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About GoHALALVietnam

The idea for GoHALALVietnam started on a warm Saigon evening when the founder met one of his Malaysian friends in 2011.

Over 50 restaurants that claimed to be halal

How it all started

Islamic Certification Board in Vietnam certifies pork as halal.
Islamic Certification Board in Vietnam certifies pork as halal.

The founder of GoHALALVietnam published a blog that listed several halal restaurants in Saigon. During this time, he became friends with a Malaysian Muslim who started working in the city. Together, they visited halal restaurants across Ho Chi Minh City.

The founder visited over 50 restaurants that claimed to be halal. He also visited several halal butchers. In the end, only about ten restaurants were halal. The rest of the restaurants stated they were halal but could not identify their halal meat sources. Surprisingly, many restaurants served alcohol and obtained halal certification.

You can see the state of the halal industry in Vietnam back in 2011. At that time, you could even find halal-certified pork! The pork meat was certified as halal in 2022 (see above photo). By 2014, many more restaurants painted halal on their signs without proper certifications.

Thus, GoHALALVietnam's halal list of restaurants became smaller. Inshallah, with new arriving Muslims to Vietnam, the list of halal restaurants will increase again.

Definition of "Halal" Confusion

It is "common knowledge" that halal means just the meat must be halal. So when you ask a restaurant if they are halal, the restaurant will answer yes if only their meat is halal. There is no consideration about whether the ingredients contain pork, alcohol, or other haram products. The cleanliness of the kitchens is another issue. This is a common problem for Muslims visiting non-Muslim countries around the world.

GoHALALVietnam' Requirements to be listed as Halal

For restaurant submissions, please abide by the following halal requirements:

  • Halal meat must be sacrificed by the people of the scriptures (Muslims, Christians, or Jews).
  • God's name MUST be pronounced during the sacrifice.
  • The food must be Good and Pure. It must be healthy.
  • Pork is forbidden. It cannot be served in the same restaurant as halal meat.
  • Should be verified by local or Expatriate Muslims.

Halal Certification

GoHALALVietnam will work with a local Muslim to certify restaurants as halal in Vietnam.

Facebook Muslim Group Advisory

Several Facebook Groups are run by non-Muslims posing as Muslims. There are only a couple Facebook groups we trust. We recommend joining our Facebook Page for latest updates on halal restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, join the Halal Cafes & Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Fake Facebook Muslim Users

Sadly, several restaurants are using fake Facebook user accounts with Muslim names to recommend their restaurants.

New Halal Restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City

There is a larger Muslim Expatriate community in Ho Chi Minh City now. With this new, community came new Middle Eastern and Arabic restaurants. You can see this list on the Halal in Saigon page.

Contact Me

I understand this site will be controversial for many Muslims. Please contact me if you want to discuss this topic further.

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