Day 01: Hanoi arrival (D)
Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi old quarter.
Day 02: Hanoi City tour (B, L,D)
Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi.
Day 03: An excursion out of Hanoi bustling city
Option 1: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L)
Option 2: Hanoi – Tam Coc ” Halong Bay on land” – Hanoi(B)
Day 04: Hanoi – Cooking class – Fly to Hue (B, L)
Overnight at your hotel in Hue
Day 05: Hue – City tour & boat trip (B, D)
Overnight at your hotel in Hue
Day 06: Hue – Cooking class – Hoi An (B, L)
Overnight at your hotel in Hoian
Day 07: Hoi An town (B)
Overnight at your hotel in Hoian
Day 08:Hoi An – Cooking class – Saigon (B, L)
Overnight at your hotel in Saigon
Day 09:Saigon city tour & Cu Chi Tunnel (B, L).
Overnight at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
Day 10: Saigon – Mekong Delta (B, L)
Overnight at your hotels in Saigon
Day 11: Cooking class at Saigon Cooking School(B, L)
Overnight at your hotel in Hochiminh city
Day 12: Saigon departure (B)
Free at leisure or doing your own things till transfer to the airport for your outgoing flight.
Request a free quote
Day 01: Hanoi arrival (D)
Aiport pick up and transfer to your hotel. If there is enough time, let's enjoy your pleasant walk around the lake area for a glimpse of the city. In the evening, we will enjoy our Welcome Dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi old quarter.
Day 02: Hanoi City tour (B, L,D)
The tour start with a visit to Hochiminh Mausoleum complex and queue with local to walk solemnly to visit his mausoleum. Short drive to Ngo Si Lien market for authentic local street food market and keep on to visit Temple ofLiterature – the first Emperial college of Vietnam and symbol of Vietnamese education traditions. Have lunch at a local restaurant. Walking in French quarter with tree-lined boulevards and many remained colonial buildings and have a special local coffee while sitting on stools with locals. Enjoy walk along Long Bien historical steel bridge of Hanoi to see local life, visit Dong Xuan central market and old authentic hidden street of Hanoi old quarter. Have some free time in Hanoi. Dinner at a authentic local restaurant called Quan An Ngon for best traditional Vietnamese dishes.
Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi.
Day 03: An excursion out of Hanoi bustling city
Option 1: Hanoi – Halong Bay (B, L)
We are met at the lobby of hotel at 08:00AM, then transfer to Halong Bay. After more than 3 hours driving including a stop-over in Hai Duong city, we arrive in Halong Bay at around 11:30. We will enjoy a delicious, fresh, seafood lunch after that and spend about 4 hours cruising on this secluded bay. During the time we will have the opportunity to visit the spectacular Heaven Palace (Thien Cung) and Dau Go caves, those caves crammed with thousand of stalactites and stalagmites with different colors, shapes and size. We keep cruising to see many lime stone islands and islets, which dotted around the bay including: Incense Bowl islet, Cock Fighting islet, Sail islet, Turtle Island… Transfer back to Hanoi in the late afternoon. Overnight at your hotel in Hanoi
Option 2: Hanoi – Tam Coc ” Halong Bay on land” – Hanoi(B)
At about 8:00 - 8:30 am, our guide and driver pick you up at your hotel, then we depart for Ninh Binh province. I takes about 2.5 hours driving from Hanoi center, upon arrival in Ninh Binh, we stop at Hoa Lu ancient citadel which was built in the 10th century to visit temples of the two dynasties; the Dinh and Le with unique architecture in the old time.
Then you will be transfer to Tam Coc area, which is known as Halong Bay on land. For those who love to experience real images of Vietnam countryside, you can take a 40 minute cycling tour from Tam Coc to see Bich Dong Pagoda around 5 km (2 ways) along country lanes with the beautiful scenery of lush paddy fields. Finish your cycling and have your lunch at a local restaurant.
After lunch, you will board on a sampan boat (2 people share a boat) in Tam Coc dock to drift down the river among the villages, mountains and lush rice fields. Passing through 3 caves (Hang Ca – First Cave, Hang Hai – Second Cave, Hang Ba – Third Cave) to get strange feelings. You also have a chance to take lots of photographies along the river, after about 1.5 hours, the boat returns to the dock for driving back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi at around 6:30 – 7:00 pm, depending on the trafiic.
Day 04: Hanoi – Cooking class – Fly to Hue (B, L)
08:30 – 08:45, meet our guide and chefs at Cooking center and enjoy a special “Banh Giay”, and Vietnamese welcome “Thai Nguyen” tea. After the welcomes, we will walk to see the “Hom” fresh market nearby our center. The ‘Hom” market is divided into different sections such as Flower, Seafood, Dry herb, Vegetable which is very interesting to go through. It is also considered as one of the most typical market in the Old Quarter of Hanoi with the way of setting out, where the local go and shop daily. 8h45– 9h30: In the market, our guide and chef will give you the chance to discover the traditional Vietnamese market and explain for you all different kinds of food and vegetable which you may see or not see them before. You have lots of opportunities to take photos and also chat with the local people. 09h30 – 11h30: After shopping for our own food, We walk back to the Cooking center to prepare for your amazing experience with chefs. At get kitted out in your chef’s outfit whilst our chef talks you through today’s dishes. Then our chef will lead you through each dish, giving you plenty of opportunity to get involved in and hand on reproducing the flavors and enjoy on the dishes you have just prepared. We will also supply you with a recipe booklet containing all the information you need to reproduce an authentic taste back home. 11.30: On completion of the cooking class, enjoy the meal with the food we cooked while chatting with the chef about Vietnamese foods and cooking. Back to your hotel after lunch and free at leisure till transfer to the airport for your flight to Hue.
Overnight at your hotel in Hue
Day 05: Hue – City tour & boat trip (B, D)
In the morning, be met and transferred to the wharf where we will cruise along the Perfume River to visit:
- Thien Mu Pagoda (The Heavenly Lady pagoda), from here we will have a good view of Perfume River and surroundings.
- Tu Duc King’s tomb, which is one of the most beautiful works of Royal Architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty. The tomb lies in a boundless pine forest.
In the afternoon, visit the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City; and Dong Ba market. Enjoy our royal dinner at a finest local restaurant called Royal Restaurant.
N o t e : Royal Restaurant is decorated as a Royal Dining Room, the Royal Dining Room will surprise you with its authentic cuisines of Hue’s royalty. Just imagine that you are the King, beside you is the Queen accompanied by Mandarins, all wearing traditional royal clothes. All the food served is royal including dishes symbolizing the dragon, phoenix, or peacock…..All meticulously prepared to the finest details for a sumptuous dinner that fits for royalty.
Overnight at your hotel in Hue
Day 06: Hue – Cooking class – Hoi An (B, L)
Y Thao Restaurant is an ideal place for lunch or dinner: great food, a congenial host, and an unhurried meal in an attractive setting of gardens, ceramics and artworks. The main attractions at Y Thao garden house are the vegetarian and non-vegetarian Hue specialty dishes. The owner is a skilled chef and the food is delicious. Her recipes have been handed down through the family for many, many years. She includes at least one of the Hue‘Royal’ dishes in the menu. This half day cooking experience at this restaurant is a great experience to get to learn about Hue cuisines.
At 8.30 am our guide will meet you at your hotel and then we will shop for fresh food at the Dong Ba market, the most hustling market in Hue.
Then starts the cooking class with Ms. Vy, the famous chef at Y Thao.
Enjoy eating the delicious foods that were just cooked.
After lunch, we take a scenic drive on one of Vietnam’s most spectacular routes, the Mandarin Road, to Hoi An passing the Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass), a mountainous highway offering splendid views over the East Sea and also stop at Lang Co beach to visit fishing village with real local fishermen life.
Overnight at your hotel in Hoian
Day 07: Hoi An town (B)
Enjoy walking tour around the ancient town to visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, the temples and pagodas of Chinese appearance.
In the afternoon, we will take 3 hour boat trip to Thanh Ha Pottery village, where we can see old men who produce jars, bowls, vases… and enjoy local life on the water as well as in the village
Have some free time at leisure or at your own exploration.
Overnight at your hotel in Hoian
Day 08:Hoi An – Cooking class – Saigon (B, L)
Meet the chef and enjoy a welcome drink at Hai Scout Café (98 Nguyen Thai Hoc Street, Hoi An Ancient Town, Tel: 3863210) – our meeting point.
Visit Hoi An’s colorful market, and experience the amazing sights, sounds and aromas of this busy market. We will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and purchase some of the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later.
We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red BridgeCooking School. This is a chance to view local river life, so make sure your camera is handy.
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. Back to Hoian and free at leisure till transfer to the airport for your short flight to Saigon
Overnight at your hotel in Saigon
Day 09:Saigon city tour & Cu Chi Tunnel (B, L)
The morning starts with a city tour of Saigon. You will be overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of this lively place. During a city tour you will visit Former Presidential Palace, Central Post Office, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Ben Thanh’s market and enjoy walking around Lam Son square area where much much Frech colonial buildings still remains.
Keep on to visit Giac Lam pagoda – one of the most beautiful and sacred pagoda in Saigon
Have lunch with the most traditional and popular Vietnamese food called PHo
Afternoon drive to Cu Chi tunnels in the west of Saigon to visit this amazing tunnels networks used during the war and get to know incredible history of the areas.
Overnight at your hotel in Ho Chi Minh City
N o t e : Phở is a Vietnamese noodle soup, usually served with beef (phở bò) or chicken (phở gà). The soup includes noodles made from rice and is often served with Vietnamese basil, mint leaves, lime, and bean sprouts that are added to the soup by the person who is dining. It is listed at number 28 on World’s 50 most delicious foods complied by CNN Go in 2011
Day 10: Saigon – Mekong Delta (B, L)
08:00 hrs pick up at your hotel in Saigon and be transferred to Cai Be.
Upon embarkation, clients are welcomed with fresh cotton towels.
The tour will begin with the visit of Cai Be colorful floating market, cruising among local barges full of fruits and vegetables… Cruising further, your sampan will bring you to see some local home factories to discover traditional rice paste making, rice pop corn, coco candies, and longans drying process.
A delicious lunch will await you at a superb Indochinese villa, Le Longanier, located in a luxuriant garden by the river…
After lunch, your sampan will proceed the cruise to Dong Hoa Hiep. On the way, you will be able observe the typical Mekong delta rural life. These evergreen islands among the Mekong River still remain unknown to many people.
Visit at an ancient mandarin house dating from the 19th century where the family will welcome you with a cup a tea. We will proceed to Vinh Long, passing beautiful landscapes along Dong Phu canal, Binh Hoa Phuoc and An Binh islands famous for their fruit orchards.
Stops on the way can be made at An Binh ancient Church or at Tam Ho bonsais garden.
After crossing the Co Chien River, the excursion will end at Vinh Long pier around 4pm, where your own private transportation vehicle will await you for your transfer back to Saigon.
Overnight at your hotels in Saigon
Day 11: Cooking class at Saigon Cooking School(B, L)
Enjoy market visit with our chef through the colorful and vibrant Ben Thanh market to purchase the ingredients what are used during the cooking lesson.
Cooking class from 10:00 to 13:00 with typical southern dishes
Enjoy lunch with delicious food we cooked while chatting with the chef about Vietnamese southern food
Free afternoon at leisure or doing your own things.
Overnight at your hotel in Hochiminh city
Day 12: Saigon departure (B)
Free at leisure or doing your own things till transfer to the airport for your outgoing flight.
Request a free quote