Vietnam Culinary Tour 12 days : "Taste of Vietnam"

Getting to know the cuisine is the best way to understand the culture of the country. Let's take an insight into Vietnam with our "Vietnam Culinary Tour 12 days" The journey is meant for nature, culture, and food lovers, as we will offer various chances to sample many different tasty Vietnamese dishes during the trip.

12 days 11 nights

Vietnam

Classic Highlights

- Food Tour

Attractions

Ha Long City - Ha Noi - Hoi An - Hue - Ben Tre - Sai Gon

Duration

12 days 11 nights

Code

VCT5

Overview

Overview

Vietnam Culinary Tour 12 days takes you through the highlights of Vietnam. The tour offers an opportunity to experience the country's history, cuisine, and natural beauty. The tour starts in the capital city of Hanoi, where you will be introduced to the 4,000 years of history through city tours and street food tours. You will also visit the breathtaking Halong Bay and watch the life of floating fishing villages. In Hue, explore the ancient Citadel, tombs, and pagodas, and taste the most special dishes of this historic city.

In Hoi An, take a cooking class at the Red bridge and enjoy delicious cuisine. The tour continues to Mekong Delta, where you will take a boat to explore the intricate network of canals and channels. Finally, in vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, experience the local life on the back of a rider, ride through the lit boulevards, the back alleys, and the busy streets to taste Saigon street foods. The tour concludes with a visit to Cu Chi Tunnels, which played a crucial role during the Vietnam War.

Overall, the Vietnam food tour offers a perfect balance between food, culture, and adventure, which is an ideal choice for those who want to explore Vietnam in a short amount of time.

Highlights

Gain a deeper understand of 4,000 years of history with Hanoi - the capital known for its shimmering lakes, shaded boulevards and verdant parks
Join an interesting street food tour in Hanoi
Watch the life of floating fishing villages and see the wonderful Surprise Cave in Halong Bay
Discover the ancient Citadel, tombs and pagodas of peaceful Hue town and taste the most special dishes of this historic city
Take part in the hands-on cooking class at Red bridge and enjoy delicious cuisine in Hoi An
Take a boat to explore the intricate network of canals and channels in Mekong Delta area
Explore vibrant Ho Chi Minh City, the dynamic heart of Vietnam and experience yourself on the back of your rider. We will ride through the beautiful lit boulevards, the back alleys, and the busy streets where you can enjoy Saigon street foods

Itinerary

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You will be welcomed by our guide by arrival at Noi Bai Airport. We transfer you with a comfortable vehicle to the city center of Hanoi to check-in your hotel. This day is scheduled to take some rest after your long flight. You have the opportunity to get some first impressions of the city by yourself and of course our tour guide is always available at your request. Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi

After breakfast, our guide will pick you up and show you around Hanoi, Vietnam’s gracious capital. We enjoy a full day city tour starting with the Ho Chi Minh Complex, home to his mausoleum, garden, house on stilts and a museum which traces his life and work.

Our first stop is to visit the mausoleum of the nation’s founder Ho Chi Minh. Located in the center of Ba Dinh Square, this is the most important monument of Vietnam in which Ho Chi Minh’s body is preserved. This site only opens on Tuesday to Thursday and weekends from 08:00 – 11:00.

The next destination is the Presidential Palace and the Ho Chi Minh’s house on stilts. The Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house was completed on May 19th, 1958 as a birthday present for uncle Ho and becomes a symbol of his simple life.

Close to this complex is the One Pillar Pagoda. The pagoda looks like a lotus blossoming from the square pond. It was constructed in 1049 by King Ly Thai Tong based on his dream of Goddess of Mercy seating on a lotus flower and giving him a boy. In 1954, it was destroyed by the French and then restored in 1955.

We follow this with the Temple of Literature, which is well known as the first university of Vietnam. This temple provides an opportunity to learn more about education in Vietnam since 1000 years ago until recent history.

In the afternoon, visit the impressive Ethnologic Museum that is dedicated to Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups. This museum has both indoor and outdoor exhibition area with the most popular architectural styles of house’s ethnic people. The museum closes on every Monday.

Overnight at the hotel in Hanoi

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

In the late afternoon, you continue your trip with a walking street food tour with a private guide in which you can experience the most outstanding traditional Vietnam cuisines such as Banh My, Bun Cha and enjoy local beer (draught beer) with potato chips at the “international” corner Ta Hien where each night, hundreds of travellers and a large number of local flock here to hang out. Speicially, all seats just need small plastic stools, drink beer and observe relaxly the local daily life follows the characteristic way at the Old Quarter. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi

Breakfast served at hotel and then starts a 3-hour drive through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta to Ha Long City.

Declared as a World Heritage site by the UNESCO in 1994, Ha Long Bay is one of Vietnam’s most spectacular natural attractions. Nearly 200 km far from Hanoi, the bay is dotted with 1600 limestone islands, capturing visitors’ attention.

Arrive in Halong ad board a wooden sailing junk for a cruise through the limestone cliffs and emerald waters of Ha Long Bay, giving us the chance to take in the stunning scenery of this World Heritage Site. While on board we will be served a sumptuous fresh, local seafood lunch followed by a swim and exploring some of the limestone caves in this area. When the sun comes down we drop anchor for the night nearby a remote island. Dinner served on board. Overnight on Junk

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 then set out for the exploration of Hue's famous highlights, including a boat trip to visit the picturesque Thien Mu, or Heavenly Lady Pagoda

Built in 1601, it is one of the best know religious and must-see sites in Hue. Both landscape and monuments here are always in harmony and bring a feeling of peace for travelers.

Disembark the board for a visit the elaborate mausoleum of former emperor Tu Duc.

Stretching along the Perfume River, Tu Duc mausoleum is considered to be the most picturesque site of Hue. The tomb was designed by the Emperor Tu Duc himself and this is the largest architectural work of Nguyen Dynasty’s royal palaces and tombs.

Transfer back to Hue center Hue for lunch at local restaurant. You can try some traditional Hue specialties at Huynh Anh Kim Long. Frequented only by the locals, this restaurant specializes in banh uot, a steamed rice pancake stuffed with delicate, finely chopped pork, and bun thi nuong, a rice noodle dish served with grilled meat

In the afternoon we continue to visit the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City

Built in the 19th century by Nguyen dynasty, the Citadel becomes the most important historical and cultural monument in Vietnam. It is a square 2 km wall encompassing 3 walled enclosures: the Citadel, the Yellow Imperial city, and the Forbidden Purple city.

If time permits, we continue to do the walking and shopping in Dong Ba Market to enjoy the specialty of Hue city. Overnight at the hotel in Hue

After having breakfast, we continue our south journey by road to Hoian
The ancient town of Hoian is a small town in Central Vietnam. In the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoian was a busy international commercial port for foreign merchants. Today, Hoian is popular for its peaceful beauty, eclectic architecture, tailors and cafes.

The scenery en route is very beautiful. We make a stop at Lang Co beach for coffee and refreshments before winding our way up the spectacular Hai Van Pass to admire the stunning views north to Lang Co beach and south to Danang City. Continue on our way down to the other side and head to Da Nang where we will stop at the Cham Museum, the famed China Beach, and the Marble Mountains. Arrival in Hoi An, we will have our first glimpse of this beautiful boutique town recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The tranquil and charm of Hoi An with its low tiled houses of Chinese appearance, Japanese covered bridge, and the colorful riverside market make it one of Vietnam’s most delightful places. Overnight at hotel in Hoian

We start the day at around 8:15am with a drink at Hai Scout Café – our meeting point. Visit the colorful 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 Hoi An 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 Hoi An’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. In the afternoon transfer to the airport for your short flight to Saigon. Overnight in Saigon

Today we depart our hotel for a full day city tour in Saigon. The first stop is the Reunification Palace.

Reunification Palace is a unique construction designed for the President of South Vietnam during Vietnam War. When entering, visitors can not only admire its architectural beauty but also enjoy fresh atmosphere created by trees and grasses around.

After that we will continue our trip to visit War Remnant Museum

War Remnants Museum primarily contains exhibits relating to the American phase of the Vietnam War. War Remnants Museum comprises a series of themed rooms in several buildings, with period military equipment placed within a walled yard.

Before our lunch we stop at Notre Dame Cathedral and Old Post office to get our good shots for our memory of the biggest city in Vietnam. Our lunch served at a traditional restaurant in the central city.

In the afternoon we will visit: China town and Binh Tay market- one of the biggest markets in Saigon. Here you can experience our Vietnamese Southern daily life. Overnight in Saigon

Morning after having breakfast, depart for the famous Cu Chi Tunnels

Located 70 km northwest of Saigon, Cu Chi Tunnels were an incredible underground network constructed by Vietnamese soldiers in the American war. Nowadays, the tunnels have become a popular tourist attraction of Vietnam.

In the afternoon have a free time until our guide pick you up for an interesting food tour in Saigon by enjoying the ride on a motorbike. We won't cram too much food but a little bit more than enough to taste the authentic Saigon cuisine and experience the nightlife of Saigon in our style. We will ride through the beautiful lit boulevards, the back alleys, and the busy streets that you see in your handbook. It will be more an awesome experience. Have your cozy dinner with our guide while receiving some customs & background knowledge of the food you enjoy. Then try the famous Vietnamese dessert, the sweet soup. You will have a chance to let us rock your senses until your jaw drop. The food tour starts from 6.30 PM and ends at 9.30 PM. Overnight in Saigon

The Mekong Delta is the region in southern Vietnam where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea. It is a very rich and lush area, covered with rice fields, that produces about half of the total of Vietnam’s agricultural output.
Morning at around 08:30 we depart from the southern economic hub of Ho Chi Minh City to the area referred locally as ‘the rice bowl of Vietnam’- Ben Tre.
Situated in Mekong Delta, Ben Tre has advantages to develop ecotourism with many fruit gardens, the floating fishing village, etc. For nature lovers, Ben Tre will be a wonderful destination.
On arrival in Ham Luong pier. Cruse on Ben Tre river exploring the lively activities along river as fishing, water transferring... see brick making in handy traditional style by printing and baking. Visit one of plenty of coconut processing workshops located along canal. Turn on natural scissors creeks where they look smaller and smaller to go to village. Take a walk to family workshop making sleep mats and enjoying some fruits and tea.
Riding a motor cart (xe lôi) or bike on shady paths, pass by green rice fields and vegetable plains to be able to touch on really life and find out about tropical culture from Peasants. Lunch at Hai Hồ house.
Afternoon - riding a sampan along canal, before boat back to Ham Luong pier. End you touring, going back to HCM city or next destination.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh city

Enjoy your free time in Saigon for relaxing or shopping until we transfer you to the airport for your flight home

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Trip notes

Tour includes:

Accommodation in a double or twin share room with daily breakfast
Overnight cruise on board a good-quality boat in Halong Bay (non-private boat)
Private air-conditioned vehicle during all tours and transfers.
Entrance fees for all visits as mentioned in the itinerary
Experienced English speaking guide during all tours and transfers
Meals as indicated by Vietnamese foods at the restaurant (B= breakfast; L=Lunch; D = Dinner)
Hoian cooking class
Street food excursion in Hanoi
Vespa tour in Saigon
Local private boat excursions in Hue, Mekong Delta
Water & cool towels during transfer
Government taxes & service charge

Tour excludes:

Vietnam Visa stamp fee: USD 25/ person
International airfare and departure taxes
Meals, if not specified in the itinerary
Early check in/ late check out
Domestic flights and domestic airport taxes
Gala dinner on 24th and 31st December if any
Surcharged for Public holidays
Drinks and meal not mentioned
Personal expenses such as laundry, telephone, drinks … etc.
Personal travel insurance (we highly recommend that you purchase adequate insurance).
Gratuities/ Tipping
All other services not specified in the itinerary