One-Week Japanese Meal Plan in Ho Chi Minh City: A Practical Home Cooking Guide
A practical 7-day Japanese meal plan for Japanese families in Ho Chi Minh City. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner with a once-a-week grocery strategy using the Farmi app.
Written by Farmi Editorial Team
Farmi Editorial Team
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Note: This article and some images were created with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team before publication.
What You Will Find on This Page
Planning a "one-week Japanese meal plan" in Ho Chi Minh City comes down to a smart shopping strategy and knowing how to combine locally available ingredients.
This guide covers:
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner suggestions from Monday to Sunday
- Budget-friendly recipe ideas combining Vietnamese vegetables and chicken
- A grocery list to shop once for the entire week
- Tips for bulk ordering through the Farmi app
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Why Weekly Japanese Meal Planning Is Tough in HCMC, and How to Solve It
In Japan, you can simply think "What should I cook tonight?" and stop by the nearest supermarket. In Ho Chi Minh City, however, Japanese ingredients are not available at the corner convenience store. You need to visit specialty shops or order them separately.
Common challenges:
- Mirin, dashi packs, and tofu are sold at different stores
- Bulk purchases spoil quickly in the heat
- You want to feed your children mostly Japanese food but cannot think of a menu
- You are not sure which Vietnamese vegetables can substitute and which cannot
What this meal plan solves:
Decide on a "one-week Japanese meal plan for Ho Chi Minh City" first, then order only the ingredients you need in one batch. This is the most efficient way to reduce waste and minimize cooking effort.
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Weekly Meal Plan: Monday to Sunday, Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner
*Concept: Based on classic Japanese home cooking, this plan actively uses Vietnamese-grown vegetables and chicken that are easy to find in HCMC. White rice is the staple. Noodle dishes appear 2 to 3 times a week for variety.*
Monday
| Meal | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Miso soup (tofu, wakame), white rice, tamagoyaki (rolled omelette) | Prepare dashi the night before for an easier morning |
| Lunch | Nori bento (salt-grilled salmon, tamagoyaki, spinach namul) | Use leftovers from the previous dinner |
| Dinner | Chicken teriyaki, blanched spinach with dashi, miso soup, white rice | Teriyaki sauce: homemade from soy sauce, mirin, and sugar |
Tuesday
| Meal | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Japanese-style vegetable soup (onion, carrot), white rice | Vegetables available at HCMC markets or delivery |
| Lunch | Chilled soba or udon | Dried noodles from Farmi's noodle category |
| Dinner | Ginger pork (shogayaki), quick-pickled cucumber, miso soup, white rice | Fresh ginger is readily available in HCMC |
Wednesday
| Meal | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Natto rice, miso soup | Order frozen natto on Farmi |
| Lunch | Salmon onigiri, wakame soup | Use leftover salmon if available |
| Dinner | Oyakodon (chicken thigh, egg, onion), miso soup | Dashi packs make authentic flavor easy |
Thursday
| Meal | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Toast, fried egg, steamed vegetables | Vietnamese banh mi bread also works |
| Lunch | Leftover oyakodon bowl or bento | |
| Dinner | Tofu hot pot, Japanese-style (miso base), white rice | Uses mushrooms, tofu, and pork belly |
Friday
| Meal | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Miso soup (nameko mushrooms, tofu), white rice, tamago kake gohan (TKG) | Check fresh eggs on Farmi |
| Lunch | Chilled udon or somen | A refreshing summer-style lunch |
| Dinner | Grilled fish (mackerel or salmon), grated daikon, kinpira-style stir-fry, miso soup, white rice | Kinpira uses locally available carrots and root vegetables |
Saturday
| Meal | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Pancakes or French toast (relaxed weekend edition) | A weekend morning treat the kids love |
| Lunch | Ramen (chicken bone broth base) | Easy to make at home with chicken stock powder from Farmi |
| Dinner | Sukiyaki (beef or pork), white rice | A special weekend feast. Warishita broth: soy sauce, mirin, sugar, dashi |
Sunday
| Meal | Menu | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | Rice porridge (with umeboshi, shirasu, or egg) | A gentle breakfast to soothe the week's fatigue |
| Lunch | Hand-rolled sushi (temaki) or mixed rice | A fun Sunday lunch for the whole family |
| Dinner | Japanese curry rice | A classic one-pot dish. Make extra for Monday lunch |
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One-Week Shopping List (Bulk Purchase)
To cover the week with a single shopping trip, ingredients are organized into "dry goods and pantry items," "refrigerated and frozen," and "vegetables and fresh produce."
Dry Goods and Pantry Items (weekly bulk buy)
| Item | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| White rice (2 to 3kg) | Rice for every meal | Farmi /category/rice [TODO: confirm URL] |
| Dashi packs (10-pack) | Base for miso soup and simmered dishes | Kikkoman, Yamaki, etc. |
| Soy sauce (200 to 500ml) | Stir-fry, simmered dishes, dressings | Kikkoman koikuchi recommended |
| Mirin (hon-mirin) | Sweetness for teriyaki and simmered dishes | Takara or Hinode, etc. |
| Sugar (small bag) | Teriyaki sauce, sukiyaki broth | Vietnamese sugar is fine |
| Dried noodles (soba, udon, somen) | Lunch and dinner noodle dishes | Farmi /category/noodles [TODO: confirm URL] |
| Dried wakame | Miso soup ingredient | |
| Nori (sheet seaweed) | Nori bento, hand-rolled sushi | |
| Umeboshi (small amount) | Rice porridge, onigiri | |
| Curry roux (1 box) | Sunday curry | Glico, House, etc. |
Refrigerated and Frozen
| Item | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Miso (red or awase, 200 to 400g) | Daily miso soup | Marukome or Hikari Miso. In HCMC's climate, always refrigerate after opening |
| Tofu (silken or firm, 2 to 3 blocks) | Miso soup, hot pot | Order chilled from Farmi |
| Eggs (10-pack) | Tamagoyaki, TKG, simmered eggs | |
| Chicken thigh (300 to 400g) | Teriyaki, oyakodon | HCMC-sourced chicken is fine |
| Pork (thinly sliced, 200g) | Ginger pork, tofu hot pot | |
| Salmon fillets (2 to 3 pieces) | Salt-grilled, onigiri filling | Farmi /category/seafood [TODO: confirm URL] |
| Natto (3 packs) | Wednesday breakfast | Order frozen from Farmi |
| Beef or pork belly (sukiyaki, 200g) | Saturday dinner |
Vegetables and Fresh Produce (can split into 2 purchases per week)
| Item | Use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Onions (3 to 4) | Soup, oyakodon, curry | Vietnamese produce is perfectly fine |
| Spinach (1 bunch) | Blanched side dish, bento | Available in HCMC |
| Cucumbers (2 to 3) | Quick pickles | |
| Carrots (2) | Kinpira, curry | |
| Long green onion or scallions (1 bunch) | Miso soup, stir-fry | |
| Mushrooms (shimeji or enoki, 1 to 2 packs) | Miso soup, hot pot | |
| Daikon radish (1 small) | Grated, simmered dishes | |
| Ginger (1 knob) | Ginger pork | Available at HCMC markets |
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Cost Estimates and Saving Tips
"Saving" is relative, as actual costs vary widely depending on lifestyle and family size. Here are the key points to keep in mind:
- Bulk buying saves transport costs and time: Simply reducing the number of trips to specialty Japanese food stores significantly cuts travel expenses.
- Use Vietnamese-grown vegetables: Order meat, fish, and Japanese seasonings from Farmi, and source vegetables from HCMC markets or local supermarkets. This "hybrid shopping" approach lowers costs.
- Place one bulk order per week: The Farmi app is ideal for picking a fixed day and ordering everything at once. Plan next week's menu first, then add items to the cart to avoid forgetting or duplicating orders.
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Food Storage Tips for HCMC's Climate
HCMC has year-round temperatures of 28 to 35 degrees Celsius and humidity of 75 to 85 percent. Items that can be stored at room temperature in Japan may require different handling here.
Miso: Always refrigerate after opening. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface before closing the lid to prevent drying and oxidation. Soy sauce: Refrigeration recommended after opening. Best used within one month.
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How to Place a Weekly Bulk Order on the Farmi App
- Plan your menu first: Using the weekly plan on this page as a reference, write out 7 days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Create a shopping list: From the menu, sort the needed ingredients into "refrigerated/frozen," "dry goods/pantry," and "vegetables."
- Add to cart on the Farmi app: Japanese ingredients like miso, soy sauce, mirin, dashi, tofu, natto, and salmon can all be ordered in one go on Farmi. Delivery within HCMC in as fast as 1 hour.
- Combine with local sources for vegetables: Onions, carrots, cucumbers, and similar items are cheaper when sourced from HCMC markets or local delivery.
- Keep planning for the following week: Build "leftover reuse" into the menu from the start. For example, schedule leftover curry for Monday lunch the next week to reduce food waste.
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Weekly Meal Plan Summary
| Day | Breakfast | Lunch | Dinner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | Miso soup, tamagoyaki, rice | Nori bento (salmon, spinach) | Chicken teriyaki, miso soup, rice |
| Tue | Japanese vegetable soup, rice | Chilled soba/udon | Ginger pork, pickles, miso soup, rice |
| Wed | Natto rice, miso soup | Salmon onigiri, wakame soup | Oyakodon, miso soup |
| Thu | Toast, fried egg | Leftover bowl/bento | Tofu hot pot (Japanese-style), rice |
| Fri | Miso soup, TKG, rice | Chilled udon/somen | Grilled fish, kinpira, miso soup, rice |
| Sat | Pancakes/French toast | Chicken ramen | Sukiyaki, rice |
| Sun | Rice porridge (umeboshi/shirasu) | Hand-rolled sushi/mixed rice | Japanese curry rice (with leftovers for next week) |
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. What is the hardest part of planning a one-week Japanese meal plan in HCMC?
Sourcing ingredients. Basic seasonings like miso, mirin, and dashi packs can be bulk-ordered from Japanese supermarkets or specialized apps (Farmi, etc.), but fresh seafood and certain vegetables need to be checked weekly.
Q2. Can Vietnamese-grown vegetables be used in Japanese cooking?
In most cases, absolutely. Onions, carrots, cucumbers, spinach, and mushrooms in HCMC are of good quality. However, some items like burdock root (gobo), mitsuba, and shungiku are Japanese specialties and harder to find locally.
Q3. Is it exhausting to make miso soup every day?
With dashi packs, preparing the broth takes only 3 to 5 minutes. If you make slightly more ingredients the night before and reheat in the morning using a "make-ahead miso soup" approach, the morning workload drops significantly.
Q4. How quickly does Farmi deliver?
Delivery within Ho Chi Minh City can be as fast as about 1 hour. For weekend bulk shopping, ordering on Saturday or Sunday morning means your groceries arrive in time for afternoon cooking. The app supports Japanese, making it easy to navigate.
Q5. Will I get bored eating the same menu every week?
This plan is a "framework." Make "swapping" a habit: change the main protein (chicken to pork to fish), replace side vegetables with whatever is available that week, and repurpose yesterday's leftovers for lunch. This keeps things feeling fresh each week.
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Conclusion: Sustaining a Japanese Food Lifestyle in HCMC Without the Stress
Here are three tips to remember when putting a one-week Japanese meal plan into practice in Ho Chi Minh City:
1. Work backward from the menu to the ingredients. Instead of looking at ingredients and then thinking of recipes, decide the menu first and list what you need. This reduces unnecessary purchases.
2. Stock up on dry goods and seasonings once a week. Japanese staples like miso, soy sauce, mirin, and dashi packs ordered in bulk through Farmi save both travel time and money.
3. Make the most of Vietnamese-grown vegetables. HCMC vegetables pair surprisingly well with Japanese dishes. For harder-to-find items like burdock root or shungiku, check availability on Farmi.
On the Farmi app, you can bulk-order miso, soy sauce, mirin, dashi, tofu, natto, salmon, and other essentials for your Japanese meal plan. With Japanese-language support and delivery in as fast as 1 hour, it is perfect for your weekly grocery run.
[Order this week's Japanese groceries in bulk on the Farmi app ->] [TODO: App Store / Play Store link]
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Pending native Japanese review
Farmi Editorial Team
Farmi Editorial Team
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