Le Méridien Saigon
Le Méridien Saigon has an excellent location in the heart of District 1 and boasts far reaching views of the Saigon River. This luxury hotel offers business and leisure travellers alike a perfect base in Ho Chi Minh City. There are 343 rooms and suites to choose from, each with contemporary design and featuring modern artwork highlighting the culture and scenery that surrounds you in this exciting and vibrant city. We loved using this luxury hotel as our base and heading out to explore all of the vegan food in Saigon. We also loved coming back to relax in our comfortable room and to discover what vegan delights we could find at Le Méridien Saigon.
Did we use the well equipped gym? No. Did we book a treatment from Explore Spa? No. Did we use the pool which is also located on the 9th floor? Yes, every day and we enjoyed it very much. It’s got a kind of indoor and outdoor vibe going on meaning you’re undercover and protected from the elements but you benefit from the fresh air and views from the adjacent balcony during your swim. It’s a decent length for swimming laps which meant we were able to have a good workout before breakfast each morning and prior to embarking on another mammoth day of eating…
The Vegan Food at Le Méridien Saigon
We had multiple opportunities to experience the food at Le Méridien Saigon and on each occasion we were able to select vegan options. Although they weren’t labelled at the breakfast buffet or clearly marked on the menus, the staff were easily able to confirm which dishes were suitable. Breakfast at Latest Recipe started with the Le Méridien signature ‘Eye Opener’ shots which have always been vegan when we’ve stayed at other Le Méridien hotels. We then enjoyed foraging for salad from the salad bar and awaited tofu & vegetable fried rice and a chia seed and coconut water drink which were both offered by the excellent Ms Ky. There were a number of vegan options on the buffet including some delicious flat rice noodles with vegetables. Unfortunately we couldn’t eat the banh mi chay as there was mayo on the bread but there was more than enough to satisfy our early morning, post swim hunger.
We enjoyed lunch in Bamboo Chic which offered panoramic views over the Saigon River. Every day there is a ‘Discovery’ vegetarian set menu which was 100% vegan on the day that we dined. It featured a Thien Ly flower salad with fried tofu and soy dressing as a starter. The main course was a Vietnamese vegetable curry which was packed with mushroom, sweet potato, eggplant, broccoli and tomatoes. We also selected a collection of side dishes from the main a la carte menu which again, were all vegan. Stewed mushroom in a clay pot, deep fried young tofu with chilli and lemongrass and stir fried long beans with garlic. With their signature steamed rice in pandan, these dishes created a perfect meal. Dessert with the set menu was a local fruit platter which wouldn’t usually be our choice but was enjoyable. The main menu had a couple of vegan desserts so we decided to sample the almond tofu sweet soup which was delicious and far more exciting than the fruit platter!
Our Club Classic room gave us access to the concierge lounge where we could enjoy breakfast, all day refreshments and cocktails with canapés in the evening. The staff were again excellent in arranging a wonderful platter of dim sum for our breakfast and in the evening they prepared sushi, fresh spring rolls and samosas which we enjoyed whilst drinking cocktails and soaking up the views. If you have lounge access then let the team know at check in and they will happily ensure there is vegan food for you each evening.
The Vegan Essentials at Le Méridien Saigon
There’s no better welcome to a hotel room than vegan chocolate. We were delighted to see 2 bars of 70% cacao dark chocolate from the Vietnamese purveyor of fine chocolate, Belvie in our room at check in, perhaps a welcome gift in lieu of our Marriott Bonvoy elite status? We’re not sure but whatever the reason it made us smile. They source their beans locally for their single origin chocolate bars and their multiple award winning product was delicious. The in room amenities available were from luxury ‘neighbourhood apothecary’ company (MALIN + GOETZ). They focus on making their products with natural ingredients and most of their products are vegan. Our soap, shampoo, conditioner and body wash were all vegan (the moisturiser contained honey). It always impresses is when we check in to a hotel and the amenities are vegan friendly. We love the continued effort that Marriott International are making to remove single use plastic from their hotels and resorts. Since July 2019 there are no plastic straws worldwide and this will be followed by the removal of all single use toiletries by the end of December 2020. We enjoyed a feather free sleep as the duvet was synthetic as were 2 of the 4 pillows on our bed, they offered to replace the 2 feather pillows also but we were more than happy with just 1 pillow each.
The Vegan Food Quest Verdict
The convenient District 1 location combined with a helpful staff team and reasonable Marriott Bonvoy redemption rates make this a very good option in central Ho Chi Minh City. With the veggie (mainly vegan) Discovery menu that is served at Bamboo Chic and plenty of other dining options that could be easily veganised, we would return for sure to Le Méridien Saigon.
Le Méridien Saigon
3C Ton Duc Thang Street
District 1
Ho Chi Minh City
Telephone: +84 286 2636 688
Email: lemeridien.saigon@lemeridien.com
Cost From: £110 / $145 (January 2020)