If you’ve just moved to Vietnam, here’s something nobody really warns you about: you might never cook again. And honestly? That’s completely fine.
Vietnam is one of the rare places in the world where eating well is genuinely more convenient, and often cheaper, than cooking at home. I remember one of the first times I went grocery shopping and realized cooking for one person is more expensive than I expected… Groceries add up fast, especially if you’re shopping for imported products to be able to cook what you’d cook back home. Meanwhile, a proper meal from a great local restaurant can show up at your door for less than what you’d spend at the supermarket. It’s not laziness. It’s just good math.
The delivery culture here makes it almost too easy. Order from your phone, and within 30 to 45 minutes a driver on a motorbike shows up at your door with your food, still hot, neatly packed and ready to eat. This is completely normal life in Vietnam, for locals and foreigners alike. Once you’ve lived it, going back to standing in a kitchen sweating over a pan when it’s 35 degrees outside feels borderline absurd. And really only worth it for those dishes you couldn’t find here.
Thankfully we got Capichi!
Not all food delivery apps are created equal. Vietnam has its giants, but Capichi has built a genuinely loyal following, particularly among foreigners and food-conscious locals, by doing something the bigger platforms don’t always bother with: curating rather than just aggregating.
Every restaurant on Capichi has been handpicked for quality. That means less time scrolling through questionable options and more confidence in what you’re actually going to receive. The app launched in 2020 and has grown to over 300,000 users across Hà Nội, Hồ Chí Minh City, Đà Nẵng and Bình Dương. Customer support is available in Vietnamese, English and Japanese, which makes it especially useful for international residents who are still finding their feet.
The best Japanese food selection
One of the things Capichi is genuinely known for is its Japanese restaurant lineup. Vietnam, and Saigon in particular, has a thriving Japanese food community, and Capichi reflects that really well. Ippudo, Gyukaku, Menya Ittou, Mitsumaru, Chiyoda Sushi – and my personal favourite, Danbo Ramen – and plenty more are all on the platform, including options that are much harder to find on the bigger mainstream apps.
If a proper bowl of ramen or a quality sushi experience delivered to your door sounds like your idea of a good Tuesday, this is the app for you. But Japanese food is just one corner of what’s on offer. Korean, Chinese, Indian, Western, Mexican, the selection keeps expanding as Capichi grows its restaurant network.
You can now book tables in the app too
Here’s something that catches a lot of people off guard when they first move to Vietnam: booking a table at a restaurant can be surprisingly confusing. There is no single system. Some places want you to book through Google. Some only take reservations via Facebook Messenger (because Facebook is still quite big here!). Some require a phone call, which is fine until you realise your SIM card doesn’t support local calls, or you’re not quite confident enough in your Vietnamese to navigate it. Others have their own website with a booking form, and some use third-party platforms you’ve never heard of. Every restaurant does it differently, and figuring out which method works for which venue quickly becomes a whole sidequest you didn’t ask for.
That’s exactly why Capichi’s new table reservation feature is such a welcome addition. You can now discover a restaurant, browse real photos and reviews, and book your table, all in the same app you already use for delivery. One login, one interface, done. Whether you’re planning a spontaneous weeknight dinner or a proper special occasion, it takes away one of the most quietly annoying parts of eating out in Vietnam.
The reservation feature covers everything from casual neighbourhood spots to fine dining, so it works whether you’re booking a date night or just want to make sure you have a table waiting after a long day.
The Vietnam Foodie’s BEST 100
To celebrate the new reservation feature, Capichi has teamed up with Green SM to announce the Vietnam Foodie’s BEST 100: 100 must-visit restaurants in Hà Nội and 100 in Hồ Chí Minh City, chosen based on real usage data and an anonymous user vote. No sponsored rankings, just the places people genuinely keep going back to. A solid starting point if you’re new to the city and want a shortlist that’s actually worth trusting.
And as a bonus running until September 15th, 2026, booking a Green SM ride to any of the 200 BEST 100 restaurants gets you 15% off your fare. A nice little reason to finally try that place you’ve been saving.
So let’s eat!
If you’re living in Vietnam or planning a visit and want to eat well without the logistical headache, Capichi is one of those apps that quietly makes your life better. The curation is solid, the delivery is reliable, the new table booking feature solves a real everyday frustration, and the platform keeps growing. For anyone navigating food in a new city, that kind of convenience is genuinely hard to overvalue.
Download Capichi and explore the BEST 100 list in the Capichi app.
