Allergy Phrasebook for Vietnam: Peanut, Shellfish, and Dairy

Eating with food allergies in Vietnam (베트남 / 越南 / ベトナム) is manageable — but not automatic. Fish sauce goes into almost everything, peanuts show up unannounced, and "no shellfish" rarely means no shrimp paste. Come prepared with the right phrases and a printed card, and you'll eat well.

The Hidden-Allergen Problem

Vietnamese cooking layers flavors through fermented, dried, and paste-form ingredients that don't announce themselves on the plate. A bowl of "pho" might seem safe, but the broth at some spots is fortified with dried shrimp. "Banh mi" fillings often include "cha lua" (Vietnamese pork sausage) made with fish sauce. "Banh xeo" batter typically contains no dairy, but the dipping sauce "nuoc cham" is fish-sauce-based. "Goi cuon" (fresh spring rolls) look clean but often come with a peanut-heavy hoisin dip.

The three allergens that cause the most problems for foreign visitors:

• Peanuts — ground into sauces, crushed as a topping, pressed into dips. They appear in dishes from Hanoi down to Saigon without any visual warning.
• Shellfish — shrimp paste ("mam tom"), dried shrimp ("tom kho"), and shrimp powder are baseline seasoning in many regional cuisines. Even vegetarian dishes in Central Vietnam sometimes contain them.
• Dairy — rare in traditional Vietnamese cooking, but increasingly present in French-influenced pastries, smoothies, and anything labelled "kem" or "sua".

Key Phrases to Memorize or Print

Pronunciation is tonal, so don't rely on speaking these cold. Print them, show the screen, or use a translation app in text mode.

Peanut allergy

Toi bi di ung voi lac. Xin dung cho lac vao. (I am allergic to peanuts. Please do not add peanuts.)

Shellfish / shrimp allergy

Toi bi di ung voi hai san va tom. Xin dung dung mam tom hoac tom kho. (I am allergic to shellfish and shrimp. Please do not use shrimp paste or dried shrimp.)

Dairy allergy

Toi bi di ung voi sua va cac san pham tu sua. Xin dung cho vao. (I am allergic to milk and dairy products. Please do not add them.)

Catch-all severity phrase (use when the allergy is serious)

Day la di ung nghiem trong. Neu an, toi co the bi nguy hiem den tinh mang. (This is a serious allergy. If I eat it, it could be life-threatening.)

That last phrase matters. In Vietnamese food culture, small amounts of an ingredient are often considered negligible. Stating the severity clearly changes how staff respond.

Photo by iMin Technology on Pexels

Printable Restaurant Card Templates

A4 or half-page cards, printed in Vietnamese, work better than phone screens in loud, busy kitchens. Keep it simple — one allergy per card if possible.

PEANUT CARD

Toi bi di ung NANG voi LAC (dau phong). Xin dung dung:

• Lac rang, lac xay, bot lac
• Nuoc cham co lac
• Tuong co lac

Neu an lac, toi co the bi phan ung nguy hiem. Cam on.

SHELLFISH / SHRIMP CARD

Toi bi di ung NANG voi TOM va HAI SAN. Xin dung dung:

• Mam tom, mam ruoc
• Tom kho, bot tom
• Nuoc mam (neu co the, dung nuoc tuong thay the)

Xin xac nhan voi dau bep. Cam on.

DAIRY CARD

Toi bi di ung voi SUA va CAC SAN PHAM TU SUA (bo, pho (쌀국수 / 越南河粉 / フォー) mat,kem tuoi). Xin dung cho vao mon an cua toi.

Cam on.

Print two copies of whichever applies to you. One for restaurants, one as backup.

Common Hidden Sources by Dish

| Dish | Hidden allergen risk | |---|---| | Pho | Dried shrimp in some broths; peanuts rare but possible | | Bun bo Hue | Shrimp paste ("mam ruoc") is standard; non-negotiable in traditional versions | | Banh xeo | Peanuts in dipping sauce; shrimp in filling | | Mi quang | Peanuts crushed on top as standard garnish | | Cao lau | Peanuts in the garnish mix | | Bun rieu | Fermented shrimp paste base | | Hu tieu | Varies; dried shrimp broth common in southern versions | | Com tam | Fish sauce marinade on the pork; peanuts in some sauces | | Egg coffee | Dairy-free if you avoid the "ca phe sua da" variation; egg-only version is fine for dairy allergy |

Photo by Flo Dahm on Pexels

When to Skip Street Food

Street food stalls are not the right place to manage a severe allergy. The reasons are structural, not a criticism of the food itself:

• One wok serves everything. Cross-contamination between dishes is constant.
• Communication is harder without a printed card and without a manager present.
• Ingredients change based on what the supplier delivered that morning.

If your allergy is anaphylactic, stick to mid-range sit-down restaurants where you can speak with kitchen staff, show your card, and get confirmation before ordering. In Hanoi, Saigon, Hoi An, and Da Nang, allergy-aware restaurants are increasingly common — search for places with English menus and a visible kitchen.

For peanut-specific allergies, Central Vietnam is the higher-risk region. Dishes like mi quang and cao lau in Hoi An are deeply associated with peanut garnishes, and asking to omit them may get compliance or may not — the dish is built around them.

Bottom Line

Print your allergy cards before you fly — don't rely on in-country printing services. Carry antihistamines and any prescribed emergency medication at all times, regardless of how careful you are. Vietnam's food is overwhelmingly worth navigating, but the navigation is your responsibility.