Vietnam Food Tour

DAY 01: HANOI ARRIVAL (-/-/-) 

Upon arrival at Noi Bai International airport, meet up your guide and transferred to hotel for refreshment.

Overnight in Hanoi

DAY 02: HALF DAY COOKING CLASS – STREET FOOD TOUR (B/L/D)  

Cooking class tour at High Way 4

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a half-day cooking class to acknowledge the charm of Vietnamese culinary culture left much impressed for international friends. Experiencing culinary culture gives you interesting discoveries hidden beauty, profound messages through each feature of Vietnamese culinary culture.

09.00: Meet the host at Highway 4, 5 Hàng Tre St, for a welcome drink

09.10: Take a cyclo trip to Hôm Market

09.30: Arrive at Hôm Market for tour

10.00: Taxi transfer from Hôm Market to Highway4, 5 Hàng Tre St

10.15: Welcome drinks, kit out in chef outfits, receive a full briefing

10.30: Begin cooking program (4 dishes), including food decoration skills training

12.30: Lunch, introduction to Vietnamese dining culture

13.30: End of program

In the afternoon, enjoy a half-day city tour in Hanoi. Our tour starts with a visit to the first national university of Vietnam – Temple of Literature (Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam) – which was built in the 10th century under the Ly Dynasty and greatly influenced by Confucianism. The following stop-off is Quan Su Pagoda, the head-quarter of Vietnam Buddhist Sangha where many important Vietnamese Buddhist activities are held. After leaving the architectural and cultural spots, you will experience the daily life of Hanoians at the bustling and noisy Dong Xuan Market, one of the biggest and oldest markets in Hanoi. Finally, it’s high time for us to enjoy street food in Hanoi. We have a chance to enjoy Banh Cuon, Banh My, sticky rice, Hanoi coffee & special egg-milk coffee, “Ch? cá Lã V?ng”, Bun Cha. Evening highlight will be a Water Puppet Performance – the unique form of Vietnamese art derived from the wet rice civilization of South East Asia.

Overnight in Hanoi

DAY 03: “GOOD MORNING HANOI” PROGAM - HOIAN ARRIVAL (B/L/D)

Meet our tour guide at around 6 AM, in the early morning, it is a really great time to know how a busy day in Hanoi starts. Follow our tour guide, breathe the pure air and enjoy early birds walking, it is an excellent way to get the new experience about this hustle bustle city. Arrival at Hoan Kiem Lake – the symbol of Hanoi capital, it is time to watch hundreds of Hanoians to enjoy their morning exercise “Tai chi” and maybe even take part in the exercise. In this way, you can know how the locals start a new working day. At the moment, it is not so crowded and it must be easy to discover another aspect of this city.

The next destination is the very famous restaurant that you could have a traditional breakfast like a Hanoian, you could enjoy “Pho Bat Dan”. Back your hotel and transfer to the airport for departure flight to Danang.

Arrival to Danang, having lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to Hoian ancient town.

In the afternoon, visit Family Chapel built by prominent, merchant or official families as the center ancestor worship a Chinese style Pagoda or Assembly Hall: Japanese Covered Bridge Pagoda which is the first bridge on this site and was constructed in 1593 by Japanese community of Hoi An to link the town with the Chinese Quarter across the stream, besides looking at Fukien Association Temple, Ceramic Museum and Chua Ong Temple. After that, enjoy street food at Hoian ancient town, some typical ones are shown as Chicken Rice, Qu?ng Noodle, Cao L?u, Hoành Thánh Wonton, Bánh ??p, h?n xào - Rice paper cake & stir-fried clam, Bánh V?c - White rose cake, Bánh m?” – Bread, Bánh bèo, Bánh ??t cu?n th?t n??ng - Wet rice paper cake & grilled pork

Overnight in Hoian

DAY 04: FARMER PROGRAM - HOIAN (B/L/D) 

After breakfast, riding a bicycle to Hoi An’s colorful central market. Here you will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later. So make sure your camera is handy. Bike to Tra Que vegetable village. Welcome drink for rest and walk through the vegetable gardens where local farmers work on their fields, using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago, no electrical machinery here. Go to the restaurant & work together with the chef. Learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food. After the lesson, enjoy what you have cooked.

Recipes: 

Tra Que vegetable salad Tam Huu dish

Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake)

Hoi An spring rolls

Transportation: Bicycle

Departure time: 08:00 am & 14:00 pm

Duration: 04 hours

Activities: Cooking Vietnamese food      

In the afternoon, riding back to Hoian and free leisure time to explore Hoi An Town before having dinner at a local restaurant.

Overnight in Hoian

DAY 05: HOIAN – STREET FOOD AT DONG BA MARKET – HUE (B/L/D)         

Today, proceed to Hue by the hillside road of Hai Van Pass, which is considered to have the world’s most beautiful beaches at its two ends and also has “the grandest fortified gateway". On sunny days, tourists have a panoramic view of Da Nang, Tien Sa Port, Son Tra Peninsula and Cu Lao Cham with long golden sand beaches embracing the sea bays. With a stop at the Marble Mountain to see the five marble and limestone hills, you will then reach Hue to visit the ancient Forbidden City. You will have some free time at Dong Ba Market where all of the most special cultural gifts and souvenirs of Thua Thien Hue that remain until today can be found. Besides, the Hue traditional food from street vendors on the ground floor of the market are really worth a try: Bún Bò - Beef vermicelli, Bánh Khoái - Khoai pancake, Hue’s - bánh medley, Nem l?i Hu?, Chè H?m - Sweet soup, C?m h?n - Clam rice

Afternoon, enjoy experience cooking class in Hue with Hue Cooking Class to cook Hue local food We pick you at your hotel and going to the market, here you can see all fresh herbs, seafood area, butchers, fresh fruits. Its time for taking pictures and learning about Vietnamese food culture and history. We are happy to explain to you anything you would love to know. Then we come back to the kitchen and prepare cooking.

Overnight in Hue

DAY 06: HUE - SAIGON BY NIGHT (B/L/D)

After breakfast, free at leisure till transfer to airport for departure flight. Upon arrival in Saigon, our tour guide pick up and transfer to hotel for a refresh.

After that, we'll wander around the backstreets, past bakeries, com tam (broken rice) restaurants, and other intriguing local shops. As we walk we'll start collecting snacks from local stalls and wandering vendors: Banh my Chao - Bread & hot pan fry, Tam rice, Bánh kh?t, Phá L?u, S?i C?o - Kind of wonton soup, Street seafood & Snail.

We'll walk through a chaotic local wet market, past dried, pickled and fresh produce, live seafood, and a noisy eating area. As we poke around, we'll collect more snacks and some tropical fruit. Then we'll adjourn to the grounds of a nearby temple to eat the food we've collected. After our picnic, we'll explore the temple, which is dedicated to an Imperial military leader. You can get your fortune told at the temple using a strange system of numbered sticks. This tour, suitable for families, is a great introduction to Vietnam. During the tour, we teach you some of the basics that will make your visit to Vietnam enjoyable, including how to cross the road! While it's not physically possible to eat everything you see on the tour, when we're finished with you, you should be able to identify a range of local dishes and know how to order them.

Overnight in Saigon

DAY 07: SAIGON – CAI BE – CAN THO (B/L/D)

Early morning, transfer to Vinh Long to visit Cai Be floating market.

After arrival in Cai Be, we will onboard for an exploration of lush vegetations of Mekong Delta and the lively floating market buyers bargaining. Next, a rowing boat rides on the maze of shady canals to arrive at a local orchard to enjoy the local tropical fruits and visit the daily activities the handicraft villages of local people. Break time for lunch at the orchard fruit garden. From here have a pleasant time riding bicycles to the villages, sightseeing or relaxing on the hammock.

Head to Can Tho, check-in hotel and visit the city and enjoy street food in Can Tho.

There are some typical local dishes can be found in Cantho: Rice Spaghetti with Pork skin - Bánh t?m bì, Cai Rang grilled “nem” - Similar to Nem Lui, Vietnamese Crepes

Overnight in Can Tho

DAY 08: CAI RANG FLOATING MARKET – SAIGON (B/L/D)

Cruising along the small and picturesque tributaries by local boat, we will see the Cai Rang floating market (the nicest one with heaps of rowing boats). Take in the beautiful scenery and the daily activities of the locals who live along the Mekong canals and you will roam through the village to visit a rice husking mill and a rice noodles making shop… Stops at Can Tho market where a bus will drive you back to HCM City.

Overnight in Saigon

DAY 09: SAIGON CITY TOUR – STREET FOOD TOUR BY VESPA (B/L/D)

Morning, sightseeing tour of Ho Chi Minh City: The Reunification Palace, used to be the residence of the President of the Republic of Vietnam. On 30 April 1975, when North Vietnam soldiers set foot inside this building with a red flag on hand, the whole world knew that the Vietnam war ended. Next stop is War Remnants Museum, on the way stop to visit 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. After lunch and a short rest, we continue the city tour by discovering the eastern side of the city. Giac Lam Pagoda, the oldest one in Ho Chi Minh City with a huge Buddha statues system which was built in 1774.

Then ride to Cho Lon (Big Market) and Thien Hau Pagoda which located inside China Town, it’s a place of great historical and cultural importance many of temples, pagodas in the surrounding area.

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

Nighttime, enjoy: “Saigon After Dark” tour - 6:30 pm – 10:30 pm:

Part night excursion, part street food adventure. VVA pick up guests at the hotel and first stop is to Café zoom to " watch the world goes by" (quoted by The Lonely Planet) and enjoy cocktail and appetizer (inclusive) before adventuring into favorite local eating spot. Guests experience the nightlife of Saigon the way locals do, all from the back of a vintage Vespa scooter. The tour will start with a ride to part Chinatown and then heading to District 4 through busy streets and alleys to see the nightlife of locals and enjoy street seafood and cold drinks, places that foreigner won't be found. Leaving district 4 to district 3 the tour pass through downtown district 1 to take in the sights on the way to Banh Xeo, a specialty of Saigon, and southern food with the locals. Then the tour will continue to a hidden Vietnamese-style coffee shop to have a taste of Vietnamese music (live) as a local. After this, the tour will bring a guest to a live music venue to enjoy the drinks with live music. Guests ride pillion behind our drivers.

Overnight in Saigon

DAY 10: SAIGON DEPARTURE (B/-/-)

Breakfast at the hotel. Free and easy till transfer to the airport for departure flight back to your sweet home.