A TASTE OF VIETNAM 12 DAYS

Upon arrival at Hanoi's Noi Bai International Airport, our guide will accompany you to your hotel and assist you with check-in. Get intimately acquainted with the narrow and bustling guild streets of Hanoi 's Old Quarter, bursting with wares from medicinal herbs to luxurious silks. Or you may choose to relax around one of the many lakes and parks that make Hanoi one of the greenest cities in Asia. This evening Your expert English-speaking local guide will give you an insight into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture including details on ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular northern dishes. We eat as we go, trying seasonal fruits and sampling a tasty French inspired snack from a street cart.
Walking through the maze of bustling streets that make up Hanoi’s Old Quarter, we tempt our tastebuds with the famed Hanoi dish Banh Cuon at a local eatery. Watch in awe as the skilled chefs demonstrate for you how this tasty dish is put together. Continuing into the atmospheric heart of the Old Quarter, we wander past street stalls and quiet residential lanes where you can observe local life that has changed little since Hanoi was founded over 1000 years ago. Our next two snack stops are at outdoor barbeque stalls. We sit down with the Hanoi locals and sample various meat, vegetable and bread specialties that are flame grilled over hot coals for extra flavour. It’s then time for dessert as we venture down a small alley to join in the local tradition of feasting on fresh fruit served in a cup and smothered with crushed iced and condensed milk – this speciality is one not to be missed! Your local guide will then take you to one of Hanoi’s best kept secrets, a hidden street food restaurant to taste top ten street foods in Hanoi is Banh My Hanoi, Vietnamese Rice Wine and famous Egg Coffee. This hard-to-find café is one of the few left in the narrow street inside the old quarter of Hanoi. Or, if coffee is not your style, a cold beer awaits!. At the end of the trip you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you back to your hotel
Overnight in Hanoi Hotel
Meals: Dinner

Today you will enjoy a hands-on cooking class in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. Cyclo ride from your hotel, hands-on cooking class you learn about the art of traditional Vietnamese cuisine in the Old Quarter with the locals in Hanoi. Visit a lively local market before donning a chef's uniform for a hands-on cooking class demonstration. Learn how to make a number of regional delicacies, which may include Banana Flower Salad and Spring Rolls. After a half-day morning session, you enjoy a delicious feast of the dishes you created, and get to take a copy of the recipes home with you.

This afternoon, we take a 20 minute-drive from your hotel to the very impressive Museum of Ethnology, among the finest of Vietnam's museums. You will see many exhibits, photographs and actual houses inhabited by some of the 54 ethnic people in Vietnam. It will offer a truly colorful introduction to these ethnic tribes. Next we'll visit the 11th century Temple of Literature. Lastly in the late afternoon, you will be enchanted by the legends and stories told at the Thang Long Water Puppet show that no one should miss while visiting Hanoi ..tour end at 18.00 at hotel.

Overnight in Hanoi Hotel
Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Leaving Hanoi and freshen up before driving 2 hours to halong, where you will take an overnight cruise to the far-most corners of the bay by boat. Boarding your boat could involve navigating your way over and through other boats, moored between it and the dock, sometimes without handrails, ladders or assistance from staff. Enjoy lunch onboard as you cruise out into the bay, stopping to anchor for an afternoon of activities (which are subject to change due to cruise selection and weather conditions). Sightseeing includes visiting underground caves on the islands, which require climbing up and down steps inside and outside of the caves. End the day on deck with a drink in hand to watch the sunset over the bay followed by a freshly prepared dinner, before retiring to your cabin for the night. You will need to pack a smaller overnight bag for your trip to halong bay. Main luggage will be left in safe storage at the hotel in hanoi and picked up your return.

Please note: weather conditions such as mist, fog, wind, rain and storms may delay the departure time of your cruise, or in some cases your cruise may be cancelled. Notifications of any delays or cancellations may not be known until your group’s arrival in halong bay.

Overnight on Halong Cruise

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

wake up among the bay’s stunning limestone karst scenery and nibble on breakfast before setting off on your final cruising leg. Arrive back in tuan chau marina after a few hours of gentle cruising - and grab a light lunch snack if you’d like before heading back to hanoi or another onward destination. Later take a flight to Hue and transfer to Hue hotel.

Note: itinerary subject to change or cancellation due to weather conditions

Overnight in Hue

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

we ride along Le Loi street and enjoy the peaceful life in Hue city. We will across the Training university - the oldest university in dreaming Hue, Truong Tien bridge - the most beautiful bridge, Then we  visit the Citadel, Hue’s most prime attraction, containing the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Emperor's Private Residence.

Street food tour we start from Dong Ba Market - the biggest market, the town in river bank that is near Huynh Thuc Khang street, the ancient gate to get to Mai Thuc Loan road then to Dinh Tien Hoang street.
In here, you will enjoy the Hue local foods as: "Nem lui" (the kind of grilled mince pork), "Banh Khoai" (Hue Pancake), "Che Hue" (Hue sweet soup), “Café sua” (Hue style coffee with milk).
Phu Xuan bridge and stop in Nguyen Dinh Chieu walking street. In here, you have free time to enjoy the fresh air and romantic sight before comeback hotel.

Meal: Breakfast, Lunch

Overnight In Hue Hotel

Today our trip start by a lunch. After lunch, we'll take a cruise along the romantic Perfume River , passing opulent palaces and gardens of the 19th century Nguyen kings. We'll visit the ornate tomb of Emperor Minh Mang, set within beautifully landscaped gardens, and the tomb of the eccentric Tu Duc, known for his opulent lifestyle. On our way back to the city, we'll stop at the Thien Mu Pagoda, the unofficial symbol of Hue . This is an active Buddhist monastery dating back to 1601. One of its most poignant displays is a car belonging to a former monk, who in 1963, drove to Saigon and set himself alight to protest the South Vietnamese regime and its treatment of Buddhists. 

Meal:Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Hue.

We'll continue south, going by road toward the riverside town of Hoi An. Our five-hour route, hugging the coastline along the South China Sea, serves up breathtaking views that grow even more spectacular as we wind our way up Hai Van Pass (Pass of the Clouds). We'll pause to admire the stunning vistas of Lang Co beach to the north, and the city of Danang to the south. We'll continue on, passing China Beach , where many American GI's took their R&R (Rest and Relaxation!), and the Marble Mountains , home to the Cham legacy. In Hoi An, we'll grab some lunch at the Vinh Hung Café, where the coffee milkshakes are divine and the menu surprisingly extensive. In the afternoon, we'll take a walking tour around this once-thriving port and visit the famed old quarter, the Japanese Bridge , the old Assembly Halls, art galleries and many old houses once belonging to Chinese merchants then back to Hotel for relax.

Meal: Breakfast anh Lunch

Overnight in Hoi An

Hoi An is a charming, small town which can be easily explored on foot. Between the 17th and 19th centuries, it was a thriving international trading port with a large Chinese and Japanese population. More than any other place in Vietnam , Hoi An exudes a feeling of centuries past and is a favorite with all travelers. You may choose to stroll, soaking up the atmosphere and exploring the many fascinating ancestral homes (some of which have been occupied by the same family for fifteen generations), or take a bicycle for a scenic ride to Cua Dai beach, 4 km away. The town is also famous for its tailors who are revered for their fine (and fast) work.

In the afternoon, you will have cooking class at Red Bridge Restaurant, visit Hoi An’s colourful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of this busy market. We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. 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. Hoi An is well suited for an after-dinner stroll, and we'll stop by the Tam Tam Café for a drink or coffee before turning in for the night.

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Hoi An

This morning we'll head for Danang airport about a 40-minute drive, to take our one-hour flight to Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon)), where we transfer directly to our centrally located hotel.

In the afternoon you have city tour in Sai Gon. We'll embark on a tour of this cosmopolitan city, visiting Cholon, the War Remnants Museum , and the Reunification Palace . Cholon, home to HCMC's substantial Chinese population, is also the site of the largest market in Vietnam , the Ben Thanh market. The War Remnants museum contains a wealth of images from Vietnam's wars, the most moving being a gallery entitled Requiem, dedicated to Vietnamese and foreign journalists and photographers who perished during the French and American conflicts. The Reunification Palace was the residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975 , when North Vietnamese tanks came crashing through the front gates, bringing the Vietnam-U.S. War to a dramatic end. Close to the Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office represent prime examples of French Colonial architecture. The ornate Notre Dame dominates the city's business center. Built by the French between 1877 and 1883, it was constructed of stone imported from France . The Post Office, completed in 1891, is in perfect juxtaposition to the bustling urban city that is modern Ho Chi Minh.

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in HCM

Breakfast comes early this morning as we depart for Can Tho in the heart of the Mekong Delta. We'll stop in My Tho for coffee, and there, we'll have our first taste of life in this amazing Delta. We'll arrive in Can Tho in time for lunch. After lunch, we'll drive to some of the orchards that give this region its allure, and we'll be able to see the many varieties of tropical plants native to this part of the world. We'll also visit a bird sanctuary, and stop in at the Song Hau Fram/Rice institute where we will be treated to a taste of some of the many products derived from rice. In the evening, we'll make our way to the Victoria Hotel , our home for the night.

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in Mekong homestay

We'll depart the Victoria at 6:30 this morning from the jetty of the hotel. We'll enjoy a delectable breakfast buffet onboard the Lady Hau as we cruise the Mekong to visit the floating market of Cai Rang. Our cruise will take us along several channels of the Delta before we say goodbye to the mighty Mekong and begin our drive back to Ho Chi Minh City . The afternoon affords us free time for some last minute shopping or relaxing. We'll enjoy a deluxe farewell dinner at the Mandarin Restaurant Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

Meal: Breakfast and Lunch

Overnight in HCM

Free until transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for your departure

Meal: Breakfast