Vietnam Culinary Tour

Our Vietnam Culinary Tour 12 Days will begin with your arrival in Hanoi.

Upon your arrival at Hanoi International Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your tour guide and driver & transferred to the city center for checking into your hotel or leaving your baggage. (Early check-in is subject to the hotel’s availability. If you want to ensure to have the room upon arrival, a surcharge may be applied.). The remainder of the day is yours at leisure.  

At approximately 4 pm, you will be picked up by your tour guide to do a walking tour of some nearby charming places such as Restored Sword Lake and Hanoi Old Quarter with 36 ancient streets. Continue to venture into the Water Puppet Theatre to enjoy the fascinating water puppetry performance; then, enjoy a welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Stay overnight in Hanoi.  

The second day of 12 day Vietnam Tour will be interesting day with Hanoi City Tour. 

Today we will begin our first day of Culinary Tour with half-day cooking class in the morning. 

After breakfast, your private tour guide will pick you up and take you to the colorful local market where you have the chance to learn about ingredients, flavors and gain real insight into local life. Next, we head to the cooking class for a short talk on the art of Hanoian gastronomy, as well as learn how local herbs, vegetables, and spices are used in Hanoian cuisine, not to mention receiving the secret recipes of Vietnamese cuisine from the chef.  Then, enjoy the Hanoi style dishes you prepared. 

This afternoon, we will embark on the city tour of the vibrant Hanoi, starting with Tran Quoc pagoda, Hanoi’s oldest temple. Following is the visit of the Temple of Literature which is the site of Vietnam’s first national university. The picturesque 11th century Temple of Literature was built to honor Confucius, but nowadays is also used to celebrate the doctorates and high-rank scholars of Vietnam. Leaving the famous Confucian Temple, we proceed to explore Hoa Lo Prison  , still known as Hanoi Hilton - a nickname given by US pilots during the war. Stay overnight in Hanoi. 

Halong Bay Cruises will be your unforgettable memory for your 12 day Vietnam Tour.

After breakfast, we depart early in the morning, head through the stunning countryside for the world-famous Halong Bay. The journey takes approximately 3.5 hours, promising to be a scenic, one as you will pass through several Northern Vietnamese towns and villages. Upon arrival at the wharf, you will hop aboard your traditional junk boat and set off on the magical bay while savoring fresh local seafood onboard. The Halong Bay 1 night cruise will bring you a memorable time in one of the best bay in the World.

After lunch, start your adventure into the mysterious bay by kayaking to venture into hidden caves and grottos. You will also make a stop at an island to climb to the top for a panoramic view of Halong Bay, go swimming in the emerald water or stay on the boat to enjoy the ravishing beauty of the bay. Back onboard the junk, you will join in the Vietnamese cooking demonstration from the onboard chefs before enjoying the lavish dinner in the dining room. Afterward, return to your cabin for a good night’s sleep on the cruise. 

Wake up early from a good night's sleep to start the day with a Tai Chi session on the boat's top deck as the sun rises over the bay. Back to the dining room for a morning cup of coffee or tea before setting out to explore the beautiful limestone grotto nearby. In the late morning, arrive back in port, then say goodbye to crew staff to disembark.

Your Halong bay 1 night experience will be an unforgettable memory in your 12 day Vietnam Tour and transfer to Noi Bai Airport for your short flight to Da Nang.

Upon your arrival at Da Nang Airport, you will be warmly welcomed by your tour guide and driver & transferred to Hoi An. Hoi An is the ancient town with two sides of its charm, its graceful flower-lined pedestrian streets along with the hidden lanes and its luxury resorts alongside the white sand beaches. Stay overnight in Hoi An.

Hoi An is the paradise for the food so do not miss a cooking class in your Vietnam 12 day Itinerary.

After breakfast, we will begin our culinary adventure today with a visit to Hoi An's colorful market where you have the chance to look at all of the fresh ingredients that could be used in your cooking session later. Then, take the leisurely 25-minute cruise along the Thu Bon River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Here, you will tour the herb and vegetable garden to learn about how locals use such ingredients in their daily cooking. Next, start your cooking lesson, which lasts for around 1 hour and 30 minutes, including the chef’s demonstrations, then, join in to help cook the same dishes, together with a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). Afterwards, taste some of your creations before heading back to your hotel for a free afternoon. Hoi An is one of the best places in Vietnam for relaxing in your 12 days in Vietnam with nice beaches and charming town. 

After breakfast, we depart from Hoi An and head northward to the former Imperial Capital of Vietnam, Hue, over the 500m-high Hai Van Pass (Ocean Cloud Pass), considered to be one of the most scenic routes in Vietnam. Stop for the A break at the stunning Lang Co Beach before continuing the drive to Hue. Upon reaching this UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will check into your hotel and have some time at leisure.

Late afternoon, your tour guide will be waiting for you in the hotel's lobby to pick you up for a) walk around the city to see typical night street life. Your immersion into this local life continues as you relish some of the specialties in Hue which is famous for its different delicate dishes. Stay overnight in the ancient capital of Vietnam.  

After breakfast, your tour guide will be waiting for you in the hotel's lobby to take you to discover many of Hue’s highlights. You will commence your tour with a private Dragon boat trip cruising down the tranquil Perfume River. Make a quick stop, get off the boat to explore the tallest pagoda in Vietnam, namely Thien Mu Pagoda. The distinctive seven-story pagoda is considered as the unofficial symbol of the city. Continue to visit the Imperial City of Hue, a listed UNESCO site and delve into the fascinating past history of the complex. Your next destination will be Royal Fine Arts Museum where you will be educated on in the history of Hue. 

After lunch, we proceed to see the final resting place of the Emperor Minh Mang. Located along the banks of the Perfume River, it is regarded as one of Vietnam’s most impressive royal tombs.  

Leaving the emperor’s residence, we will wander around the city central Dong Ba Market to witness actual local life. After this visit, back to your hotel for free time & overnight stay in Hue. 

After breakfast, enjoy your free time at leisure in middle of 12 day Vietnam Tour before taking the transfer to Phu Bai Airport for the flight to Ho Chi Minh City, still called as Saigon by many locals. 

Upon arrival in the Southern metropolis, you will begin your Saigon tour with a visit to its major landmarks such as the Reunification Palace, and the War Remnants Museum to learn more about the city’s tumultuous past. Make stops at Notre Dame Cathedral, and the City Post Office to get a bit of feeling for the region’s French architecture. And your tour concludes at the colorful Ben Thanh Market. Overnight in  Ho Chi Minh City.

That will be a miss if you do not join in the cooking class in Ho Chi Minh City for your Vietnam  12 Day Tour.

After breakfast, we depart from bustling Saigon and head through the beautiful countryside for Ho Chi Minh Cooking Class. Here you will tour the flora, herbs and mushroom gardens before starting your approximately 1.5-hour cooking lesson. The hands-on cooking class consists of the chef’s demonstrations which will introduce you to some traditional dishes amongst the many specialties of Vietnamese cuisine, along with time to help prepare some of the same dishes. After sitting down to savor your handiwork, we proceed to discover the famous Cu Chi Tunnels. You will be amazed by secret trapdoors, underground kitchens, living areas and meeting rooms. Crawling through selections of the tunnels not only gives you this unique experience but also helps you to better understand the underground life of the Vietnamese soldiers during wartime.

Mekong Delta is the most highlights in Southern Vietnam Tours and in your  Vietnam 12 dayTour. After being refreshed by a good night’s sleep, we depart from your hotel in the morning and drive approximately two hours to My Tho. Here, you will hop aboard a private boat to explore the four beautiful islets known as Dragon, Unicorn, Phoenix, and Tortoise. En-route, make a quick stop at Phoenix Islet of Ben Tre to learn about the origin of the “Coconut Religion”. Next, venture to Turtle Islet to visit a small homemade coconut processing plant to see the coconut candy making process & sample the nice sweets. After the boat trip, you will take a horse cart on the village path to discover beautiful landscapes, observe the typical Mekong Delta  rural life and stop at a local family home to taste some tropical fruits, as well as sip honey tea while enjoying “Southern Vietnamese folk music” (Don Ca Tai Tu) performed by locals.

After lunch, hop in your car for a drive to Vinh Long where you will check in Ut Trinh homestay (or another homestay on An Binh Island).   

If you are interested you may join in with the host to prepare dinner before sitting down to enjoy this meal of Mekong specialties and you will have an overnight stay at the local house in Vinh Long. 

In the morning, you will embark on a long tail boat to the exciting Cai Be Floating Market which is full of fruits and vegetables hanging on tall wooden poles. Along the way, make an optional stop at the nearby home factories that produce rice paper, pop- rice & popcorn.

Stop en route to explore a picturesque riverside village by bicycle. It is very interesting to cycle on the shady paths to see the local farms, houses, orchards and fruit plantations & to immerse yourself in nature.  

Transfer to a rowing boat which will take you deeper into the countryside, passing along stunning narrow canals. You have the chance to see traditional houses made of wood and palm tree leaves. Not to mention the opportunity to gain real insight into the countryside’s life by making contact with local farmers, observing their working activities, as well as learning the traditional working techniques which locals use to catch fish or pick up fruits by ancestral ways in the Mekong Delta. 

Continue on to the brick kilns where you see how locals make bricks in handy traditional style by printing and baking, to create stunning traditional potteries from clay. 

Make the last stop at Vinh Long Market in the town which gives you endless opportunities to capture great photos of fish, shrimps, prawns, crabs, snakes, rice-field rats, tropical fruits, vegetables, etc.  

Hop in your car to drive back to Saigon, enjoy lunch on the way. Check in at the hotel. Stay your last night in your  Vietnam Culinary Tour 12 Day in Ho Chi Minh City. 

Today, you are free to enjoy your own time in the city until transfer to the airport for your onward flight. End of your 12 day Vietnam Tour.

You may like another 12 day Vietnam Tour Itinerary: Highlights of Vietnam 12 Days