Theme travel
 
 
 Arts & crafts hunter
 Cultural interact
 Eco-nature lovers
 Culinary interest
 Bike & adventure
 Veteran revisit
 Honeymooners
 Voluntoursim
 Cruises & leisures

 

 
Culinary interest

If cooking were painting, Vietnam would have one of the world’s most colorful palettes. It is said there are about 500 traditional dishes, with many variations. Eating is such an integral part of the culture that a time-honored Vietnamese proverb, “hoc an, hoc noi,” dictates that people should “learn the way to eat before learning to speak”.
Vietnam has an enviable natural bounty, and the cooking techniques enhance the offerings from land to sea to great advantage. 
 The cuisine is heaven-sent and the divine flavors are as diverse as the areas in which they are offered. The seafood is spectacular thanks to an endless coastline, and vegetarians will love the magical “mock meat” that the Vietnamese have mastered. 
Green veggies are provided fresh and are available in every corner of the country on a daily basis. In addition, colonialism and foreign influences have also led to a successful marrying of techniques and ingredients.
By choosing this theme, you are already telling us who you are and what your expectations are for your trip.  Our task will only be complete when we get specific details and a wish list from you. Then, a personalized trip that is aimed straight at your interests will be crafted for an unforgettable experience that you will be hard pressed to turn down!

Day 1: Saigon – Arrival 
Upon arrival, welcomed and get picked up at the airport to transfer to the hotel for check in. Dinner with variety of authentic southern dishes is at the local Ngon (Delicious) restaurant with village atmosphere. The guide will join and make short briefing how to use chopstick.
Accommodation: in Saigon
Meals: Dinner

Day 2: Saigon & cooking class
Breakfast at the hotel. Take a gastronomic journey with this cooking course. You will learn to master a wide selection of favorite local Vietnamese dishes. A visit to a traditional Vietnamese Cookery House, of yesteryear style, elegantly decorated, and committed to promoting the excellence of Vietnamese Culinary Art is a treasure for your day. You will also learn how to recognize different ingredients, master chopsticks, eat in a Vietnamese way and how to savor what you have cooked! Followed by lunch that you have cooked. After lunch, city tour with its French colonial architecture and funky cafes and boutiques. Photo opportunity at the Old Saigon Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral and former Presidential Palace. End the day with the Chinese district of Cholon to enjoy the bustling wholesale quarter of Saigon. 
Accommodation: in Saigon
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 3: Saigon – Cantho (Bassac cruise)
Get picked up and head South to Cai Be. 
Boarding at Cai Be at noon. Welcome drink, Introduction to the ship and crew, check into the cabins. Departure towards Cho Lach on the Tien Giang river. Lunch while on route. Rest on the deck. Turning into Cho Lach canal for 30 minutes through the traffic of sand and rice barges, in a scenery of fruit drying facilities and wooden ship building yards. Visit of a village on the banks of river Mang Thit, an opportunity to appreciate the way of life and hospitality of the local inhabitants. Visit of the orchard or rice fields nearby. Boarding back, complimentary drink as a welcome back on board. Rest on the deck enjoying the sunset. The crew will serve dinner while the Bassac is cruising Mang Thit river. The Bassac sets anchor just downstream from the little Tra On floating market, for the night.
Accommodation: on Board
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 4: Cantho – Saigon 
Breakfast is available from 06:30, while the ship is cruising the Tra On floating market. The ship then departs towards Can Tho. Arrival in Cai Rang floating market, check out and transfer onto a local boat to visit the floating market, the nearby arroyos and gardens and return to the Ninh Kieu pier. End of the services on shore at Can Tho by mid-morning. Then, pick up and transfer back Saigon for the night.
Notes: Depending the Bassac calendar, you will start either in Cai Be or Can Tho.
Accommodation: in Saigon
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 5: Saigon – Danang (Air)/Hoian
Breakfast at the hotel. Get transferred to the airport for the flight to Danang. Upon arrival, meet and transfer to the hotel for check in. After check in, enjoy a walking tour of Hoi An including the 400-year-old Japanese Covered Bridge, the Assembly Hall of the Cantonese Chinese Congregation founded in 1786 (the Phuc Kien Pagoda), Tan Ky House built almost 200 years ago, and the central market to have an overview about food and raw materials in Hoi An. Dinner is at Brother Café restaurant. 
Accommodation: in Hoian
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 6: Hoian & Cooking – Myson 
Hoi An cooking class is an interesting and fun way to learn about the local cuisine. The demonstration takes about 1 hour – each person helps prepare the dishes and then sits down to enjoy the meal. Pick up at the hotel and transfer to visit the Hoi An’s colorful market to 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. Then, we board a private boat to the Red Bridge where the cooking class takes place. The cooking lesson lasts for about 2 hours. After this beautiful lunch, pick up and head to the capital and religious centre of the former Champa Kingdom, My Son, 40km southwest of Hoi An. Dozens of red brick towers and sanctuaries dating from between 7th and 13th centuries are still reserved here in a lush green valley. Continue to visit the museum and the holy site. Back Hoian and dinner is free on own. 
Accommodation: in Hoian
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 7: Hoian – Hue 
After breakfast, pick up and transfer to Hue for a 3 & ½ hour drive through the Hai Van cloudy pass with a stop en route for a spectacular panorama view of the coastline on the summit. There are many photo opportunities at the Lang Co fishing village located on a sand dune line as well. Drive to the hotel for check in upon arrival. Lunch is set at Mr. Phan Thuan An’s home (formerly the home of the princess of the Emperor Dong Khanh). During the lunch, Mr. An, the historian will talk about the history as well as the origin of the specialties you enjoyed. A dragon boat to cruise on the romantic Perfume River to visit the Hue’s best known religious site, Thien Mu pagoda. The cruise will pass through the back of Dong Ba market to learn further of the wholesales of food and vegetable and from where you can learn about all kinds of Hue recipes and ingredients that make the royal cuisines. Thien Mu Pagoda is Hue’s most preserved religious monument. You can have a chance to know further of the growing rice and vegetables around the Pagoda. Continue overland to visit the Imperial Citadel. Dinner at the Ancient Hue where you can enjoy a short film about Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. A highlight of the dinner tonight. 
Accommodation: in Hue 
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Day 8: Hue – Hanoi (Air) 
After breakfast, we continue to visit the most elaborate mausoleums of Emperors Tu Duc, and Khai Dinh with a stop at a pagoda orphanage to interact with the orphans about their life there. Then, transfer to the airport for the flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival, get picked up and transferred to the hotel for check in. Dinner tonight at deluxe Vietnamese restaurant, the Wild Rice where a menu is typical of Northern cuisine, a dinner introduction of the Vietnamese cuisine.
Accommodation: in Hue 
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Day 8: Hanoi 
Today, we will have Pho noodles for breakfast at Pho Restaurant, a specialty of Hanoi and an interesting walk through the Old Quarter to enjoy the local vibrant daily life and you might encounter some interesting food street stalls and the small market. This is also another opportunity to learn different aspects of cuisine culture on the way. Then, visit to the Museum of Ethnology to enhance your understanding of Vietnam's diverse cultures through its unique presentation of daily life objects and dress. Lunch at Cha Ca La Vong restaurant, another specialty of Hanoi, delicious fish paste. After lunch, we will visit the Temple of Literature and the Fine Arts Museum. End your trip at the Thang Long Theater for a special Water Puppets performance. Dinner is free tonight for your choice. Your guide can help give some advices and escort you to the restaurant.  
Accommodation: in Hanoi 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 9: Hanoi & cooking 
After breakfast, you will be taken by a well-known chef from the Seasons of Hanoi Restaurant to a local market. There are a variety of raw materials for you to choose for the cooking class and demonstration. After doing the food buy and learning the raw materials, you will then be taken to the Seasons of Hanoi Restaurant where a cooking class/demonstration (4 dishes) will be carried out. After lunch at the Seasons,  drive back to the hotel. The balance of the day at leisure.
Accommodation: in Hanoi 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch 

Day 10: Hanoi – Halong 
Pick up at the hotel at 07:30am for a journey through the rich farmlands of the Red River Delta to Halong Bay, the World Heritage. Enjoy a coffee break at Sao Do. Arrive Halong around mid-noon to check-in at the Emeraude Cafe in Halong City. Enjoy a refreshing “Welcome Cocktail” upon check-in on the sun deck. Cruise commences and the lavish buffet lunch served at the restaurant. Visit by Tender to see the Sung Sot Caves (Cave of Surprises) weather permitting. Option of Kayaking or Swimming near Hang Trong anchorage Vietnamese cuisine demonstration at the sun deck. Complimentary canapés at the sun deck bar Scrumptious International Buffet Dinner served at the restaurant  Evening Movie show at the sun deck
Accommodation: on Emeraude cruise 
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch & Dinner 

Day 11: Halong – Hanoi 
Tai Chi exercise at the sun deck and continuation of cruise Breakfast Buffet served in the restaurant. Check-out on board and disembarkation at Emeraude Café, Halong City at 09h30 am. Pick up and transfer to Hanoi and hotel check in. 
Accommodation: in Hanoi 
Meals: Breakfast & Brunch 


Day 12: Hanoi – Departure 
Breakfast at the hotel. Get picked up and transfer to the airport for the flight home.
End of services  
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch

  
     
 
 
 

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