Culinary Delights of Vietnam

📍 HCMC airport – HCMC center (8km) : 30 minutes

Upon arrival, your private guide and car will meet you outside and transfer to the hotel for check in.

Once known as the ‘Pearl of Indochina’, Saigon boasts an enormous architectural wealth, mirroring its colourful history. From the pagodas, museums and European architecture of the city’s recent past to the growing number of skyscrapers, Saigon is like a trip through time.

Tonight, depending on arrival time, treat yourself to dinner at AnAn, the first restaurant in Saigon to receive a star by the esteemed Michelin Guide (at own expense, bookings recommended in advance (contact us). 

Overnight in Sai Gon.

Inclusions:

Today's tour starts at 08:30 with a drive to the FITO Museum. This fascinating private museum has an impressive collection of items related to the history of traditional Vietnamese medicine. Objects found in traditional pharmacies and valuable books and documents are on display. 

Return to the center of the city, hop out the vehicle and take a walking tour through the historic city center and CBD. See the architecturally splendid City Hall, historic Dong Khoi Street,  the Continental Hotel and the Saigon Opera House before heading to the Central Post Office. From here, you can glimpse the former CIA building, where one of the last helicopter evacuations took place in 1975.   

Following, rest your feet over a well deserved lunch before continuing to perhaps the city’s most famous landmarks - the Reunification Palace. Now preserved in a time warp, the ‘war rooms’ in the basement plus the opulent display’s are fascinating.  

Continue either on foot or by vehicle to one of the city’s museums. Choose the War Remnants Museum, which exhibits artifacts and photographs relating to the country’s wars or The Fine Arts Museum where a symphony of art and charming design can be seen.  

Finish up the day at another historic site,  the Ben Thanh Market. Still functioning as a local neighborhood market, the central location also welcomes travelers with a variety of stalls. 

Having gained greater understanding of Saigon's culture and history, return to the hotel late afternoon. 

Evening at leisure. Ask us for recommendations on the town’s best restaurants.

Overnight in Saigon.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

Start the day at 08:30 with a different discovery of Saigon; the caffeine habits of the locals and the significance of coffee drinking in Vietnamese culture. 

Coffee was introduced to Vietnam by the French in the late 19th century with the country quickly becoming a leading exporter as vast areas of the highlands were given over to this important new cash crop. Today, the Vietnamese have taken coffee to new gastronomical levels, which continues to evolve. 

Start with a stroll through a buzzing local residential area and delve right into local life while browsing the street, watch people enjoying their coffee, reading their newspapers or chatting with each other.  

Here, visit a 90-year old coffee shop, the oldest in Saigon. Get to know the unique way of making coffee while listening to tales related to this trade.

As part of the tour, you will have a chance to visit a charmingly restored ‘shophouse’ located in the historic part of the city, which still operates as a trading area. Once there, discover the exquisite flavors of Vietnamese specialty coffee and learn how to prepare a delicious ‘caphe trung’, aka egg coffee.
 

Caffeine fueled, conclude the tour with a drive back to your hotel.  

This evening, gain insight into the life of Vietnam’s ambitious younger generation over a delicious home-cooked meal. Your host, a cookbook author, street photographer and marketer has a love for cooking and welcoming guests into her creative and modern home. 

At 18:00, depart your hotel to the home of your host, tucked down a typical ‘Saigonese’ street 20-25 mins drive from the center of the city  (traffic dependable). 

On arrival, get settled and chat over a welcome drink about her life journey from the north to south of Vietnam and how she became an author and street photographer. Enjoy an authentic Vietnamese meal, home cooked by your host.  This is a unique opportunity to learn more about how locals dine in a typical, yet elegant manner.  

After the meal, spend some time admiring her lively photo collection of Saigon’s daily street life and the inspirational story behind each piece. Transfer back to the hotel after an evening (and belly!) full of memories.

Overnight in Saigon.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🍗 Dinner

📍 HCMC – HCMC’s airport (8km) : 30mins Danang airport – Central Hoi An (30km) : 50mins

This morning, transfer to Saigon's Tan Son Nhat airport for the flight to central Vietnam.  From the Danang airport, it’s a 45-minute drive to the ancient port town of Hoi An. 

Hoi An, one of Vietnam’s most picturesque towns and UNESCO-heritage listed, once a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries now draws international visitors to its streets, for both the history and the surrounding scenes.    

Afternoon and evening at leisure. Ask us for recommendations on the town’s best restaurants. 

Overnight in Hoi An

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

Spend half a day in Hoi An’s rural outskirts learning how to create some of the region’s signature dishes using fresh, fragrant herbs. You’ll also visit a ‘wet’ market to learn more about the area’s produce from farm to sea, before this delectable cultural experience.   

Be picked up at 8:30 from the hotel, begin with a cup of coffee at a riverside restaurant in Hoi An’s center. Once you’re briefed on the activities for the next few hours, stroll to a nearby ‘fresh market’ to learn about the local shopping culture. Next, enjoy a 10-minute scenic drive to the cooking class by electric buggy.

After arriving at the architecturally stunning venue for the activity, explore the surroundings before learning how generations of farmers have cultivated the land. The soil here is rich and fertile, thanks to the combination of silted river water and natural algae fertilizer. Using these traditional methods to grow their vegetables, without the use of chemicals or pesticides results in produce that is both healthy and delicious.

A short yet satisfying massage to ease your muscles will follow the learning experience, before starting the cooking class, where the Chef will introduce a variety of incredible ingredients for you to create. 

After you ‘cook and learn’,  it’s finally time to sit back and devour your delicious creation. Once relaxed and satisfied, transfer back to your hotel to rest. 

Mid afternoon at 15:00, get ready for a food adventure into an area known by many, yet still relatively undiscovered by visitors, outside of the Old Town. A city of roughly 200 thousand inhabitants, the food scene in Hoi An deserves more credit than only cau lau, com ga and banh mi, which reflects the cultural values and history of this once-flourishing port town. Offering exclusive access and a ‘behind the scenes’ experience with the help of your foodie guide, explore the hidden corners and unique dishes of the heartwarming food and people of Hoi An town. 

By the trusted lead of your expert guide, gain an introduction of  Hoi An specialities cooked by old family friends. Your guide grew up on these streets, eating at these same food stalls as a child. 

The exclusive access to  the faces behind the stock pots will teach you how the Hoi An locals live and eat, and how in fact many people graze, due to the portion size, people can eat all day! 

Once you skirt the old town wander into the outskirts, weaving in and out the small  alleyways where you'll chow down with the locals at stalls you'd never discover on your own. End the adventure with a tummy full of great food and a heart full of joy.

Note: limited vegetarian options, not suitable for vegans, maximum 6 persons per group based on availability.

Overnight in Hoi An

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

Join one of Central Vietnam’s most renowned chefs, Duc Tran from Mango Mango fame, on an exclusive half day experience, at his incredible home. The man behind three well-loved restaurants, Mango Mango, Mango Rooms and Mai Fish, Duc fled Vietnam during the 1970’s at the tender age of fifteen. After refugee camp’s finding spice in Texas and world travels he came full circle back to Vietnam in 2003. Fast forward 20-years and Duc’s appeared on numerous international cooking and travel programs.  

Be picked up at 8:30 from the hotel and begin the tour with a short visit to a local market (led by a local tour guide, Duc will not join) for a brief intro into the area’s produce, from farm to sea. See locals shopping from the seat of their motorbikes. Here in Vietnam, life is about speed and convenience, both in cooking and in life.  

After, head to Duc's rural home/ cooking studio for a private demonstration followed by lunch, freshly prepared by the chef himself. Once satisfied, return to your hotel. Rest of the day at leisure. 

Note: Menu is seasonal.                          

Overnight in Hoi An.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 Central Hoi An - Danang Airport (30km): 50mins Noi Bai airport - Hanoi (35km): 60mins

Take a morning flight and head to your next destination, the capital of Vietnam.  

Hanoi, a city of contrasts, defies easy categorization. It's both modern and traditional, chaotic and serene, and always full of surprises. But one thing is for sure: it's a place that’s captivating, to all the senses. 

At 14:00 set off on a half day guided tour of Hanoi’s highlights.  

Dive right in with a visit to the Temple of Literature. In 1076 Quoc Tu Giam - Vietnam's first university, also referred to as Van Mieu, was established within a temple to educate Vietnam's royalty, mandarins and members of the elite, for an incredible 800-years.   

Conclude the exploration with a stroll through Hanoi’s Old Quarter. A maze of alleyways and hidden treasures, learn about local life in the ‘36-guilds’ as you weave through the frenetic streets on foot. Tantalize the taste buds and ignite the senses with Hanoi street food tour. Seek out the city’s typical dishes and exotic delicacies alongside a local.  

The streets of Hanoi are a feast for the senses. Visually appealing, modern style meets history and tradition interlooped with sensational local cuisine. Be introduced to what the locals love; snacks of all types, bowls of noodles, deserts, egg coffee and sweet treats, served streetside or in ‘shophouses’. 

With a firm understanding of true Vietnamese flavors and an unforgettable impression of Hanoi street food, return to the hotel. 

Overnight in Hanoi.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🍗 Dinner

Today, take part in a hands-on cooking class with the charming Ms Ai, a renowned local chef. Shop for ingredients at the neighbourhood ‘wet’ market and step into the kitchen of her family home to prepare then dine on authentic North Vietnamese cuisine on this culinary and cultural discovery.

Begins at 08:30 with a transfer to Chef Ai‘s House in the suburbs of Hanoi for the start of this exciting cooking class. Meet your host, a passionate foodie who finished in the  top 5 of ‘MasterChef Vietnam’ in 2014. 

Together, head to the neighbourhood’s wet market, walking distance from her house. See the variety of goods on offer, learning from the chef about their uses in traditional cuisine and purchasing items for the day’s cooking class. The marketplace is a fabulous place to observe the local way of life and learn about how Hanoians shop for fresh produce.

Armed with the necessary ingredients, return to Chef Ai‘s family home. Once in the kitchen, the chef will share the secrets behind the region's most popular dishes. Using your host's recipes, slice, dice then cook these delicious ingredients . 

Once ready, sit down and feast on the meal bringing the culinary adventure to a close before transferring back to the hotel. 

Afternoon and evening at leisure. Ask us for recommendations on the town’s best restaurants.

Overnight in Hanoi

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch

📍 From central Hanoi to Halong Bay (160km): approx.2.5hrs

The perfect way to see the UNESCO World Heritage areas of Halong and Lan Ha Bay is to spend a night aboard a charming boat. The mystical scenery, where thousands of limestone islands jut out of the emerald sea, sculpted into wonderous shapes covered in lush fauna is truly breathtaking.   

Following breakfast leave Hanoi at 09:00 for the 2.5hours drive to Halong City. Arrive at the pier around noon and proceed with check-in formalities. 

After the welcome onboard and checking into the cabin, lunch will be served whilst cruising. In the afternoon, enjoy some visits or activities (depending on the boat’s set itinerary). Towards the end of the afternoon the boat will anchor for the night surrounded by karst formations. 

Enjoy a sunset on the deck followed by dinner, then retiring for the evening. 

Overnight on Halong or Lan Ha Bay  (depending on the boat’s set itinerary).
 

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

After breakfast, either stay aboard the boat or transfer to a smaller day boat for a full day of activities including lunch: swimming, visiting villages or kayaking (depending on the boat’s set itinerary).   

Once back aboard the main boat, enjoy sunset on the deck followed by dinner, then retire for the evening. 

Overnight on Halong or Lan Ha Bay  (depending on the boat’s set itinerary).

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast, 🥘 Lunch, 🍗 Dinner

📍 From Halong Bay to Noibai (160km): approx. 2,5hrs

Wake up to the fresh morning amidst the bay and have breakfast (brunch on some boats) while leisurely immersing in the serene setting of the spectacular rock formations. 

Proceed to checkout as the cruise arrives towards port. Upon disembarkation, be met by the driver for the transfer back to Hanoi. 

Note: This tour may be subject to change depending on weather conditions.

Inclusions:

☕ Breakfast