Taste of Vietnam Tour

Day 1 – Welcome to Vietnam
Chao Ban and a warm welcome to Hanoi. You will be met at the airport and be taken to your hotel for check-in. The rest of your day is free to relax or start to explore the city. Stay overnight in Hanoi.
Inclusion: Transfer pick up, guide pick up, hotel.

Day 2 - Hanoi Cooking Class and Foodie Tour
This morning you will join in with a local cooking class. First you and our chef will go shopping at a local market to buy all ingredients that you need for the class. You will be preparing an old Hanoian favourite, depending on your preference. Enjoy your own cooked lunch before taking a walking tour to explore where all the life is in Hanoi. Your first stop will be the famous markets - where dozens of street hawkers sell a staggering variety of produce from live seafood to exotic fruits and spices. Next you will walk to see the Old Quarter begin to start the night. Here you get a chance to try rice pancake roll which made by the skilled chefs. As you continue into the atmospheric heart of the Old Quarter, you will wander past street stalls and quiet residential lanes where you can observe the real life of Hanoian traders. The herbal chicken dishes might attract you before discovering another stall with a range of other dishes. Maybe try the local grilled fish! We your way to HoanKiem Lake and end your walking tour by tasting the local porridges (sweet soup) or having a cup of mixed fruit. You should be back at your hotel at around 9pm this evening.
Stay overnight in Hanoi.
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrances fees, breakfast, lunch

Day 3 - Halong Bay
Departure for Halong Bay. The drive takes about 4 hours, and you pass through the Vietnam countryside viewing the rice paddy-life. Arriving at the port around noon, you are transferred by tender to the boat where you can enjoy a welcome drink and receive the cruise briefing and safety instructions. Lunch is served at 1.30pm while you cruise to the Cua Van floating fishing village. Upon arrival, you will transfer by tender to Tien Ong cave. There are many caves in Halong Bay, but Tien Ong is the most recently explored and opened for public access. In 2007 a team of Vietnamese archaeologists conducted extensive research which led to the discovery of human bones and artifacts dating to 10,000 – 8,000BC. The cave has a wide, but short entrance which is said to resemble the shape of a frog’s mouth. The cave is 5m above sea level and is 50m deep covering 1000sqm, almost evenly split into two chambers. From the cave we re-board the tender and make the short trip to the village.  There are two options for exploring, the first being to transfer on to a small bamboo boat rowed by the local people. The second option is to travel by kayak (self-rowed) and explore yourself. Later on, the cruise continues to Luon Bo area where you will anchor for the night. At 5pm the Chef demonstrates the preparation of a particular Vietnamese cuisine (Fresh spring roll) in the dining room. Then have dinner and stay overnight on the boat.
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrances fees, breakfast, lunch, dinner, junk, permit

Day 4 – Halong Bay cruise and travel to Hue
Early risers can enjoy the sunrise and the quiet breath-taking beauty of the landscape. At 6.30am you can enjoy coffee, tea and breakfast pastries served in the dining room, before taking part in a Tai Chi instruction on the sundeck. There is time to cruise more of the bay before the boat will depart for Tuan Chau Marina. At 11am, the boat will arrive and it is time to disembark and transfer by tender to Tuan Chau Marina. Here, your transfer picks you up and heads back along the road to Hanoi airport for a flight to Hue, where you will be met and transfer to your hotel.
Stay overnight in Hue
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, boat/junk, breakfast, lunch, flight ticket

Day 5 – Kim Long village
Have breakfast at your hotel before your guide will pick you up. Today you are taking a cycling trip to the countryside and visiting Thanh Toan Bridge. It is about 8km from Hue city centre to Thanh Toan Bridge and on the road you will pass scenes of ongoing village life. There is time to stop at a local banana farm and take some photos before you ride a particularly bendy section of the road! On arrival at Thanh Toan Bridge, you can enjoy its architecture and the story of its foundation as well as view the small museum which displays Vietnamese farmer’s instruments used on their farm. Enjoy the local market and get to know more about the daily life of the local people before you leave the tranquil village and ride about 5km along small roads with beautiful villages passing vegetable and rice fields and the occasional orchard. This afternoon you continue on your cycling trip and discover more of the countryside with wonderful sights of local villages. Next you ride up hill to spend some time at Vong Canh Hill where you can get the best view of the Perfume River. Take a visit to Voi Re Temple and Tiger Right (Ho Quyen). You can take local transport to from Tiger Right to Kim Long, to have the night at a local house in a tranquil village. On the way, you stop at a local market to buy some ingredients to cook special Hue dishes. Your guide then takes you around the village to learn more of the farmer’s life and their work. This is a great opportunity for you to communicate with people and get to know more of their daily life. This evening is a wonderfully interactive experience as you take part in cooking dinner with your host. Enjoy your dinner after your efforts!
Stay overnight at a garden house.
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, bike, helmet, all meals, homestay

Day 6 - Buddhism and Hue
This morning, start early and visit Huyen Khong Pagoda to experience the daily ritual of Buddhism and see daily activities of the local people. Come back and have breakfast at garden house. You will head back to Hue, however on the way you will stop at Phu Mong village to join in with a cooking class. You will have lunch before visiting Van Thanh Temple and Thien Mu Pagoda and taking a boat on Perfume River. Stop at Dong Ba Market and discover the activities in the market before getting back to your hotel at about 5.30pm this evening.
Stay overnight in Hue
Inclusion:Transport, guide, entrance fees, boat, breakfast, lunch

Day 7 – Hoi An
After breakfast, it is time for a relaxing 1-hour cyclo ride to visit Dong Ba market and then begin your transfer to Hoian (about 4 hours). There is fabulous sightseeing en route and you  may make stops at Lang Co Beach, Hai Van Pass, Cham Museum, and the Marble Mountains, depending on the time. You will arrive in Hoi An in the evening and check in to your hotel.
Stay overnight in Hoi An
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, Vietnam cyclo

Day 8 – Hoi An Fishing and Foodie Tour
This morning you take a short transfer to the boat docks. Today, you will go to a fishing village and experience the life of the local fishermen. Afterwards, take a short basket boat ride and view the village full of lush water coconut trees, before stopping for lunch. You then cycle along the country roads through the rice paddy and corn fields as well as alongside numerous coconut  trees, towards the main town of Hoi An. Your afternoon continues with sightseeing of the famous cultural sites around Hoi An. At around 6pm, start a walk to experience some of the great local food street food of Hoi An. End the evening at one of the bars for some evening drinks or simply travel back to your hotel to rest after an experience filled day.
Stay overnight in Hoi An
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, lunch, local boat & basket boat, water & snack, street food, bike & helmet

Day 9 – Hoi An Cooking Class
You will travel to Tra Que Organic Village this morning and walk through the market gardens where local farmers work their fields using the traditional methods of hundreds of years ago - no electrical machinery here. You can pick fresh saw-tooth coriander and Vietnamese mint for your cooking lesson, before trying a special herbal drink at a local home. Next, head to the local village market and with your shopping list in hand, purchase a range of local ingredients, including star anise, cardamom, sesame rice paper, water spinach and banana flower. Arrive at the Red Bridge Cooking School where you have a chance to freshen up before beginning the cooking class. Working with the Red Bridge Chef, you will learn the traditional ways of preparing and cooking Vietnamese food from scratch. Using the freshest ingredients and traditional Vietnamese utensils (still in use today) you will cook four famous dishes from central Vietnam, including the special ‘My Quang’. After the class, sit down and enjoy the dishes that you have lovingly prepared. Remember to bring your swimsuit as after the cooking tour has finished you can relax and enjoy free use of the 20m swimming pool. It is then a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River back to central Hoi An.
Stay overnight in Hoi An
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, lunch, cooking class

Day 10 - Ho Chi Minh City
There is time to explore in Hoi An before you take a transfer to Da Nang airport for a noon flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival, you will be met and transfer to your hotel for check in. This afternoon is free at your leisure to explore the city.
Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, breakfast, domestic flight ticket

Day 11 – City cooking class and Scooter Tour
Your will be collected at 8am for transfer to a local market. Here you will follow a Chef through the vibrant Ben Thanh market to purchase necessary ingredients for your cooking lesson. It is quite an experience! Then take a taxi with your chef back to the cooking class and enjoy a hands-on, 3-hour cooking class. In a warm and friendly atmosphere, a group of participants cook together following the step by step instructions of the Chef. Everyone has their own material and ingredients for a better understanding of cooking techniques, and you will use Vietnamese kitchenware to create and enjoy a tasty four course meal. You will get back to your hotel around 2pm and then the rest of the afternoon is free at your leisure.

This evening, you will meet an English speaking guide at your hotel for a scooter tour of the city! Receive safety instructions on how to ride on the back of a bike properly in order to ensure the safest experience. Then, you will be whisked away on the back of the guides bike to experience and taste the best dishes offered in the small alleys, while learning about the history and cultural significance of each dish. You will probably be getting full at this point! So it is time to take a walk and enjoy the nightlife of HCM City, discover the sights that most tourists never even hear about and we see what it is like to be a Saigon local. At around 10pm, you will arrive back to your hotel.
Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, lunch, cooking class

Day 12 – Mekong Delta and Can Tho
Your destination this morning is Cai Be (about 2.5 hours). On arrival, you will board a boat to visit the floating market on the Mekong River. It is then a short boat trip to Dong Phu Island, where you will start your cycling trip to explore the local Mekong life. You have a chance to learn how to make Coconut candy and other coconut products. After lunch, cruise to Vinh Long for some more cycling through the beautiful rural riverside villages. The evening is free, but we recommend you take a walk along the quay. Stay overnight in Can Tho.
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, bicycles, entrance fee, local boat, seasonal fruit, lunch

Day 13 – Can Tho and HCM City
Today you will take an early morning boat trip to the interesting but also chaotic, Cai Rang Floating Market! Enjoy the beautiful Mekong Delta scenery and spend some more time in Can Tho before you head back to Ho Chi Minh City.
Stay overnight in Ho Chi Minh City
Inclusion: Transfer, guide, entrance fee, breakfast, lunch, local boat

Day 14 – Depart Ho Chi Minh City
Depending on your flight you may have time for some shopping before you transfer to the airport in time for your flight back home.
Inclusion: Transfer drop off, breakfast