Thailand
Including Phuket and the Southern IslandsThailand is navigable for vegan travel once you know Jay (เจ) — but fish sauce, shrimp paste, and the gap between "vegetarian" and actually vegan still catch people out.
Level 1 · Easiest · The Jay (เจ) Buddhist vegan tradition makes Thailand one of the most navigable countries in Asia — once you know the word and the yellow flags
Thailand ranks #26 in the world on VTG — a country rank, not a city rank. Bangkok as an individual city attracts separate rankings on platforms like HappyCow, where it scores notably higher reflecting its extraordinary density of dedicated vegan restaurants. That city score and the country score are measuring different things: the country rank covers the full picture across rural provinces, fishing communities, remote islands, and small towns — where the experience can differ substantially from the capital.
The most important concept to understand is the Jay (เจ) system — a Buddhist vegan tradition excluding meat, fish, seafood, dairy, eggs, and pungent aromatics. Restaurants following Jay display yellow flags with red เจ characters; everything on a Jay menu is already safe to order. Outside Jay establishments, fish sauce (nam pla) and shrimp paste (kapi) function as invisible seasonings in virtually all savoury cooking — including vegetable stir-fries and tofu dishes. Ordering "vegetarian" in a non-Jay restaurant does not make a dish vegan — in Thailand, "vegetarian" typically means no meat, but fish sauce and oyster sauce are still used freely unless the kitchen is Jay-certified. Always check labels on packaged supermarket food; fish sauce appears in snacks, crackers, and ready meals where you would not expect it.
What's Hiding in the Kitchen
The primary seasoning in Thai cooking — the functional equivalent of salt. Used in stir-fries, soups, noodle broths, dipping sauces, marinades, and dressings as a matter of course, with no announcement on menus. Vegetable dishes and tofu dishes can contain it. You cannot identify it by taste alone; it reads as general saltiness. Outside Jay-certified establishments, assume it is present in every savoury dish.
A fermented shrimp paste that forms the aromatic base of nearly every Thai curry paste — including curries sold as "vegetarian." Kapi dissolves completely during cooking, leaving no visual trace. It is also core to nam prik (chilli dips) and som tam (papaya salad). Jay-certified curry pastes are made without it and clearly labelled; in a non-Jay kitchen, assume it is present in any curry.
The third invisible animal product in the standard Thai stir-fry kitchen. Adds glossy umami finish to vegetable and noodle dishes — the dish looks entirely plant-based in the bowl. Vegan mushroom-based oyster sauce exists and is used in Jay kitchens, but in general restaurants the default is the real version unless you ask specifically.
Added automatically to pad thai and fried rice as a structural component — cooked in, not offered as an option. Many street stall cooks are surprised by requests to omit it. Specify "mai sai kai" as a separate, explicit instruction; it is not covered by a general vegan or vegetarian request and must be asked about individually.
POME / NOO gin JAY I eat Jay (Buddhist vegan)
MEE a-HAN JAY my Do you have Jay food?
MY gin NEUA sat · PLA · NOM · rue KAI No meat, fish, dairy or eggs
MY sy NAM-pla No fish sauce
MY sy KA-pi No shrimp paste
MY sy SAUCE hoy NANG rom No oyster sauce
MY sy KAI No egg
SUP tam jak a-RYE What is the broth made from?
TAM die MY Can you make it that way?
What Actually Works
Follow the Yellow Flags
Yellow flags bearing the red เจ character mark Jay-certified restaurants, stalls, and shops. Inside a Jay establishment, everything on the menu is already vegan — no negotiation needed. This is your highest-confidence eating option across the whole country, from Bangkok street markets to Chiang Mai suburbs to Phuket's Vegetarian Festival streets.
Supermarkets Are Reliable
Lotus's, Big C, Tops, and Villa Market stock growing ranges of labelled vegan products. Makro warehouse stores carry Jay-certified sauces and plant proteins in bulk — ideal for self-catering. At fresh markets, fruit and plain produce are safe. Always check individual labels on packaged food — fish sauce appears in crackers, instant noodles, and condiments where you would not expect it.
Know Your Safe Orders
At Jay restaurants: anything. At general Thai restaurants: jasmine rice (khao suay), fresh tropical fruit, and plain steamed vegetables with an explicit no-sauce request are your anchors. Avoid curries and soups outside Jay kitchens — shrimp paste is in the base. For street food pad thai, use a phrase card specifying no egg, no fish sauce, and no shrimp paste as three separate instructions.
Use Bangkok as a Base
Bangkok has one of Asia's strongest dedicated vegan scenes — Chatuchak, Thonglor, Silom, and On Nut all have solid clusters and HappyCow works reliably here. Before heading to more remote areas, use Bangkok as a resupply point: stock Jay-certified sauces, snacks, and vegan instant noodles. Options thin out significantly in rural regions and on smaller islands.
Where It Gets Harder
Thailand's Level 1 ranking reflects real infrastructure — but that infrastructure is concentrated in cities and wellness-focused islands. Step outside it and friction rises fast.