Pizza in Vietnam: Underrated, Overrated, Properly Rated?
Find out what Krista, Adrie and me think at 7 Bridges Brewing Company!
What is it like to add seafood and ketchup to pizza? Is Pizza in Vietnam underrated, properly rated, or underrated? Let Krista, Adrie, and me, Niall answer these questions in this episode.
This is me, Niall, founder of Seven Million Bikes Podcasts, a company providing podcasting services. I am your host here, at A Vietnam Podcast, where my guest and I share our stories, experiences and insights about Vietnam.
In my old episodes, I brought many Vietnamese dishes such as “Bánh Bèo”, “Bánh Mì” or “Phở”. But this time, I’ll try a western one, Pizza.
When I first moved to Vietnam, I had no expectations when it came to pizza. I figured I’d be trading mozzarella for fish sauce and wood-fired ovens for roadside works. But I was curious—was pizza in Vietnam going to be a disappointment, a pleasant surprise, or something in between?
Pizza Experience at 7 Bridges
We found ourselves upstairs at 7 Bridges Brewery. We were there for beer, of course—but also for pizza. This place did things a bit differently.
Recycled Pizza?
Their beer wasn’t just like any beer. I spotted something called the Pale Ale and ordered a pale ale made using recycled hops, yeast, and even waste pizza. Yeah, really. I had to ask the waiter about their mission statement. Turned out, they were all about recycling the mold left over from the beer brewing process and turning it into things like pizza dough. Even the beer I ordered, the Upcycle, was part of their recycling efforts.
And the leftover grain from brewing? They use that to make the pizza dough. It’s not just eco-friendly—it’s pretty cool. The hot sauce? Same deal. They reuse beer, mix it with local chilies, turn it into beer vinegar, and then into hot sauce. Genius. It makes me wonder why more places aren’t doing this.
Pizza for the rest of your life?
Speaking of pizza, if I had to eat one food for the rest of my life, I could go with pizza every single day. Yeah, you heard that right. I know some people might think burritos are the way to go, but for me, it’s pizza. And if I had to pick just one topping, I’d probably keep it simple with plain cheese. You can’t go wrong with the classics! That’s why this episode’s topic is pizza.
The pizza itself at 7 Bridges? Massive. We ordered slices—cheese for Adrie, salami for me, and BBQ chicken and bacon for Krista.
Pizza Scene in Vietnam
Back when I first moved to Vietnam in 2016, pizza wasn’t anything special. You could find it, but it was usually from the big chains—Domino’s, Pizza Hut, The Pizza Company. Every now and then, we’d go for one of those “buy one, get one free” Domino’s deals on a Thursday. That was about as exciting as it got.
Pizza 4P’s was around too, but it was harder to find. I remember there was just one location tucked down a small alley. Now, it’s completely different. Good pizza places have just exploded everywhere. You can find them in pretty much every mall. It’s been amazing to see how much things have changed.
Pizza Taste in Vietnam – Controversial Pizza Toppings
When we first moved to Vietnam, one of the early food shocks came in the form of pizza—specifically, the kind of pizza you’d get from Domino’s. Honestly, it was terrible. Back then, I didn’t even know how weird it could get.
As we tasted the pizza here, it got me thinking about all those pizza parties at work we used to have. There was always a ton of pizza, right? But it seems like the Vietnamese way of enjoying pizza is a bit different from what we’re used to in the West, especially when it comes to toppings.
Seafood Pizza
I remember our language center used to throw pizza parties at the end of a term. They’d order tons of pizzas—box after box—and we’d have to sort through them like a treasure hunt, trying to avoid the dreaded seafood pizzas. At the time, Adrie and I were vegetarian, so we were already limited. But even among the non-veggie options, the seafood ones were just… something else.
We’re talking reconstituted fish sticks, crab sticks, and who knows what else. One time, they probably ordered 70% seafood pizza and only one cheese pizza for everyone. And that one cheese pizza? Gone in 30 seconds. Everyone—even the meat eaters—wanted it. You don’t have to be vegetarian to know that cheese is the superior choice.
Later, I went to a work event where one of the teachers insisted he handle the pizza ordering himself. He said, “We cannot let the local staff order the pizzas. I’ll take care of it.” And thank goodness he did—we actually got a decent mix, not just seafood overload.
Ketchup with Pizza
But the real curveball? Ketchup. Every pizza came with a handful of ketchup packets. Not good ketchup either—just sugary tomato goop. The pizza already has tomato sauce on it! Why add ketchup? It made no sense. And sometimes you’d even get mayonnaise packets with your pizza order. Krista said one time her fridge was overflowing with mayo sachets after just one order.
To be fair, locals here like to dip their pizza in chili sauce, which I can understand. It’s like how Americans dip their crust in ranch. So maybe it’s not that strange—it just takes getting used to.
But over time, things changed. Now we’re completely spoiled for choice. We’ve got places like Jimmy’s Pizza in District 7 and 2 for proper American-style deep crust, Pizza 4P’s for fancier stuff, and a ton of amazing wood-fired Italian spots. Even Brick & Barrel is doing killer American-style wood-fired pies. These days, you’re hard-pressed to find bad pizza in Saigon.
Reasons Behind The Use Of Toppings
The waiter at 7 Bridges explained it well: global pizza brands had to study the market before launching here. They figured out that Vietnamese diners weren’t interested in things like spicy beef or loads of mushrooms. Instead, they leaned heavily into shrimp, fish, and other seafood toppings, because that’s what locals were familiar with. It makes total sense when you think about it from a business perspective, but for us Westerners, it was a bit of a shock at first.
After that conversation, I figured I should try something different, so I went for a truffle mushroom sausage pizza. Krista was curious about the veggie options, but then the waiter mentioned that even the tomato base-contained fish sauce, which kind of ruled out a fully vegetarian pizza. Classic Vietnam.
It reminded me of how McDonald’s adjusts their menus around the world—serving rice and fried chicken in Vietnam, for example, which would be bizarre to see back home. Fast food and big international brands adapt to what people actually eat, not what foreigners expect. It’s all about knowing your market.
One thing’s for sure: if you come to Vietnam expecting “normal” pizza, be ready for a surprise.
Pizza in Vietnam: Underrated, Properly Rated, or Underrated?
So, let’s get back to the real question: pizza in Vietnam. Is it overrated, underrated, or properly rated? It’s a tricky one to categorize. We had this whole debate about it.
We’re not talking about your basic Domino’s pizza. We’re talking about the good stuff – the pizza you get at places like Pasta Fresca, or some of the other really good pizza places we’ve discovered here.
A Local View Point
To get a local perspective, I asked our waiter what he thought. He made some interesting points. He said that pizza wasn’t really a traditional Vietnamese food, and that it’s often seen as more of a “fast food” type of thing, popular with kids. He also mentioned that Vietnamese people don’t eat cheese and bread as much.
Properly Rated
Krista and Adrie felt that pizza in Saigon was probably properly rated, especially from a tourist’s perspective. There are so many blogs and influencers hyping up places like Pizza 4P’s that most visitors have high expectations. They also felt that expats had plenty of access to good pizza and therefore it was rated appropriately.
Underrated
However, I strongly disagreed. After hearing the waiter’s insights, I leaned towards “underrated.” My reasoning was that, considering the Vietnamese population as a whole, there’s still a bit of a disconnect. Many Vietnamese people haven’t fully grasped how good pizza can be. There’s still a tendency to associate it with fast food and those seafood-heavy pizzas.
We acknowledged that places like Pizza 4P’s are popular, but they also cater to a specific subset of the population that can afford them and live near them. It’s not always the most affordable or convenient option. For a lot of people, pizza still means a Domino’s or Pizza Hut, with those sometimes questionable toppings.
Finally, we kind of landed on “properly rated,” acknowledging that while the quality is there, there are still different perspectives depending on who you’re talking to. But personally, I’m still in the “underrated” camp. I think as more and more Vietnamese people discover really good pizza, its popularity will explode!
Conclusion – Pizza in Vietnam
Piizza in Vietnam remains somewhere between underrated and properly rated, depending on who you ask. But one thing is clear: as global food trends continue to influence Vietnam’s dining scene, the love for pizza is only set to grow.