A Foodie Adventure Through Vietnam 12 Days

Upon your arrival in Hanoi, we will pick you up at the airport and accompany you to the hotel for check-in at 14:00. The rest of the day is at your leisure. 

Afterward, proceed to the colorful Old Quarter. It is well-known for the history, the architecture, the diversity of products and even the everyday life of its residents. In this area, the bustling life of Hanoians is reflected in the most vivid way with crowded streets of people trading with each other. 

The quarter consists of 36 Old Streets, each of which was named for what it sold. Several years ago, skilled artisans migrated to the city and formed guilds. In the same guilds, the craftsmen perform similar services. As time passes, many streets now no longer sell the products after which they were named, some still do. 

You can also find many street food vendors in the Old Quarter. Types of food may alter in accordance with the rhythm of the seasons. 

Following the tour guide, you will find a lot of mouth-watering dishes that you want to grab a bite.
 

Today is going to be a day full of activities in Hanoi. Our first stop is Ho Chi Minh Complex. We’ll discover all the attractions here including: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House and One Pillar Pagoda.

After you visit the final resting place of President Ho Chi Minh and his preserved body in the center of Hanoi, head to the Temple of Literature, which is also known as the first university of Vietnam. 

Lunch on your own account.

In the afternoon, we will go to a local house for an interesting cooking class. You will have first-hand experience of cooking Vietnamese traditional dishes and have a better understanding of our culture. Enjoy your early dinner with your homemade dishes.

Return to your hotel in the evening. Overnight stay at your hotel.

You have your breakfast at the hotel. Our tour guide and driver will pick you up at your hotel. We drive to Halong City, which takes about 3 hours.

After arriving in Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site, you’ll then get on the cruise and meet the captain and crew members. Join us with a welcome drink as we tell you about the itinerary and your stay on board. Check into your cabin. Time to refresh and unwind. A delicious lunch will be served on board while cruising ahead to Halong Bay.

In the afternoon, our cruise will stop by some caves and grottoes in Halong Bay with thousands of stalactites and stalagmites. 

The cruise will take you to some beautiful natural beaches for swimming and then you can visit local fishing villages or go kayaking. 

Drop the anchor for an overnight stay on the bay. Dinner on board and many interesting activities are waiting for you. 

To be noted that, shared shuttle bus will be used to transfer you to Halong with a English speaking guide. For more information about private transfer, please contact our travel consultants.

Early sunlight will enhance the beautiful landscape of the Bay, if you can wake up early enough, you can attend a Tai Chi exercise on deck.

Enjoy your breakfast on board when the ship continues to sail to other remote areas. 

Lunch on board. Embark the dock around 12.00 am for another four-hour drive back to Hanoi. Then you will be taken to the airport for a flight to Hue. 

Our guide and driver will wait for you at the airport for a pick up and transfer to your hotel. Dinner on your own account. Overnight in Hue.

You have a cooking class today!

You will not only learn how to cook amazing dishes of Hue but you will also have a real experience with the locals by trying their daily routines yourself.

Start your day tour with a visit to Hue local market to buy ingredients for cooking class. Here you can see all fresh herbs, seafood area, butchers and fresh fruits. While you can take as many pictures as you want and learn about Vietnamese cuisine and history, our guide are more than happy to explain to you anything you would love to know. 

After visiting local market, back to the kitchen and put the apron on. Follow your chef’s instruction, you want your first attempt of making traditional dishes to be smooth, don’t you? Then you can enjoy your meal that you have just cooked.

In the afternoon, go on a boat trip on the romantic Perfume River and contemplate the magnificent Imperial Citadel of Hue. Visit Hue’s best-known religious sites: Thien Mu Pagoda. 

For more exploration in Hue, customize this itinerary by sending us your requests!

Meals on your own. Staying one night at the hotel.

Breakfast will be served at your hotel. Then, take a 3-hour drive to Hoian Ancient Town through the gorgeous Hai Van Pass. Whatever the weather, Hai Van Pass is always a scenic route. With sudden curves and blind corners, Hai Van is sure to satisfy your desire for adventure. This is your chance to get off-the-beaten-track on a tour that includes not just an adventure, but culture, history and of course - food!

Check in your hotel as you arrive at the destination.

Stroll around the old quarter of Hoian to contemplate the beautiful structures which are harmonious combinations of Vietnamese, Japanese and Chinese architecture.  Up next, pay a visit to the wonderful Hoian Museum, observe the impressive Phuoc Kien Assembly Hall. Finish your sightseeing tour with a visit to the Tan Ky Old House and the unique Japanese Covered Bridge. 

Meals on your own account. Overnight stay at the hotel.

From Hoi An ancient town, enjoy a short bike ride to Tra Que Village and feel the breeze blow past as you take in the sights of this beautiful city, with its clear waters and quaint houses. 

Take a quick break to relax and enjoy a welcome drink, before you visit Tra Que Organic Farm, filled with lush vegetation and blooming flowers. Meet the local farmers and get helpful tips and tricks as you try your hand at farming, then head back to the classroom to finally start the cooking class! 

You will be taught some local dishes like “Tam Huu”, which has shrimp, pork and local herbs. Enjoy your self-made lunch and others’ dishes. Then, let’s return to Hoi An. Dinner on your own.

Overnight stay at the hotel in Hoian.

Today is yours to spare. Enjoy your time in Hoian doing whatever you like. Meals on your own. Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning, you will be transferred to Da Nang airport for a flight to Ho Chi Minh city. 

Upon your arrival, our guide and driver are ready to pick up and transfer you to the hotel for check in. 

In the afternoon, get ready to discover Ho Chi Minh City. It is a vibrant city with a unique mix of French colonial architecture, Chinese influences, a modern entrepreneurial spirit, and numerous temples. 

Start your tour with the Reunification Palace, which is used to be the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam until April 1975.

The next stop is Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post Office, 2 most famous and oldest of classical French colonial architecture construction was built more than 100 years ago. 

Proceed to the Opera House afterward to marvel at the elegant and French-decorative structure since the colonial period. 

We continue the city tour by discovering the eastern side of the city. Ride to Cho Lon (Big Market), which is located inside the China Town. 

Before the tour ends, make a stopover for shopping at Ben Thanh Market in the city center

Meals on your own account. Overnight stay at the hotel.

You will be picked up at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City to start the one day tour with a brand new experience. Visit Ho Chi Minh Agricultural Villages (in Cu Chi District) to get to know the rural life in the southwest of Vietnam.  

Becoming a real Vietnamese farmer, you start with rice, work your way up to fruits and vegetables, and eventually start raising animals – a few chickens, a handful of ducks, and maybe a cow or three.

The cooking class is held in the most beautiful agricultural village where you will see our Vietnamese Medicine Garden with many different kinds of herbs, spices and vegetables for you to select from. Our professional chef will show you how easy it is to prepare delicious healthy food using these ingredients during a hands-on cooking class.

After lunch, visit rice paper making village to understand the making process and learn to make one if you want. Then explore the rubber tree forest and see how the local people collect the latex.

Continue to Cu Chi Tunnels. If you want to see how Vietnamese people were able to defeat the technologically superior Americans, you can go 40 miles northwest of Saigon to the region of Cu Chi and check out the secret tunnels guerrilla fighters built. 

Extended over an area of approximately 250 kilometers, the tunnels played a crucial role in helping the Vietnamese troops win against the American insurgents during the warfare. 

In the course of 20 years, Vietnamese people dug an elaborate system of tunnels stretching more than 120 miles to be the ultimate shelter of the Viet Cong fighters.  The fighters used the tunnels to avoid aerial attacks, house troops, transport communication,  and supplies. After an attack, they would vanish underground. 

Its complicated structure is comprised of innumerable trenches, bunkers, booby traps, bomb shelters, and an amazing air ventilation system. Several meters below the surface is everything needed for the life of local inhabitants: hospitals, schools, meeting rooms, kitchens and more. 

Back to the city center. Dinner on your own expense. Overnight stay at the hotel in Ho Chi Minh city.   

Take a full day to Mekong Delta which is a great experience to explore the amazing local life of people in West South of Vietnam. It will take about 2.5 - 3 hours drive from Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre. Get on the boat at Phong Nam pier for a cruise on Chet Say river - a branch of the Mekong River. 

Stop off at various local workplaces to give you a picture of how the local economy works, including brickwork, a coconut processing workshop and a mat weaving house.

Going to a coconut processing workshop is the most appealing to tourists, especially kids. Here you can sample fresh coconut, observe the candy-making process and enjoy sweet and greasy coconut candies that just come out of the oven. 

Have you ever seen straw mats woven using a handloom? This time you can even have a go at weaving yourself! 

The boat will then stop at a quiet village where you can have a short walk to experience real Delta village life, before boarding your 'xe loi' (a kind of motorized rickshaw) and traveling into the forest where you can visit fruit orchards before having lunch.

Lunch at a local house where you can enjoy some tasty delicacies.

In the afternoon, it’s time to board a sampan boat for a relaxing trip along narrow canals.

Transfer back to Ho Chi Minh city. Dinner at your own expense. 

Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

It’s time to buy some great souvenirs for your loved ones back home. You will be transferred without a tour guide to the airport for your departure flight. Meals on your own account.

End of service!