Vietnam Culinary Art Discovery

You will be greeted at the airport and transferred to the hotel for check-in. Free at leisure. In the late afternoon, enjoy a 1 hour rickshaw to the Old Quarter. In the evening, you are welcome to enjoy dinner at a local restaurant with authentic Vietnamese cuisines.

Enjoy a morning tour to Ho Chi Minh Complex including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh’ House on Stilt and One Pillar Pagoda, then visit Temple Of Literature. Next is the Vietnam National Museum of Ethnology, the attractive collection of 54 ethnic minorities in Vietnam. Enjoy lunch at Cha Ca la Vong Restaurant which is listed in the travel book 1000 places to see before you die. After lunch, transfer to visit Hoan Kiem Lake, Ngoc son Temple, Dong Xuan Market and the evening highlight is to be entertained with Water Puppet Performance; the art only exists in Vietnam. In the evening: Enjoy a special dinner at the Le Tonkin Restaurant, which specializes in northern Vietnamese cuisine.

Get up early for morning Tai Chi with the local people at Hoan Kiem Lake, then eat “Pho” , the typical breakfast for Vietnamese people. Leave Hanoi by road for Halong Bay. Upon arrival, you are welcome on board and sail on Halong bay while lunch is served seafood. Let your eyes rest on the azure waters of this magical bay, where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise up from the waves like dragon’s teeth, passing a picturesque area around Mat Quy islet, Am islet. In mid – afternoon, get to a fishing village and enjoy a pleasant bamboo boat row through the village with a museum and a school among floating homes. Visit Tien Ong cave then back on board to enjoy sunset cocktails and canapé. Dinner and overnight on the cruise.

Start the day early to enjoy a Tai Chi class on the top deck with an opportunity to admire the magnificent scenery of sunrise over the sea. After that, you can choose to go to Soi Sim beach for swimming or join your chef for a cooking demonstration to learn more about Vietnamese cuisine art. On the way back, take a deep cruise into Halong Bay, passing Pearl Farm, Phao Dai islet, Tam Cung cave, Hon Xep islet, Dau Moi temple. Enjoy buffet brunch on board before arriving at the dock. Transfer to Hanoi airport for a flight to Hue. Upon arrival, pick up & transfer to the hotel for check in.

Travel by a boat on the Perfume river to Thien Mu pagoda standing on the riverbank with its seven-storey tower then transfer by car to the Imperial Citadel from which the Nguyen Emperors ruled Vietnam. In the afternoon, take lunch at Tinh Gia Vien restaurant to enjoy Hue’s food. Food in Hue is spicy with considerable use of chili and reflecting its imperial roots, is often presented in carefully displayed small servings, a kind of Oriental nouvelle cuisine. In the afternoon, continues with a visit to the elaborate tombs of emperors Tu Duc & Khai Dinh. This guided tour gives you a deep understanding about King’s philosophy of geomancy and how this affected royal life. Tonight’ special trip is a royal banquet at Royal Park restaurant.

After breakfast, take a scenic journey on Highway One passing over the dramatic “Mountain and Clouds” Pass. Stop for fresh seafood lunch at a local restaurant at Lang Co Beach and visit the famous Cham Museum in Da Nang and continue to Hoian and check in at the hotel. The afternoon biking tour through rice paddies to the Cua Dai Beach allows you to witness the daily life of local people and enjoy a sumptuous five-course dinner.

You will explore the cooking school’s herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of China’s and Vietnam’s well-known dishes, which are a mix of Vietnamese cuisine. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – each dish is first demonstrated by the Red Bridge chef’s, before you prepare the same dish yourself. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After the lesson, you sit down and eat exactly what you have cooked. Later on, our boat will pick you up at Red Bridge School for a river cruise along Hoian River to the ancient town of Hoian then enjoy a walking tour to Japanese Covered Bridge, Phung Hung Ancient House, Phuc Kien Assembly Hall and Chua Ong Pagoda. Enjoy dinner at road street food with traditional food, the “Cao Lau”, a delicious soup made with noodles, pork and greens.

Free time until transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to dynamic Ho Chi Minh City, followed by an oriental visit to the former Presidential Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the colonial Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Saigon Post Office the afternoon tour leads you to Cho Lon Quarter or “Big Market” area where major trading activities take place. Experience the true hospitality of southerners this evening at a local restaurant with southern specialties.

Depart for Mekong Delta, enjoy a 2 hours drive through Vietnam’s picturesque countryside with its rice paddies and rural villages and cruise led by a local tour guide to Cai Be floating market, traditional villages, and evergreen orchard. Next is the traditional sampan ride which allows you to discover the smaller canals and tributaries. Have lunch at a local restaurant with Elephant Ear Fish and go back to Ho Chi Minh City. Your tour guide hosts a lavish Farewell celebration dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant.

Depending on your departure time, you will have some free time to relax or further explore this city on your own before a transfer to the airport for your departure flight.