “gluten free breakfast” to my bookings notes at Century Riverside Hotel.. and they made it happen miraculously. The chef prepared a list of foods for me. At check-in, they confirmed the list with me, and at breakfast - the waitress walked me through which options are safe, and which not. How amazing is this! Thank you so much to the team at Century!