Vu Lan Vegetarian Festival - Season of Nurturing: Nurturing goodness through a tranquil vegetarian meal.

From a simple belief

“Vu Lan is a season of gratitude where every child remembers their parents and loving family. The Vu Lan Vegetarian Culinary Event begins with a simple belief: A wholesome vegetarian meal can be the starting point of a healthy, loving relationship,” shared Ms. Hoang Mong Diem, CEO of Chay Garden, which also serves as the guiding principle for the entire month-long Vu Lan culinary journey.

More than just a reminder of filial piety, Chay Garden also aims to create a new tradition through its series of vegetarian Vu Lan programs: each season has a theme, a layer of meaning, so that people can slow down, cultivate kindness, and connect more fully with each other through each meal.

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The first four seasons, named NURTURING - GROWING - BLOOMING - FINISHING, have been shaped as a gentle inner journey, beginning with the smallest things: a vegetarian meal with loved ones.

Nurturing creativity with pure vegetarian ingredients.

In its first season, titled "Nurturing," Chay Garden chose nuts as its main inspiration. Nuts represent beginnings, the source of life, and symbolize enduring nourishment. Ingredients such as rice, lotus seeds, mung beans, cashews, chestnuts, etc., were creatively transformed by the chefs into hundreds of vegetarian dishes that embody the essence of East Asian culture while still reflecting a modern and sophisticated spirit.

The buffet menu serves both lunch and dinner, with each week offering a different layer of meaning. The first week is titled "Rice" - the origin of abundance and warmth. The main dish is vegetarian pho with soft rice noodles, a clear and subtly sweet broth simmered with sugarcane, pear, and white radish. The umami flavor is perfected by mushrooms and herbs such as cinnamon, star anise, and white pepper. No additives, no MSG, just the finest essence from nature.

The second week revolved around beans and nuts. The golden, chewy vegetarian pancakes (banh xeo and banh khot) made from ground rice and turmeric, fragrant with coconut milk, and filled with a combination of mung beans, mushrooms, and palm heart... all evoked memories of my mother's kitchen, the warm fire, and her gentle hands caring for every meal of my childhood.

The third week was a culinary fusion. The "vegetarian garden skewers" dish bore the mark of fusion, combining protein-rich soybeans with juicy cassava. It was not only harmonious in flavor but also warm in emotion, like a small slice of the Vu Lan season encapsulated in each skewer of vegetables.

Finally, the fourth week, titled "Home-Style Meal," is where emotions settle. A meal brimming with love, featuring sour tamarind soup with pineapple, okra, and eggplant, fragrant and rich braised chestnuts with pepper, and rustic wild jasmine flower salad. All of this creates a satisfying and relaxing conclusion to the Nursery season.

Touching memories, evoking love.

More than just a culinary event, Vu Lan Chay Lanh - Mua Uom is also an artistic space that connects multiple senses. Music, aromas, lighting, and decor are all carefully crafted to transport diners back to gentle memories and the purest emotions.

Right from the entrance, the check-in area attracts a large number of diners thanks to its distinctly East Asian decor. Bamboo trays are arranged delicately on a backdrop of bamboo screens, interspersed with elegantly folded white lotus flowers, harmonizing with the natural colors of skillfully presented vegetables and fruits. To the accompaniment of soothing violin music, each step seems to lead slowly into the restaurant – where the world of vegetarian cuisine unfolds, each with its own unique theme.

The "Sweetness of the Lenten Season" area features desserts such as sweet soups, rice cakes, and many traditional sweet treats. The "Blending of Quintessence" section offers vegetarian dishes that combine Asian and European influences, creating fresh and surprising flavors. Alongside these are appetizer soups in the "Bowl of Healthy Soup" area and a "Sprouting Salad" counter with many light and nutritious dishes…

MC Dai Nghia shared: “What I see here is not only the dazzling beauty but also the warm and welcoming atmosphere. Perhaps because this is a vegetarian food event, a very benevolent energy is spreading throughout this space.”

MC Thanh Thảo Hugo also expressed similar feelings: “The atmosphere is peaceful and benevolent, exchanging peaceful and kind wishes. I felt very comfortable and relaxed from the moment I held the invitation card with the lotus flower image. The decorations here are harmonious and the colors are very pleasant.”

Singer Kyo York was moved when talking about the vegetarian meal at the event: “The lotus flower is a strong highlight of Vietnamese tradition, and I really liked the atmosphere today. For me, 'peaceful' means pure, and just like today, from the lighting to the arrangement, everything makes me feel a sense of inner peace.”

A destination to foster connections.

What makes "Vu Lan Vegetarian Festival - Season of Nurturing" special is not only its creative vegetarian menu but also the humanistic message nurtured through every detail. A seemingly simple vegetarian meal can become the starting point for connection, healing, and even recovery.

After a long, tiring day, diners come here not only to eat but also to pause, take a deep breath, gather with family and loved ones, or even meet with business partners in a quieter and more reflective atmosphere.

Chay Garden restaurant, the origin of the event, was established in 2018 with the desire to create a green, clean space where vegetarian cuisine is not bound by religion but aims for health and sustainability for both health and the environment. The restaurant carefully selects ingredients, not following the "imitation meat" style, but using purely vegetarian creativity to convey unique flavors.

Vegetarian cuisine at Chay Garden is a fusion of modern techniques and traditional spirit. Each dish is a miniature work of art, embodying meticulous care and genuine affection. Through tireless effort, Chay Garden has been honored to be included in the Michelin Guide's Bib Gourmand list for three consecutive years: 2023, 2024, and 2025.

“We hope that this year, during the Vu Lan season, many children will bring their parents to dine with us, and young parents can bring their little ones along to sow seeds of goodness together,” Ms. Hoang Mong Diem shared. Guests can participate in the event by booking tickets on the Chay Garden fanpage or website.

And then, the message of "nurturing goodness" doesn't just stop at food. It becomes a way of life, a choice to live more kindly each day. Because sometimes, a wholesome vegetarian meal may not change the world, but it can heal a heart, a relationship, a home.

“Vu Lan Vegetarian Festival – Season of Nurturing Love” is not just a culinary event, but a journey of nurturing love. Amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life, this can be a rare opportunity to pause, sit together, and whisper a blessing to those we love.

Quynh Mai