In Vietnam, there are currently 4 restaurants with a Michelin star, including 3 representatives in Hanoi and one in Ho Chi Minh City.
Anan Saigon
89 Ton That Dam, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Hours: 5 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Located in a former market on Ton That Dam Street, near the Bitexco Financial Tower in District 1, Anan Saigon is well known as a fine dining restaurant, but specializes in street food inspired dishes created by its owner and chef, Peter Cuong Franklin.
The restaurant opened in April 2017 and quickly catapulted to global fame for its banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich) for $100 that is topped with French foie gras, truffle, a traditional garnish of sliced cucumbers, cilantro and mint and served with a side of fried sweet potatoes and caviar.
Due to its limited space, the restaurant only serves 40 diners at a time.
Other dishes that have helped the restaurant gain a reputation among international foodies are banh xeo taco, a dish consisting of a banh xeo (Vietnamese pancake) Central Vietnamese regional style folded into a Mexican taco shape and filled with shrimp and pork, Hanoi style grilled catfish or beef stew.
After five years, the restaurant received a series of prestigious awards from international cooking magazines. It was the only representative from Vietnam to be among the top 50 restaurants in Asia at the World Travel Awards in March.
Prices start from 185,000 VND ($7.93).
Hibana by Koki
Hotel Capella, 11 Le Phung Hieu, Hoan Kiem, Hanoi
hours: 5 p.m. to midnight
Hibana by Koki restaurant inside the Capella Hotel in Hanoi’s Old Quarter specializes in Japanese cuisine like sashimi, yakitori, grilled meat and seafood with salads, rice and noodle dishes.
It was one of three restaurants in Hanoi to be awarded a Michelin star by the French gastronomic guide.
Koki also has several secluded dining areas, including four private dining rooms that can seat up to eight people as well as five other private dining rooms that can each seat between six and 16 people.
In addition to teppanyaki dishes, the restaurant’s menu has a decidedly decadent twist, embodied by the premium ingredients flown in twice weekly from Japan, such as abalone, lobster, sea urchin, Yaeyama Kyori beef and the Hokkaido hairy crab.
A meal costs between 6 and 9 million VND per person.
Last year it was voted one of the best new restaurants in Hanoi by the readers and editors of the American magazine Condé Nast Traveler.
Gia
61 Van Mieu Street, Dong Da, Hanoi
Hours: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.
The Gia restaurant opened its doors for the first time in December 2020.
The restaurant’s name means “family” in Vietnamese and derives from the familial love of head chef Sam Tran and CEO Long Tran, who have worked overseas for years.
The restaurant’s decor is inspired by the Hanoi Temple of Literature.
Its menu includes dried black apricot, Hmong chicken served with rice, beetroot crab, lime scallops and black garlic lamb.
Meal prices cost between 1.7 and 2 million VND.
Tam Vi
4B Yen The Street, Dong Da, Hanoi
Hours: 8 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Located on Van Mieu Street in Dong Da District, the Tam Vi restaurant is inspired by the Tonkin period with a touch of North Vietnamese architecture.
It houses a nostalgic collection of Chinese furniture, handwritten signs and an antique phonograph and telephone.
The restaurant was chosen by Tripadvisor readers in 2023 as one of the best in Hanoi.
The restaurant specializes in dishes from northern Vietnam. Its signature dishes include Vietnamese ham with periwinkle (snails) accompanied by fresh herbs, vegetables and rice vermicelli with fish sauce.
“Quality cuisine, worth the detour,” declared the Michelin Guide.
The restaurant is open from Tuesday to Saturday.
A meal here costs between 200,000 and 500,000 VND.
