13 Days Vietnam Culture & Food Tour

Learn the Secrets of Local Cuisine with our English speaking Vietnamese Chef!

Half-Day Gourmet Tour from 8:45am until 1pm.
Purchase your ingredients with our Chef at Ben Thanh market and then enjoy a hands-on cooking class.

Market visit from 8:45am till 9:40am
Our Vietnamese Chef will guide you through the colorful and vibrant Ben Thanh market to purchase the necessary ingredients for your cooking lesson. Feel free to ask any questions you want!
At 9h40, our Chef will bring you back by taxi (included) to our cooking class.

Hands-on cooking class from 10am to 1pm:
You will use Vietnamese kitchenware to realize and enjoy a tasty 3 courses Vietnamese meal. Of course no MSG are used! To end on a sweet touch we will take care to complete this meal with a delicious seasonal dessert. During the class you just concentrate on the pleasure of discovering and cooking, we'll give you all the detailed recipes at the end.
In the afternoon, visit War Museum, Notre Dame Cathedral, Central Post Office. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

Our car will pick up at your hotel in early morning. Upon arrival at Cai Be, embark a private boat to cruise around Cai Be Floating Market to see local people being selling, buying, and exchanging goods from their boats. Visit local garden and house to see orchard, rice crisped producing process, etc.. After lunch cruising along river to see peaceful tranquil life of villagers, admire marvelous natural setting of Mekong Delta region. About 3 pm, the boat will arrive at Vinh Long Market, walking around to explore Vinh Long Market and transfer to Can Tho for overnight.

Rising early to the sounds of the Delta coming to life for another day, we breakfast and start our trip with a boat cruise on sparking streams along the endless waterway of Mighty Mekong River to Cai Rang floating markets. There will be hundreds of boats loaded with fruits, vegetables and fish jostling for trade. Sellers advertisers their wares by crying out across the waters. We visit the lush orchards and are treated to a delicious tropical fruits. Early afternoon, transfer back to Ho Chi Minh. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh.

After breakfast in hotel, transfer to the airport for the mid-morning flight from Saigon to Danang. On arrival in Danang airport, you are met and transferred to HoiAn ancient town, 35km away.
On the way to HoiAn, stop to visit the Marble Mountain (Mountains of the Five Elements) and visit Non Nuoc stone village. Here, you can see the local skillful sculptors creating many marble products which are exported to many countries worldwide. Then continue our drive toward Hoian town. You will visit a famous Tailor/dress maker in Hoian town who can make your dress within 24 hours.
Afternoon, you will have a guided tour to see the interesting sights of this ancient city. Some hundreds years ago, this town thrived o­n trading with the Chinese, Japanese and Spanish. You will visit a historical Old House, Japanese Covered Bridge, Old Temple and Silk Factory. Overnight in HoiAn.

Transfer from hotel to Hai Café as our meeting point where we start the day (8.15am) with a welcome drink. Visit Hoi An’s colourful 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 learn about all 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 Bridge Cooking 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 garden, before learning about some of Hoi An’s and Vietnam’s well-known dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours – the Red Bridge chefs first demonstrate each dish 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 what we have cooked.
Bring your swimsuit and after the cooking tour has finished relax and enjoy free use of our 20 metre swimming pool - towels and showers provided.
Then transfer back to your hotel and free time. Overnight in Hoian.

Today is at leisure to relax in the beach resort. Overnight in Hoian.

After breakfast in the hotel, you will have a 3 hour drive over the scenic Hai Van pass along the coast to the old citadel of Hue. On arrival in Hue, take the sightseeing in Hue to the Ancient Imperial Citadel, a complex of palaces and temples built by the Nguyen from early 19th Century for which Hue was recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage. Then, you will embark on a drive to Hue’s countryside, through scenic villages and green rice fields to reach the Emperor Ming Mang’s tomb. It is one of the most beautiful of all Emperors tombs, in a complex of pavilions, temple, courtyards and lakes.
Late afternoon, enjoy the leisure boat trip on the scenic Perfume River to visit Thien Mu pagoda. Overnight at hotel in Hue.

After breakfast in hotel, transfer to the airport for the morning flight from Hue to Hanoi. On arrival in Hanoi, you are met and transferred to the hotel.
Afternoon, take a Cyclo ride through the Old Town of Hanoi and attend a Water Puppet Show - the traditional performance dated 11th century. Visit Hoan Kiem Lake and the Ngoc Son temple in the middle of the Lake. Overnight in Hanoi.

Morning, free at leisure.
12:00pm: Our guides will pick up from your hotel and start tour Street Food and Market Tour by scooters and drive to the eating and drinking streets of Hanoi in the Truc Bac Lake area.
Take a pleasant stroll from the HCC to Truc Bach Lake for your first tasting - Pho Cuon
*lots of opportunities to take photos
Next stop Chau Long Market, for a tour of the market highlighting the ‘wet’ / unusual fruits / livestock / frogs.
*sample of market foods of your choice. For example tree tomatoes or green mango with chili, silkworms, pork with green rice.
Next stop Tay Ho (Westlake). We will continue to West Lake shrimp restaurants to sample West Lake’s most famous dish.
Back to Xuan Dieu for one of the best Bun Cha stalls in Ha Noi.
*enjoy Bun Cha, grilled pork patties and pork belly with sticky rice noodles
On our way back we stop at Yen Phu to visit a traditional Ha Noi café, established in 1936.
* enjoy specialties of the café, black sticky rice or green rice with yoghurt. Coffee with yoghurt or great passion fruit with yoghurt.
The tour ends in late afternoon. Overnight in Hanoi..

After breakfast, you will leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world’s largest marine limestone ‘karst’ landscape.
On arrival in Halong, board the Paradise Luxury Cruise. Your heavenly journey across Halong Bay starts around noon on Tuan Chau Island at the doorstep of Vietnam's most fascinating wonder.
As the vessel sets sails, you will be greeted by Paradise Crew and Cruise Manager who will aim throughout your stay at providing you with the highest standards of service for a pure pleasure and utmost comfort onboard our luxury facilities in the stunning surroundings.
Discover some of the treasures disseminated across the Bay of the Descending Dragon during the afternoon: fascinating caves, pristine beaches, picturesque floating villages, fantastic rock formations rising up out of emerald water.
While onboard, you can take advantage at leisure of our Spa, Beauty & Massage services; surrounded by a stunning setting in motion, you will attend our chef's cooking demonstration and try your skills in the art of traditional Vietnamese cooking.
Defined to be one of the highlights of your Paradise stay, a highly refined, innovative and varied cuisine will be presented for Lunch and Dinner in the elegant dining-room, accompanied by a wide selection of wines and beverages from around the world (extra charge applied). Overnight on boat.

Early birds can attend a Tai Chi demonstration on the sundeck at the break of dawn. Start the day enjoying some Paradise delights with a colourful buffet breakfast. Continue exploring Halong Bay sailing across its 2000 islets and visiting some of its major highlights. Your Paradise Cruise will come to an end on Tuan Chau Island between 10.30am and 11.00am and you will be met by your driver for the transfer back to Hanoi. Arrive in Hanoi around 3:30pm, check in hotel and leisure time to go shopping in the Old Quarter or wander around Hoan Kiem Lake. Overnight in Hanoi.