Vietnam Culinary Experience – 11 days

Arrive at Noi Bai international airport. Br greeted by your local tour guide and driver. Enjoy a welcome dinner at the Cha Ca La Vong restaurant. Transfer to your hotel in the city center. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Ha Noi city.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today’s class begins with a walk, accompanied by the Chef of Spices Garden Restaurant, to the local market, where participants get a chance to learn all about Vietnamese ingredients. After that, everyone rolls up their sleeves in the kitchen to prepare a proper Vietnamese meal. After the class lunch will be served in Spices Garden Vietnamese Restaurant to sample all the different dishes prepared during the class. This afternoon you will discover Hanoi with an English speaking guide. Part of your tour will include sightseeing by cyclo, a bicycle type taxi, by which you’ll discover the Old Quarter made up of the so called "36 streets," most of which are named after the crafts or merchandise traditionally sold there. Dinner tonight is at another of Hanoi’s fine restaurants. Afterwards enjoy a performance of a traditional water puppet show. This fantastic art form originated in northern Vietnam and is best seen in Hanoi. The Municipal Water Puppet Theater is located on the shore of Hoan Kiem Lake. Dinner on the guest’s account. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Ha Noi city.

Following breakfast at your hotel, depart for Halong through the Red River Delta. Transfer to the Dragon Pearl Junk on arrival and enjoy a welcome drink and a splendid lunch of local seafood. Then begin a 4-hour cruise of the bay to see the amazing limestone karsts with different real-life formations such as: Lion, Tea Pot, Toad, Dau Nguoi (Human Head) islets. Take a walk through Sung Sot, the "Amazing Cave". There is ample time for swimming and sunbathing (weather permitting), as the Dragon Pearl Junk anchors for a night in the Bay. Enjoy a wonderful sunset dinner in the beautiful restaurant before retiring to the comfort of your cabin.

Early risers can enjoy an energizing swim in the cool and calm waters of the overnight anchorage. A buffet brunch is served from 07:30 to 09:30am. The cruise then continues, passing more interesting formations such as Titot and Soi Sim Beaches, Ngon Tay (Finger) islet, Thien Nga (Swan) islet and Ga Choi (Fighting Cocks) islet on the return to Halong. Disembark at Halong Tourist Wharf for the return trip to Hanoi. Transfer to Noi Bai airport to board flight. Pick up and transfer to your hotel. Dinner at your expense. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Hue city.

Breakfast at your hotel. Take a morning cruise on the Perfume River to visit the royal tomb of Emperor Tu Duc, Thien Mu pagoda and the mausoleum of Emperor Minh Mang, in a setting of gardens and lakes. Enjoy at the local restaurant. In the afternoon, visit Dong Ba market, the Imperial Citadel from where the Nguyen Dynasty ruled between 1802 and 1945 and the ruins of the Purple Forbidden City. Enjoy a night boat trip on the Perfume River while being entertained by a performance of Hue folk songs. Dinner is on your account. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Hue city.

Eat breakfast at the hotel. Depart for Hoi An. Stop for photos and sightseeing at Hai Van pass, Lang Co beach and Marble mountain. Enjoy at the local restaurant. In the afternoon, stroll around the town, visit the Japanese Covered Bridge, the Pottery Museum, Tan Ky old house, the Cantonese congregation, the silk street of Hoi An, and the Danang-style temples and pagodas. Dinner is on guest’s account. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Hoi An

After breakfast at the hotel, we start the day (8.45am) with a drink at Hai Scout Cafe as 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 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 Red Bridge Cooking School. This is a chance to view local river life, so make sure your camera is handy. On arrival, we have a chance to 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 class is an interesting and fun way to learn about the local cuisine - the class runs for about an hour and 15 minutes, and includes demonstrations from the school's chefs, as well as the chance for us to help prepare some dishes. Included in the demonstration is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). Free leisure time to explore the ancient town of Hoi An or shop at tailor shops. Dinner at your expense. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Hoi An

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Transfer to Danang airport to board flight. Pick up and transfer to hotel. Enjoy a sightseeing tour to Reunification Palace, which was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until the end of April 1975, and some French colonial structures including Notre Dame cathedral and the Old Central Post Office. Take a tour of town and Thien Hau & Quan Am pagoda. Lunch at the local restaurant. After seeing the Emperor Jade Pagoda and the War Remnants Museum we end the city tour with Ben Thanh market where anything and everything is for sale. Dinner on guests account. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Ho Chi Minh city.

Breakfast at the hotel. Take part in a morning cooking lesson at the Vietnam Cookery Center: this hands-on cooking course is conducted by a professional chef and translated by a MC who will explain the teachings of the chef and talk about the history and culture of Vietnamese cuisine. The lesson includes a market visit and lunch. Following lunch, depart on an excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels : Cu Chi was an important base during the American War, because of its strategic location. The Vietcong built a 200km long network of tunnels connecting command posts, hospitals, shelters, and weapon factories. Dug out by hand tools without the use of cement, this amazing network was only recently opened to tourists. Dinner at your expense. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Ho Chi Minh city.

Following breakfast at your hotel, depart for Cai Be, stopping to take photos in Tan An town overlooking picturesque flat rice fields. On arrival in Cai Be, set off by motor boat to visit the Cai Be floating market and watch the locals trading fruit and many other commodities on board their vessels. Then wander into a small village to visit an orchard and fruit plantation. Keep cruising to Vinh Long through a series of small canals to experience the charms of the Upper Mekong Delta. Visit a small family business to see how coconut candy and crispy rice popcorn are made. Arrive in Binh Hoa Phuoc village, the green pearl of Vinh Long town, where you can immerse yourself in nature. Enjoy a lunch of fresh river food served in the heart of a garden accompanied by traditional southern Vietnamese folk music. Take a delightful walk through a bonsai garden. Meet the driver in Vinh Long. Return to HCMC. Stay overnight at your hotel of choice in Ho Chi Minh city.

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy free leisure time until you transfer to the airport for your departure. End of Vietnam Culinary Experience tour.