Vietnam Delights: A Culinary Dream – 12 Days & 11 Nights

Click here to download our 2014-2015 Brochure for Vietnam Delights

DAY 1: HANOI ARRIVAL

Welcome to Hanoi! The capital city of Vietnam which is over 1000 years old! You will be greeted with a warm smile as soon as you come out of the baggage claim and customs area from a  4UTOURS INTERNATIONAL local expert. Your luggage will be taken care of and you will then be driven to your luxury hotel while you get an introduction to the motorbike frenzy from the comfort of your luxury transportation. We know traveling is tiresome so take the rest of the day to rejuvenate and prepare for Day 2.

DAY 2: HANOI CITY TOUR – WATER PUPPET

Our morning of culinary adventure starts with meeting a local Hanoian chef for a market tour who will show you how to select fresh ingredients. You will then visit the chef’s private home for a fun, informative and interactive hands-on cooking class of Hanoi & Northern Highland cuisines. Enjoy your own creations at lunch while listening to the chef’s personal culinary insight and expertise. After lunch you will return to the romantic old quarter for a customized city tour including a visit to the Temple of Literature, a cultural symbol and the first University for the sons of mandarins built in 1076. Enjoy a little break in the afternoon before we head down to the entertaining and culturally educating Thang Long Water Puppet show and gastronomic adventure in one of Hanoi’s top tables.

DAY 3: HANOI – HALONG BAY

After breakfast, travel through the Red River Delta to beautiful Ha Long Bay, one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World! You won’t believe what the locals transport on their motorbikes! The scenic drive will pass through Vietnam’s majestic countryside filled with rice paddies and farms before arriving to the World Heritage site of Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay has more than 3000 limestone karsts, which in 500 million years’ time, the wind and waves have sculptured into fantastic and breath taking shapes. No matter what the weather is, Ha Long Bay is always enchanting and mystical! Easily one of the most romantic places on the planet! You will make your way on to your luxury junk boat where you will stay overnight and cruise through Ha Long Bay. The evening will include an onboard cooking demonstration. Lunch and dinner onboard will be filled with culinary delights and local specialties! Relax and enjoy the cruise, this is a great day to rejuvenate the body and mind!

DAY 4: HALONG

Wake up feeling reenergized for an early morning Tai Chi class held on the upper deck or just enjoy the breathtaking views of the bay as the boat starts cruising quietly in Lan Ha bay. Enjoy breakfast on board and have a scenic cruise towards Cat Ba Island. After lunch, enjoy a relaxing rowing boat or kayak tour through the floating village of Vung Vieng. Then depart to Cong Do area while enjoying sunset cocktail on board followed with a special dinner featuring 5 elements of wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

DAY 5: HANOI – HUE

Our morning of tour and discovery starts with a climb up to visit Sung Sot Cave where stalactites hanging from the high ceiling take on the shapes of objects and mythological creatures. We will arrive at Tuan Chau pier late morning and transfer back to Hanoi airport for our flight to Hue. Upon arrival in Hue, meet with your guide, transfer to your hotel for check-in for a little rest and relaxation. Our afternoon will continue with a wonderful city tour of Hue; the former Imperial city. We will share a meal with monks in a monastery before continuing with a visit to the Imperial Citadel. Just out of the city center we will explore the elaborate Khai Dinh royal tomb where the architecture is influenced by both eastern art and western influences. Dinner is with a local chef who grew up in with traditional cooking techniques and skills and will share those methods with you while cooking an amazing meal together!

DAY 6: HUE – DANANG

This morning of culinary delights takes us to meet with our local chef to explore a Hue food tour to gain some advice of how to select the freshest produce and ingredients in a local market and learn more about the regional specialty recipes. Our afternoon will continue with an overland transfer to Danang via Hai Van pass. Get lost in your daydreams as you are looking out into the world. We will arrive to Danang at your luxury resort hotel on the picturesque beach where the sand is waiting for you to bury your feet in it! It has been a long day, your evening is free for you to relax and catch up on some down time.

DAY 7: DANANG – HOIAN

Our morning of culinary discovery includes a daytrip drive to nearby Hoi An, which is an exceptionally well-preserved South-East Asian trading port starting from the 15th to 19th century. Its buildings and its street plan reflect the influences, both indigenous and foreign, that have combined to produce this unique heritage site which has been recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The discovering includes a stop at the Hoi An market where we will see all the local delights and handicrafts, the Tan Ky old house, the Japanese covered Bridge and the Fukien Assembly Hall. We will conclude the afternoon with a traditional Vietnamese cooking class and lunch! Please enjoy the evening at the resort. You will rest well tonight as this will be a fantastic day!

DAY 8: DANANG – HOCHIMINH CITY

The morning is free to explore on your own until we transfer to the airport and fly to Saigon. We will arrive to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) at the Tan Son Nhat airport. We will make our way to the hotel where you will have time to relax and freshen up before our city and orientation tour of Saigon. The city orientation tour will include a photo stop at the former Presidential Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral and the French built General Post Office. Our dinner will include romantic and lively Vespa culinary tour with an opportunity to sample some of southern Vietnam’s favorite street food delights with a thrilling ride on a motorbike! Spend the evening at the Rex Hotel rooftop bar enjoying the music and entertainment!

DAY 9: SAIGON – CU CHI

Our day will start with a scenic drive to Cu Chi (75 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City) including a pass through the rubber tree plantations to visit an amazing complex network of underground tunnels stretching over 200km long and the former stronghold of Viet Cong . Our visit will be above ground but for those that would like to try going underground into the tunnels, you will have the opportunity! We will make a stop at a rice paper production factory where you will see how rice paper is made in order to make those delicious spring rolls! We will return to Ho Chi Minh City and have lunch at one of Saigon’s best restaurants. The afternoon will include discovering the War Remnants Museum after lunch. Our afternoon will conclude with a cooking class in the heart of the city and you will start to understand the culinary differences between the North, Central and Southern parts of Vietnam! Rest up back at the hotel this evening, we have another amazing day tomorrow!

DAY 10: HOCHIMINH – CANTHO

Our day of culinary discovery will start with a drive to the Mekong Delta. The Delta is known as the rice bowl of Vietnam. We will arrive at the historic and beautiful Vinh Trang Buddhist pagoda, built in 1849, view its antique wood carved statues of this well-preserved temple. We will take a unique opportunity to see the process of making rice noodle in a typical village in the countryside.

We will make our way towards Cai Be, where we will get into to awaiting sampans and cruise through the small canals. We will visit a magnificent local workshop to see how they make pop rice and local candies and the innovative ways they create these delights! We will see a Cai Be floating market, a unique opportunity to see trading and commerce on the vast waterways. After weaving through the lush greenery of the Mekong River you will arrive on An Binh Island in Vinh Long to visit with the local people and beautiful collection of Bonsai. We will explore the fascinating collection of tropical fruit trees and flowers nursery of a local home. Depending on the day you can see the local boat building, the local production of bricks and earth ware in the area. We will enjoy a local lunch on the island. We will continue cruising to Vinh Long where will we disembark from the sampans and drive to Can Tho. Once we arrive to Can Tho at our luxurious hotel, you will be able to rest a little before we explore Can Tho city with a visit to Khmer pagoda, located right in the heart of Can Tho. If you are feeling energetic, take the romantic cruise around the river with live music and drinks onboard! Rest well tonight! Today is a long but amazing day!

DAY 11: CANTHO – HOCHIMINH

Our last day of discovery will start in the morning where we will take a boat trip to Cai Rang floating market – the highlight of Mekong Delta. This sights and the scene of the busy colorful floating market is unique to this area. Weaving through the various boats arrive at the tropical fruit garden well known for some of the most delicious fruits of the country. Savor the seasonal fruits of the area. We will have lunch and head back towards Saigon. Our last evening of discovery will include a cruise along the Saigon River on one of Saigon’s best boutique dinner cruise ships. This will show you the amazing evolution of boating in Vietnam from Sampans to luxury cruise boats all in one day!

DAY 12: SAIGON DEPARTURE DAY

We want to thank you for choosing 4UTOURS INTERNATIONALand we hope you have had an amazing culinary journey as well learned some things to take home with you. Today you will be transferred to the Airport with our local team, if you are heading back home; we wish you nothing but safe travels and future success and love. If you are continuing on with one of our post extensions, you will be given the information about your transfer beforehand and you will be greeted at our next destination with our local team! We hope you now have an understanding of why many chefs around the world believe Vietnamese food to be the best cuisine in the world!