Overview

If cooking were painting, Vietnam would have one of the world’s most colorful palettes”. The great diversity of its climate and terrain can produce almost anything that can be eaten. The Vietnamese ourselves have no culinary inhibitions and are always willing to try something new. When you combine the two, nothing is ruled out. The picture of Vietnamese cuisine is vast and varied, always subject to innovation, and always vibrantly colorful. 

Savor delicious Vietnamese dishes from North down South is always a wonderful experiences, apart from that we also have chance to experience a hands-on cooking class in different cooking class with variety of recipes. The trip will take you to visit many highlights of the country such as: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City. It is really great for the food lovers and someone who love and want to cook their own Vietnamese dishes. 

Itinerary

Vietnam Cooking Tours( 12 days/11 nights) 

Savor delicious Vietnamese dishes from North down South is always a wonderful experiences, apart from that we also have chance to experience a hands-on cooking class in different cooking class with variety of recipes. The trip Visit the many highlights of the country such as: Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An, Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City. This trip is a great for the food lovers and someone who want to cook their own Vietnamese dishes. Comes and enjoy! 

Day 1: Hanoi arrives (D)

• Aiport pick up and transfer to your hotel. If time permit, enjoy pleasant walk around the lake area for a glimpse of the city.
• In the evening, we will enjoy our Welcome Dinner at Tonkin restaurant
• Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi old quarter.

Day 2: Hanoi City tour (B, L)

• We start with a cyclo( pedalised rickshaw) ride around the old quarter and French quarter of Hanoi and stop at Hochiminh complex and queue with local to walk solemnly to visit his mausoleum

• Short drive to Ngo Si Lien market for authentic local street food market and keep on to visit Temple of Literature – the first Emperial college of Vietnam and symbol of Vietnamese education traditions.
• Have lunch in a authentic local restaurant called Quan An Ngon for best traditional Vietnamese dishes
• Visit Museum of Ethnology – the best museum in Hanoi for an overview about Vietnamese culture
• Enjoy walk along Long Bien historical steel bridge of Hanoi to see local life, visit Dong Xuan central market and old authentic hidden street of Hanoi old quarter
• Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi

Note: Lunch at Cha Ca La Vong
“Cha ca” is a favourite dish of Hanoian. Located in Cha Ca street, Cha ca La Vong (”cha ca” means grilled fish) is the famous restaurant to many Hanoian as well as visitors from all over the world.

Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L)

• We are met at the lobby of hotel at 08:00AM, then transfer to Halong Bay. After more than 3 hours driving including a stop-over in Hai Duong city, we arrive in Halong Bay at around 11:30.

• We will enjoy a delicious, fresh, seafood lunch after that and spend about 4 hours cruising on this secluded bay. During the time we will have the opportunity to visit the spectacular Heaven Palace (Thien Cung) and Dau Go caves, those caves crammed with thousand of stalactites and stalagmites with different colors, shapes and size.
• We keep cruising to see many lime stone islands and islets, which dotted around the bay including: Incense Bowl islet, Cock Fighting islet, Sail islet, Turtle Island...
• Transfer back to Hanoi in the late afternoon.
• Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi
  
  

Day 4: Hanoi – Cooking class – Fly to Hue (B, L)

• 08.30 – 8h45 Meeting our guide and chefs at Viet Kitchen Spring and enjoy a special “Banh Giay”, and Vietnamese welcome “Thai Nguyen” tea.

• After the welcomes, we will walk to see the “Hom” fresh market nearby our center. The ‘Hom” market is divided into different sections such as Flower, Seafood, Dry herb, Vegetable which is very interesting to go through. It is also considered as one of the most typical market in the Old Quarter of Hanoi with the way of setting out, where the local go and shop daily. 
• 8h45– 9h30: In the market, our guide and chef will give you the chance to discover the traditional Vietnamese market and explain for you all different kinds of food and vegetable which you may see or not see them before. You have lots of opportunities to take photos and also chat with the local people.
• 09h30 - 11h30: After shopping for our own food, We walk back to Viet Kitchen Spring Restaurant to prepare for your amazing experience with chefs. At get kitted out in your chef's outfit whilst our chef talks you through today's dishes. Then our chef will lead you through each dish, giving you plenty of opportunity to get involved in and hand on reproducing the flavors and enjoy on the dishes you have just prepared. We will also supply you with a recipe booklet containing all the information you need to reproduce an authentic taste back home
• 11.30: On completion of the cooking class, enjoy the meal with the food we cooked while chatting with the chef about Viet foods and cooking
• Back to your hotel after lunch and free at leisure till transfer to the airport for your flight to Hue
• Overnight at your hotel in Hue

Day 5: Hue – City tour & boat trip (B, D)

• AM: Be met and transferred to the Wharf where we will cruise along the Perfume River to visit: 
  - Thien Mu Pagoda (The Heavenly Lady pagoda), from here we will have a good view of Perfume River and surroundings. 
  - Tu Duc King’s tomb, which is one of the most beautiful works of Royal Architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty. The tomb lies in a boundless pine forest. 
• PM:  Visit the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City; and Dong Ba market.
• Enjoy our royal dinner at a finest local restaurant called Royal Restaurant 
  Note: Royal Restaurant is decorated as a Royal Dining Room, the Royal Dining Room will surprise you with its authentic cuisines of Hue’s royalty. Just imagine that you are the King, beside you is the Queen accompanied by Mandarins, all wearing traditional royal clothes. All the food served is royal including dishes symbolizing the dragon, phoenix, or peacock…..All meticulously prepared to the finest details for a sumptuous dinner that fits for royalty.
• Overnight at your hotel in Hue

Day 6: Hue – Cooking class – Hoi An (B, L)
Y Thao Restaurant is an ideal place for lunch or dinner: great food, a congenial host, and an unhurried meal in an attractive setting of gardens, ceramics and artworks. The main attractions at Y Thao garden house are the vegetarian and non-vegetarian Hue specialty dishes. The owner is a skilled chef and the food is delicious. Her recipes have been handed down through the family for many, many years. She includes at least one of the Hue ‘Royal' dishes in the menu. This half day cooking experience at this restaurant is a great experience to get to learn about Hue cuisines.

• At 8.30 am our guide will meet you at your hotel and then we will shop for fresh food at the Dong Ba market, the most hustling market in Hue.
• Then starts the cooking class with Ms. Vy, the famous chef at Y Thao.
• Enjoy eating the delicious foods that were just cooked.
• After lunch, we take a scenic drive on one of Vietnam's most spectacular routes, the Mandarin Road, to Hoi An passing the Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass), a mountainous highway offering splendid views over the South China Sea and also stop at Lang Co beach to visit fishing village with real local fishermen life.
• Overnight at your hotel in Hoian

Day 7: Hoi An  (B)

• AM: Enjoy walking tour around the ancient town to visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, the temples and pagodas of Chinese appearance.
• PM: we will take 3 hour boat trip to Thanh Ha Pottery village, where we can see old men who produce jars, bowls, vases… and enjoy local life on the water as well as in the village
• Overnight at your hotel in Hoian 

Day 8: Hoi An – Cooking class – Saigon (B, L)

• Meet the chef and enjoy a welcome drink at Hai Scout Café (98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An Ancient Town, Tel: 3863210) – our meeting point.
• Visit Hoi An’s 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. 
• Back to Hoian and free at leisure till transfer to the airport for your short flight to Saigon
• Overnight at your hotel in Saigon
  
  

Day 9: Saigon city tour & Cu Chi Tunnel (B, L)

• Morning start with city tour of Saigon. You will be overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of this lively place. During a city tour you will visit Former Presidential Palace, Central Post Office, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Ben Thanh's market and enjoy walking around Lam Son square area where much much Frech colonial buildings still remains.

• Keep on to visit Giac Lam pagoda – one of the most beautiful and sacred pagoda in Saigon
• Have lunch with the most traditional and popular Vietnamese food called PHo
• Afternoon drive to Cu Chi tunnels in the west of Saigon to visit this amazing tunnels networks used during the war and get to know incredible history of the areas.
• Overnight at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City

Note: Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Vietnamese basil, mint leaves, lime, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the person who is dining. It is listed at number 28 on World's 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011

Day 10: Saigon – Mekong Delta (B, L)

• 08:00 hrs pick up at your hotel in Saigon and transfer to Cai Be.
• Upon embarkation, clients are welcomed with fresh cotton towels.
• The tour will begin with the visit of Cai Be colorful floating market, cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables… Cruising further, your sampan will bring you to see some local home factories to discover traditional rice paste making, rice pop corn, coco candies, and longans drying process.
• A delicious lunch will await you at a superb Indochinese villa, Le Longanier, located in a luxuriant garden by the river…
• After lunch, your sampan will proceed the cruise to Dong Hoa Hiep. On the way, you will be able observe the typical Mekong delta rural life. These evergreen islands among the Mekong River still remain unknown to many people.
• Visit at an ancient mandarin house dating from the 19th century where the family will welcome you with a cup a tea. We will proceed to Vinh Long, passing beautiful landscapes along Dong Phu canal, Binh Hoa Phuoc and An Binh islands famous for their fruit orchards.
• Stops on the way can be made at An Binh ancient Church or at Tam Ho bonsais garden.
• After crossing the Co Chien River, the excursion will end at Vinh Long pier around 4pm, where your own private transportation vehicle will await you for your transfer back to Saigon.
• Overnight at your hotels in Saigon

Day 11: Cooking class (B, L)

• Enjoy market visit with our chef through the colorful and vibrant Ben Thanh market to purchase the ingredients what are used during the cooking lesson. 

• Cooking class from 10:00 to 13:00 with typical southern dishes
  Enjoy lunch with delicious food we cooked while chatting with the chef about Vietnamese southern food
• Free afternoon at leisure or doing your own things
• Overnight at your hotel in Hochiminh city

Day 12: Saigon departs (B)

• Free at leisure or doing your own things till transfer to the airport for your outgoing flight

Rates

All Travel Authentic tours are private and specially arranged for you. You will not join a group when you arrive at your destination. 

This price is indicative (low-season) pricing only, and is the price per person, based on two people travelling together and sharing a twin/double room in standard hotel accommodation.

 Click here to Get a Quote!

 Prices include: all accommodations with daily breakfast, transfers and land tranportation in private air-con vehicle with driver, local & international flights in Indochina, professional English speaking guide, other meals as detailed in the tour itinerary, all entrance fees and boat fees.

Price does not include: visa fees, airport departure taxes where not included in air fares, tips and other personal expenses

The exact price of your holiday depends on the date of travel, number of travelers, your special needs and request. Our quotation will be sent to you by email and will include prices for standard accommodations, 3 stars boutique hotels and 4 stars deluxe hotels.

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