Vietnam Cooking Tour

Arrive at Noi Bai Airport and coach transfer to hotel. Take a cyclo, the Vietnamese version of the rickshaw to a local Restaurant for an introduction to Vietnamese food. Set in a beautifully restored French villa, Indochine serves specialties originating primarily from southern Vietnam . You will no doubt be introduced to "nuoc mam", a fermented fish sauce that compliments most dishes in Vietnam and "cha gio", Vietnamese spring rolls. The staff are attired in traditional costume and musicians perform classical Vietnamese songs.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Hanoi, the present day capital of Vietnam is a city of tree-lined boulevards and lakes with a unique blend of French colonial buildings and Chinese inspired Vietnamese architecture. A full day to explore this fascinating city takes in the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum, the Temple of Literature, the Lake of the Restored Sword and the bustling 'Old Quarter', with its 36 ancient streets. Lunch at a local restaurant serving seasoning fish. In the evening a visit to a performance of the famous water puppets is followed by dinner at a local restaurant, which specializes in superbly prepared northern Vietnamese cuisine. Northern Vietnamese food has a strong Chinese influence with stir-fried dishes and less spicy food popular. Specialties of Hanoi include "Cha Ca" Hanoi and the ubiquitous noodle and meat soup known as "Pho" which is usually eaten at pavement food stalls for breakfast.
Overnight in Hanoi.

Upon meeting you at your hotel in the morning, we drive to Halong City, approximately 3 hours away. Once at Halong City you will board our private boat for a four-hour cruise of this stunning area, stopping along the way to visit one of the limestone caves in the area. As we cruise, our boat staff will serve a sumptuous local seafood lunct. After cruise, we cruise back to the harbor and transfer to your hotel in Halong City.
Overnight in Halong City.

Return to Hanoi by road with a picnic lunch before transferring direct to Hanoi Airport for the early afternoon flight to Hue. (Flight time varies depending on day of week). On arrival in Hue transfer to the hotel. In the evening, cyclo ride to the local restaurant for dinner. Food in Hue is spicy with considerable use of chili reflecting its imperial roots is often presented in carefully displayed small servings, a kind of Oriental nouvelle cuisine.
Overnight in Hue.

In the morning, we will visit a local restaurant and meet the chef , leave the restaurant to a local market, where the chef gives an instruction on how to choose food for our cooking lesson at the local restaurant. Lunch is the food we prepared. In the afternoon, travel by Dragon Boat on the romantically named Perfume River to Thien Mu pagoda standing on the riverbank with its seven-storey tower. Transfer by car to the Imperial Citadel from which the Nguyen emperors once ruled Vietnam.
Overnight in Hue.

In the morning, drive to visit Tu Duc Mausoleum with its traditional Vietnamese architecture. Leave Hue mid-morning for a scenic journey on Highway One. The road passes by vivid green fields of rice and the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co with its blue lagoon and deserted sandy beaches before climbing over the dramatic Pass of Mountain Clouds. Lang Co is well known for its fresh seafood restaurants and a lunch of locally caught shrimps and squid on the edge of the lagoon is a must. Once over the mountain pass, the road drops down to Danang. Stop off at Danang to visit the famous Non Nuoc Beach, once a 'rest and recreation' resort for American servicemen, and pass by the sacred Marble Mountains whose caves contain dozens of Buddhist shrines. Arrive at the former trading port of Hoi An around five in the afternoon. Transfer to hotel.
Overnight in Hoi An.

During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, Hoi An was a major Asian trading centre and much remains as it was then. A morning walking tour of the ancient town center takes in former merchants' houses, the 400 year-old Japanese Covered Bridge and the colorful market. For lunch, try the local specialty, "cao lau", a delicious soup made with noodles, pork and greens. This is an original dish found only in Hoi An and made using the water from the town's ancient well (duly boiled). The afternoon is free to cycle through rice paddies to the nearby beach, shop for souvenirs among the antique shops and art galleries or just sit at a pavement café and soak in the atmosphere of this friendly little town.
Overnight in Hoi An.

Transfer to Danang Airport after breakfast for the early flight to Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City as it is now officially known. Transfer to hotel on arrival. After a lunch of "pho" on Pasteur Street, a half day city tour includes the Unification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office and Cholon, the city's lively Chinatown. Dinner at one of Ho Chi Minh City's local well-known restaurants. The cuisine of the south uses many herbs and spices and has been influenced by Cambodia, Thailand and India, among others. Curries using coconut milk are an example of this influence. The south also has a wide selectionof tropical fruits and vegetables that are not readily available in the cooler north.
Overnight in Ho chi Minh City.

Full-day trip to the watery world of My Tho in the Mekong Delta, just a couple of hours by road from the hustle and bustle of Ho chi Minh City. Take a boat trip along the narrow waterways overhung with dense vegetation and try exotic fruits in one of the many orchards. Try the local specialty of Elephant's Ear Fish at a riverside restaurant. A fascinating glimpse into the daily life of the people who work, rest and play on the mighty Mekong and its numerous tributaries. Finally to a Iocal Restaurant in Ho chi Minh City., where we can enjoy the chef's cooking demonstration in the restaurant's airy, open-plan kitchen. Dinner at this beautifully restored colonial villa is the last supper our culinary tour through Vietnam .
Overnight in Ho chi Minh City.

The morning is free until transfer to Tan Son Nhat Airport for departure flight. End of the trip.