A Taste Of Vietnam: Vietnam Cooking Tour

Eating on the street is a very typical activity for Hanoians and makes up an important part of the city’s unique culture. Depart the hotel at 09:00 to take a walk with our tour guide to the Old Quarter to experience the Hanoi street food tour. Our first stop is to taste Pho Bo (beef noodle soup), this local restaurant is located on a narrow street in the Old Quarter. Then keep moving to visit the wet market, where hundreds of kinds of food & vegetables are displayed along the street for sale. It is a colorful picture of Hanoi's daily life. Walk from Hang Be Market to a little alley to a local shop selling many different types of traditional northern cakes such as Com cake (young rice) where most of the old Hanoians never forget their childhood memories of eating these cakes with friends. The next stop is a little “Banh Cuon” shop to see how people make these rice paper rolls and to try a bit of the dish. Forgetting bustling streets, our guide takes you to a small “tunnel” - Noi Mieu Alley to discover the lives of residents in the Old Quarter, where you can take many beautiful photos. You will stop at the crossroads of streets for lunch with Bun Cha & crab spring roll. Next, take a little walk to find “che” - sweet soups which are a typical Hanoi desert. Finish the Hanoi culinary tour at a café in the Old Quarter for a traditional Vietnamese egg coffee. Overnight in Hanoi.

Today you leave Hanoi for the Halong Bay cruise trip via the Red River Delta. Upon arrival welcome on board for a junk cruise and set sail in the bay while lunch is served. Passage into the magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons' teeth. After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the bay, swimming on a quiet beach, or sunbathing on the sundeck. Late afternoon, visit an interesting fishing village with an opportunity to interact with fishermen who have been living in the bay for almost three generations. At sunset, kayak or simply take a bamboo row boat to discover a water tunnel with many coral reefs in a scenic lagoon. Back to your junk, enjoy watching the peaceful sunset, and later unwind at a restaurant. Overnight on cruise.

Wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves and birds welcoming the new day. You will have an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay. After breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto then walk back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Checkout is at 11:45. The boat arrives at the harbor by 12:00 and then transfers directly to Hanoi Airport for a flight to Hue. On arrival in Hue transfer to the hotel. In the evening, you will have a cyclo ride to one of the best local restaurants for dinner. Food in Hue is spicy with considerable use of chili reflecting its imperial roots is often presented in carefully displayed small servings, a kind of Oriental nouvelle cuisine. Overnight in Hue.

The morning begins with a hands-on cooking class at Tinh Gia Vien restaurant, highlighting the regal flavors of Hue cuisine as we prepare our midday meal. After lunch, we'll take a cruise along the romantic Perfume River, passing opulent palaces and gardens of the 19th-century Nguyen kings. We'll visit the ornate tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, set within beautifully landscaped gardens, and the tomb of the eccentric Tu Duc, known for his opulent lifestyle. On our way back to the city, we'll stop at the Thien Mu Pagoda, the unofficial symbol of Hue. This is an active Buddhist monastery dating back to 1601. One of its most poignant displays is a car belonging to a former monk, who in 1963, drove to Saigon and set himself alight to protest the South Vietnamese regime and its treatment of Buddhists. Overnight in Hue.

You'll continue south, going by road toward the riverside town of Hoi An. Our five-hour route, hugging the coastline along the South China Sea, serves up breathtaking views that grow even more spectacular as we wind our way up Hai Van Pass (Pass of the Clouds). You'll pause to admire the stunning vistas of Lang Co beach to the north, and the city of Danang to the south. You'll continue your drive to Hoi An. In the afternoon, you'll take a Hoi An walking tour around this once-thriving port and visit the famed old quarter, the Japanese Bridge, the old Assembly Halls, art galleries, and many old houses once belonging to Chinese merchants. Overnight in Hoi An.

In the morning, you will have a cooking class at Red Bridge restaurant, visit Hoi An's colorful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds, and aromas of this busy market. We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise of 25 minutes along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge cooking school. On arrival, we explore the cooking school's herb and vegetable garden before learning about some of Hoi Ans and Vietnam's well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours. Each dish is first demonstrated by the Red Bridge chefs before we prepare the same dish ourselves. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, we sit down and eat exactly what we have cooked. Overnight in Hoi An.

This morning we'll head for Danang Airport for about a 40-minute drive to take our 1-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, where we transfer directly to our centrally located hotel. Free at leisure until late afternoon you will take a foodie tour around Saigon by a vintage Vespa. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Drive to Cu Chi Tunnels to explore the vast network of underground passages during the Vietnam War. Currently, the remaining tunnels have become a beautiful point for all tourists. Back to the Ho Chi Minh City. Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before continuing the Saigon city tour in the afternoon which provides you with a glimpse into the fascinating variety of the city. You’ll visit the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral, the Central Post Office, and Ben Thanh Market. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Depart from Saigon for the 1.5-hour drive to Ben Tre, situated in the Mekong River Delta, exchanging city scenes for lush rice paddies and fruit farms. At the pier, embark on a fascinating motorboat excursion past stilt houses, fish farms, and scenes of countryside living. Arrive at Turtle Island, and sample freshly picked fruit and coconut milk while interacting with a local farming family. Visit a family-run coconut candy workshop, utilising Ben Tre’s famous coconuts. Explore more of the Delta from a rowing sampan through a network of small canals. Enjoy country hospitality as you sip a cup of honey tea while taking in a traditional folk song performance. A local lunch of local specialties will be served at a local restaurant, you will have a great chance to taste the cuisine in the Mekong Delta before continuing the trip to Can Tho. Overnight in Can Tho.

In the early morning, you will visit the Cai Rang floating market by a small motorboat. From the market, you say goodbye to the mighty Mekong and begin your drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. Enjoy the deluxe farewell dinner on the Bon Sai cruise to explore the Saigon River at night. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.

Today is the departure day and the time to bid your guide farewell. There will be a transfer waiting to take you from the hotel to the airport for your flight home. We wish you a pleasant journey home and we know you will take away many wonderful memories of the sights and tastes you have savored.