Vietnam Tour 12 days: Taste of Vietnam

Today, we enjoy a full day city tour starting with the Ho Chi Minh Complex. This famous site contains the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh (Close on Monday, Friday & November), the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. Close to this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda, whose origins date back to the foundation of city. We follow this with the Temple of Literature, which is well known as the first university of Vietnam. Have lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the impressive Ethnologic Museum, dedicated to Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups, several of which we will see on our forthcoming trekking.

18.00- 18:30 Pick-up from the hotel and transfer to our meeting point by local transportation.

18:30 Our professional English-speaking tour guide will meet you in the Old Quarter and introduce you to the culture and daily life of the locals there.

You will have an opportunity to enjoy green papaya salad, Bun Cha, Pho (Beef or chicken noodle), Banh Cuon, Banh Mi, Hanoi draught beer.

During the tour, you will not only have an opportunity to enjoy delicious local foods but will also be guided about the ingredients and process of making this local tasty dish, as well as introduced to some destinations of culture, history, and temples such as the local market, Heritage house, and the old city gate of Hanoi Old Quarter.

20:00 Our Barista will introduce the info about the class. Such as history of Vietnamese Coffee, Egg Coffee, Phin Coffee…

Following the process for the famous cup of Egg Coffee

· Making coffee based by Phin (filter).

We also introduce the history of Phin (Filter).

The Way we brew coffee by Phin.

What kind of coffee would be perfect for Phin?

Brewing ratio…Then We will demonstrate one Phin step by step.

· Making Egg Cream.

We also introduce history of Egg Coffee Our unique Recipe.

Demonstrate how to make an Egg Cream step by step.

· Egg Coffee Art Ideas.

After pouring Egg Cream into the cup of Coffee. You will spend some time decorating yourself an amazing cup of egg coffee. Enjoy your coffee at the end!

21:00 Return to the meeting place and say goodbye.

TOUR INCLUDED

· English-speaking guide.

· A bottle of Mineral water.

· The best of Hanoi local food.

· Pick-up in the old quarter (local transportation).

· Coffee, fresh beer.

TOUR EXCLUDED

· Pick up outside of the old quarter.

· Tax (VAT).

· All services and items are not mentioned specifically in the list above.

· Tips.

After breakfast we will pick up you and transfer you about 65 km from Hanoi to visit Duong Lam ancient village

Situated in Son Tay province, this village has been known as a museum of laterite with ancient houses aged up to 400 years old Duong Lam, and a purely agricultural village of the Northern Red River Delta.

On arrival we take a walk on the village path to visit Mong Phu temple where is dedicated to national heroes, King Ngo Quyen temple and King Phung Hung temple. Enjoy Vietnamese special Vietnamese lunch in an ancient house. While you are in the house you can also join the local people in producing local specialties such as soft green-lentil cake and rice cakes filled with brown onion and enjoy these products (Depends on the season of the year). Continue to visit Mia Pagoda - built in 15th century and admire 287 statues of all sizes before transfer back to your hotel in Hanoi.

Rising to the tranquil beauty of the bay we have time for an early morning dip with joys and emotions for watching sunrise on sea followed by breakfast. This morning we continue to move around the bay to find more secluded areas. The junk will be near us at all times serving as a back-up vessel for those that require it. At around midday we will return to the main harbor before transferring to our awaiting vehicle for a 3-hour journey to Noi Bai airport for flight to Hue.
 
Hue was the capital of Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty. Not only is it famous for the splendid architecture of citadels, palaces, royal tombs and pagodas but the ancient traditions of Hue also create a unique romantic city.
 
Upon arrival Hue, pick up & transfer to hotel in Hue. Overnight at the hotel in Hue

We start the day (8.15am) with a drink at Hai Scout Café (98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoian Ancient Town, our meeting point. Visit Hoian’s colourful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of this busy market. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and purchase some of the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later. We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoian River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. This is a chance to view local river life, so make sure your camera is handy. On arrival, we explore the cooking school’s herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of Hoian’s and Vietnam’s well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – each dish is first demonstrated by the Red Bridge chef’s, 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.

Recipes (our food contains no MSG):

1. Making fresh Rice paper

2. Fresh Rice Paper Rolls of Shrimp

3. Crispy Hoi An Pancakes with Shrimp, Herbs & a Peanut Sauce

4. Seafood Salad with mixed Vietnamese Herbs served in Half a Pineapple

5. Mi Quang Chicken Noodles

6. Food Decoration – Tomato Rose & Vietnamese Cucumber Hand Fan

Our cooking class finishes at approximately 1:00 PM and we then transfer you to the airport for your flight to Saigon. Upon arrival pick up and then transfer you to your hotel for your overnight

Morning after having breakfast, depart for the famous Cu Chi Tunnels which were an incredible underground network constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the long struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, plus accommodation and schools, and were used as a military base for the Vietcong in the American war.

Free & easy, in the evening we enjoy vespa adventure tour.

In (4.5 hours: 5pm - 9:30pm) Culinary is not just about eating and drinking, but it also represents a country's identity, culture and people. Understanding that, our Dining Delights tour is designed to introduce you to Vietnam's renowned street food and Saigon's vibrant nightlife.

• Flavorful beef noodle soup (not Pho)
• "Nhậu" like a local
• Immerse in a bustling night food market
• All you can eat BBQ & seafood feast

Pick up at your hotel in Saigon and then move 2 hours to Cai Be. The program will start with a quick visit of Cai Be town & the ancient church from the boat. Then, we’ll come to Tân Phong Island for the rowing boat. They will take you deeper into the countryside on smaller canals to enjoy the peaceful time under the shade of mangrove trees. Stop at local garden to enjoy some fruits with hot tea when listening to the traditional music.

Then, start the biking trip on village paths to see the local daily life: orchard, school, church, pagoda, traditional houses... On the way, we can make some stops to see how they wave the dried water-hyacinth to make many products: baskets, bags, hats, wallets, shoes... (You can walk, but see less).

Back to our boat to go across one of the longest rivers in the world, Mekong River, to come to An Bình Island. Travel on the handmade canal to a local house & have lunch at this traditional house. After lunch, we can walk in the local village to visit the local workshop to see how to make rice paper, coconut candy, pop-rice... Enjoy some sweets with a cup of hot tea.

Visit the brick kilns where you can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay. The cruise will end at the new boat station of Vinh Long city! From here we will pick up and transfer back to Saigon for your overnight.