The vegetarian food market in Ho Chi Minh City has been busy since early this month since it is vegetarian season with the Vietnamese Vu Lan festival, which takes place in the seventh lunar month or the spirit month, is approaching.

Vegetarian restaurants also boom in many places in the city, attracting visitors by their relaxed and cosy interior arrangement as well as their variety of vegetarian dishes which both ensure nutrients, food hygiene and safety.

To serve vegetarians’ demands, Giac Nguyen restaurant in district 5 offers a menu of over 120 Vietnamese-Chinese dishes from simple to complicated plates, serving both individuals and families. At Xoay Hoang Gia restaurant, customers have a chance to enjoy dishes cooked from natural ingredients, such as vegetables, rice and mushrooms.

If the price of vegetarian food offered by restaurants range from 30,000 – 150,000 VND/set, those sold at popular eateries are just 20,000 - 50,000 VND/set. Apart from breakfasts, popular restaurants also serve lunch, dinner and supper.

Vegetarian restaurants even offer canned food or provide home delivery. Thanh Luong restaurant in district 1, for example, sells imported canned vegetarian food besides serving lunch.

Nowadays, vegetarian food is sold not only at markets but also in shops and big supermarkets, such as Co.op Mart, Satramart, Big C and Maximark. Types of vegetarian food vary from instant, semi-processed to frozen, and come with a range of different spices.

According to retailers, in recent years vegetarian food has seen stable growth. At the same time, new kinds of products have been introduced into the market, especially on such special occasions as festivals and full moon days.

Vegetarian food provided by companies Au Lac, Vissa, SG Food and Cau Tre are now popular. They not only bring high quality but also different types of products to customers.

In Vu Lan season, which according to legend is to remember the dead, supermarkets not only increase the amount of vegetarian food but also launch promotional campaigns to encourage customers. Co.op Mart, for example, will cut the prices of essential goods, utensils by up to 40 percent and vegetables by 10-20 percent from August 17-23. From now until August 24, Lotte Mart South Saigon is also offering a 40 percent reduction on vegetables.-VNA