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In 2ooo, there were only three vegetarian restaurants (com chay) in the small town of Hoi An in central Vietnam. One tiny restaurant was located in a narrow back-alley in the ancient quarter (pho co), another was a makeshift shed situated by one of the town's main thoroughfares, and the third was lo-cated at a crossroad on the towns outskirts. There was also a stand in the ancient quarter that served vegetarian versions of the town's local noodles for breakfast. These were unassuming food venues that sold what was probably the cheapest fare in town: a plate of rice, topped with a few mock-meat dishes and a bowl ofsoup for some 3, ooo dong (equivalent to 2o US cents), and even less for a bowl of noodles.

Ten years later, the town boasted more than twelve vegetarian restaurants, most of which had opened since 2oo7. Although these restaurants still provided cheap fare, they were hardly the humble eateries of the …