Trip Overview:
This Vietnam Cuisine Tour is a great joy of exploring new cultures, visiting breath-taking landscapes and enjoying local traditional cuisines. Those unfamiliar with Vietnamese food are in for a treat, as the national cuisine is flavourful, colourful and extremely healthy. We are experts in food tours and our packages range from half-day gourmet tour samplings to 14-day tours which introduce you to the finest cuisine Vietnam has to offer. In our Vietnam Cuisine Tour, We are proud to introduce you a cooking tour focusing on different cuisines of each region in Vietnam. As travelling along the S-shaped Vietnam, you will experience the different tastes of these three regions.
Food in Northern Part: Northern Vietnam is the only part that experiences four seasons, many dishes are only available on a seasonal basis. Overall, the food tends to be milder and lighter than that found in the rest of Vietnam. Typical food of the region is mainly found in Hanoi.
Food in Central part: The pundits claim that central Vietnamese cuisine is the most culturally authentic food in the country. Heavily influenced by the imperial court cuisine of Hue, the food is generally spicy and well-seasoned.
Food in Southern Part: Southern cuisine is the most varied of the three. Rich in vegetables, rice and seafood, it has incorporated French, Cambodian and Thai influences into a style that is distinctively its own. It is generally more heavily seasoned, tropical and spicier yet sweeter than northern food.
What better way to experience a culture than through its food. Tantalize your taste buds on this 12-day tour that takes you through Vietnam, finding culinary inspiration in the rich history, vibrant culture and beautiful landscapes. Join in our Vietnam Cruise Tour now.
Trip in brief:
Day 1: Welcome to Hanoi – start your Vietnam Cuisine Tour;
Day 2: Hanoi cooking class – sightseeing;
Day 3: Hanoi – Halong Bay;
Day 4: Halong – Danang – Hoian;
Day 5: Hoi An ancient town – Cooking class;
Day 6: Hoi An – Hue city;
Day 7: Hue City;
Day 8: Hue – fly HCM city;
Day 9: HCM – Cu Chi tunnel;
Day 10: HCM – Can Tho homestay;
Day 11: Can Tho – HCM city;
Day 12: HCM city departure.
Trip in Details: Our Vietnam Cuisine Tour starts from Hanoi or HCM city
Day 1: Hanoi Arrival – Visit Old Quarter including Water Puppet Show- start your Vietnam Cuisine Tour tonight with a welcome dinner (D).
Upon arrival at Noi Bai International Airport, your driver and guide will meet you outside the baggage claim area and take you to your hotel in the city centre. In the afternoon enjoy a rickshaw ride through the Old Quarter’s narrow streets lined with French colonial buildings – followed by a traditional Water Puppet Performance – a unique Vietnamese art form hailing from Southeast Asia’s wet-rice culture. Savor a welcome dinner at one of Hanoi’s finest restaurants. We stay in Hotel.
Day 2: Hanoi Cooking Class & Sightseeing Tour (B, L).
Hanoi Veggie Markets
This morning, your tour guide will take you to the cooking class. Discover a local market and learn about ingredients, flavors and see how the local prepare for meals. Next is a short talk on the art of Hanoian gastronomy, vegetables, herbs & spices & learn how to prepare & use them. The Chef will share with you her pride of Vietnamese cuisines and the know-how to make it good. Enjoy the local food in Hanoi style.
In the afternoon you will explore Vietnam’s charming capital. With its wide tree-lined boulevards, French colonial architecture, peaceful lakes and ancient oriental pagodas, Hanoi is an eclectic mix that offers something for everyone. Your city tour will take you to Hanoi key sites: the Temple of Literature; Hoa Loa Prison (also known as the “Hanoi Hilton”); West Lake including the sedate Tran Quoc Pagoda & Quan Thanh Temple. Overnight in hotel.
Day 3: Explore Halong Bay – Stay overnight on Cruise Boat (B, L, D).
After your breakfast, check out hotel. Then set out on a 3 to 4 hour drive to the UNESCO World Heritage Site: Halong Bay.
Spend 24 hours on a traditional Junk Cruise in the amazing bay: a natural wonderland composed of jutting limestone islands and sparkling turquoise waters.
Savor a gourmet lunch of fresh seafood onboard as you sail out into the mystical bay. In the afternoon, cruise around some of Halong’s numerous islands. Along the way visit one of the bay’s 3 largest caves (Thien Cung, Dau Go or Sung Sot). Stop at an island covered with a sheltered white sanded beach and take a dip in the warm waters of the Gulf of Tonkin (if the weather will be suitable). Pass the night on your junk, lulled to sleep by the gentle rocking of calm waters. Overnight onboard.
Day 4: Continue Cruising Halong Bay – Fly to Danang – Hoian (B, L).
Awake early and participate in Tai Chi on the top deck or simply relax watching the sunrise over the bay’s towering islands. Enjoy a morning cup of coffee or tea, before setting out to explore the nearby islands by rowboat. Return to the junk for brunch then take advantage of the sundeck and admire the amazing rock formations of Bai Tu Long Bay as you navigate back to Halong City, where your driver will meet you at the dock and take you to Noi Bai Airport to catch your short flight to Danang. Your tour guide and driver will transfer you to hotel in Hoian, a destination with two faces: the charming, old-world trading port of narrow streets and traditional houses, and the beach with its luxurious resorts and long stretch of clean white sand. Stay overnight in hotel.
Day 5: Discover Hoian ancient town – Take a Cooking Tour (B, L).
Cooking Class
This morning enjoy a cooking class at the Red Bridge Cooking School. Meet at the Hai Scout Cafe in Hoian’s Old Town. From there we will head to Hoian’s colorful market. Explore the market and interact with local vendors to purchase some fresh ingredients for today’s cooking class. Next, board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely 25min cruise along the Hoian River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Discover the school’s herb and vegetable garden before starting your cooking lesson. The class runs for about an hour and 15min and includes demonstrations from the school’s chefs as well as time to help prepare traditional dishes. At the end of class, enjoy an introductory lesson in the art of Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration).
In the afternoon, take a walking tour through the narrow winding streets of the ancient town centre, visiting Chua Ong Pagoda, the Chinese Assembly Hall, the 200-year old Tam Ky ancestral house and the famous Japanese Bridge. Rest of the day you are free at leisure. Stay in Hoi An.
Day 6: Goodbye Hoian – Take a scenic drive along the coastline to Hue city.
Enjoy breakfast at the hotel then check-out and drive northward to Hue over the 500m high Hai Van pass. Enjoy a stop at the scenic Lang Co Beach for a drink before continuing on to Hue – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spend the afternoon on a leisure tour through Vietnam’s ancient capital city, visiting the Royal Citadel, Thien Mu Pagoda and the Mausoleum of King Tu Duc – a replica of the king’s palace built for the next reincarnation of the king. We stay in Hue city tonight.
Day 7: Explore main attractions in Hue City (B).
Spend an entire day touring Vietnam’s former ancient capital. Start the day with a visit to the Imperial Citadel, home to the Imperial City and Forbidden Purple City – once the Emperor’s private residence. The Imperial City was created in the 19th century and modelled on the Forbidden City in Beijing. The Imperial Enclosure houses many palaces and temples within its walls. In the afternoon, continue on your tour stopping at the Imperial Museum, Tu Hieu Pagoda and the vibrant Dong Ba riverside market. Stay in hotel in Hue city.
Day 8: Fly to HCM city – Sightseeing tour around City Center (B).
Have breakfast at the hotel then drive to Phu Bai Airport to catch your flight to Vietnam’s modern metropolis: Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Arrive in the early afternoon and enjoy an orientation tour through Ho Chi Minh City’s bustling streets en route to the hotel. You will visit such sites as the Reunification Palace, the War Remnants Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, the City Post Office and Ben Thanh Market. Stay tonight in hotel in HCM city.
Day 9: Enjoy HCM city Cooking Tour & visit Cu Chi Tunnels (B, L).
This morning you leave the city for Ho Chi Minh Cooking Class. Here you have chance to study variety of many kinds of flora and herbs and mushroom before starting your cooking lesson. The class runs for about an hour and 15min and includes demonstrations which will help you gain insight into the diversity of the Vietnamese cuisine, as well as time to help prepare traditional dishes. After indulging in your creations, visit Cu Chi Tunnels, where you will visit the vast underground network of tunnels built first as a defence against the French, and later expanded during the American war. See secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms. Those inclined are invited to crawl through selections of the tunnels to better understand what life was like for the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime. Stay in HCM city.
Day 10: Adventure Mekong Delta Tour – Stay at village homestay (L. D).
Starting our day at 07:30, you will be picked up and depart for Cai Be, which is about a three-hour drive. Upon arrival, board a motorized boat that takes you to the floating market and spend an hour there for an experience that you won’t find anywhere else in the world.
Next, your boat will zigzag through a maze of shaded canals to arrive at a great orchard where you can freely taste many famous tropical Vietnamese fruits and watch locals go about their daily chores.
Then, we will ride bicycles and roam through a village to check out several rural shops, or we can also relax in a hammock for a short rest. We’ll see how coconut candy and crispy rice cakes are made here (served free with premium hot tea).
After this, we will arrive at a marketplace and walk around to see how and what the rural people of Vietnam sell. We encourage interacting with the vendors to see for yourself how friendly and respectful they are. You might also buy plenty of interesting things for very little money. We will spend about half an hour here and then board our car to travel to Can Tho.
Overnight at homestay in Can Tho.
Day 11: Visit Cai Rang floating Market – drive Sai Gon (B, L).
Wake early and have breakfast with the family, before heading to the famous Cai Rang floating market by motor boat. Continue the boat ride to visit the Mekong Delta’s famous orchards and sample some of the fresh, exotic fruit. Then venture deeper into the country side, passing traditional houses made of wood and palm leaves as you observe the activities of the local people. Return to Can Tho for lunch then drive back to HCM city, arriving in the late afternoon. Stay in hotel in HCM city.
Day 12: HCM city Departure (B).
Enjoy today free at your leisure for last minute shopping or sight-seeing before driving to the airport to catch your departure flight home. End of your Vietnam Cuisine Tour.
What’s included in our Vietnam Cuisine Tour?
– Accommodations
– Breakfast & meals per mentioned in the itinerary
– Transportation by private car with AC
– English-speaking guides
– Domestic flights (Hanoi – Danang, Hue – HCM city)
– All entrance fees, performances, boat trips & excursions
– Cooking class on tour
What’s excluded?
– Travel insurance
– Vietnam Visa
– Gratuities for tour guides/ drivers
– Beverages & other personal expenses.
Want to book this Vietnam Cuisine Tour? contact us at info@andytourist.com for more information and get hot deals for “early bird”.
