THE FLAVORS OF VIETNAM – 12 DAYS/ 11 NIGHTS - From: 890$

You will be greeted at Ho Chi Minh Airport upon your arrival. Afterwards transfer to Hue city where we check in the hotel. From 2 p.m, the room is all yours. You will be free at your leisure for the rest of the day. Enjoy good meals by yourself, and overnight at the hotel.

You will spend your morning to explore the secret of cuisine of Ho Chi Minh City – one of the "culinary highlights" in Vietnam, by joining in a cooking class. First, of course we have to prepare for ingredients. Select yourself fresh and lush ones as we take a stroll to the market. It is also an opportunity for you to experience Vietnamese people’s  daily life. When we have enough ingredients, the chef will assist you in learning how to cook some local dishes. What you have just made are also for your lunch. Taste them and make a comparation to some additional dishes prepared by the cooks. It will be a really lovely experience. Afternoon is for some of the city’s the historic sites including Notre Dame Cathedral, the former Saigon Post Office and the Opera House, Cho Lon and Thien Hau Pagoda. Go out and have your own meals for dinner, then go back to the hotel for overnight.

In the morning you will move to Cai Be by private vehicle to board a private local boat, heading to the Mekong Delta of Vinh Long. Exploring Cai Be Floating Market and the quaint byways, you will fall into the charming view of the fabled Mekong River. Don’t forget to try some native bizarre fresh fruits, just be picked earlier from one of the many local orchards. Along the way, by stopping in the orchid garden of a local farmer, we hope you understand more about the lifestyle there. After lunch, keep cruising to Vinh Long and move to Can Tho by road. Before sunset, arrive Can Tho and check in your hotel. Have a good meals there on your own, and overnight at the hotel.

Wake up early and departure for Ninh Kieu Quay to board onto the Mystic Mekong (shared with other passengers), on which we will cruise to the lively, vivid floating markets of Cai Rang. Breakfast will be served by the crews.
The great diversity of products sold at the market will absolutely surprise you at the moment you come. You will not possible to take your eyes off the huge variety of fruits, from the familiar ones like bananas and mangos, to the strangest ones like the sweetened longans, the very fragrant durians or mangosteens and star apples. When the fruity flavors of the market have served you well, take a 2-hour cycling tour on a small peaceful trail through the villages. Visiting a primary school, rice fields and a local typical house with a lush fruit orchard, you will understand more about the lifestyles here. As we finish, return to the banks of Ba Lang river on a small ferry. 
Late in the morning, you will be picked up at the pier and transferred to Ho Chi Minh City Airport for your flight to Hue (1 hour). You will be greeted at the airport and transferred to Hue for hotel check-in. Discover Hue in your own pace and have some yummy foods here. Spend your night at the hotel.

Our destination this morning is the ancient village of Phu Mong. We will ride just about 2 km from the Citadel to get there. The ancient and charming architecture of the village belongs to the Mandarin. You will be explained about the architecture of the houses, as well as the history of the village. Next, keep riding towards an ancient garden house in the shady and cool atmosphere. This house is called Xuan Vien Tieu Cung, located in the outskirts of Hue, just 4km far from the city. They built this in 1894, a long time ago, but it is still under well-preserved condition, almost intact with a venerable design. This house originally belongs to Pham Huu Dien (a minister of Rite under the Nguyen dynasty). Now his granddaughter - Mrs Pham Thi Tuy has been inherited the house. She has a simple beauty, which is most appreciated in ancient times for Hue women. When you look at her, you will see the spirit of the house reflected with her beauty. After having fresh-picked fruits from the garden, a cup of green tea, and stories that are full of humor, you will see a great regret to leave this house and continue our cycling journey.

Back on your bike heading towards Imperial Citadel of Hue, before having lunch at a nice local restaurant. Afternoon is for a visit to Minh Mang tomb - one of the most beautiful tombs in Hue. To finish your exciting day, take a guided waliking tour around Dong Ba Market. You will be introduced some typical local foods. Take this chance to sample some of them. When we get back to the hotel in the late afternoon, you’re free at your leisure for the rest of time. Have your own dinner in this colorful cuisine. Night at the hotel.

After breakfast, visit the Thien Mu Pagoda located nearby the Perfume River. Then, move to Hoi An acrossing the Hai Van Pass, which is also a great scenic. From the pass, it is the perfect point for you to look out over the central coastline – an excellent panoramas in Vietnam. At your next stop, Lang Co beach will welcome you with the quiet and long white sandy sight. Upon arrival in Hoi An, check in at the hotel, find yourself some exquisite foods and spend your night at the hotel.

This morning you will have one more cooking course, but this time you discover other aspects of the Vietnamese cuisine. Rise up early, take a stroll with your hostess (also your chef) to Hoi An market to select necessary ingredients for your dishes. You will be astonished by the varieties of meat and fish, lush fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices sold at the market. Don’t miss this chance to discover this lively world and to understand more about the habits of Hoianien’s consumption preferences. After leaving the market with ingredients in-hand, Stop a few minutes at a local coffee shop for a coffee (or a tea) break get in the kitchen and begin your course. You will be guided to cook some Vietnamese traditional dishes and a few associations of tastes. We hope they would be useful even when you are back home. Enjoy your own dish and remember to share and taste other’s.
After lunch take a stroll along Hoi An town, to understand why this town is recognized  as a World Heritage site by UNESCO, to feel the marvel that every other visitors felt when they look at all those unusually well-preserved ancient streets and homes. More than two-century-old Chinese houses that you can explore while walking through the quaint cobblestone streets of the town. The Chinese Temple, Japanese Bridge and Phung Hung Chinese-style trading house are also the places that should not be ignored. The rest of time is for your own exploration. Have a good dinner and spend your night at the hotel.

This morning we take a 30-minute boat trip to Cua Dai. When you arrive, join in the local fishermen’s daily activities. Afterwards, you will have an unforgettable experience when taking a coracle tour (coracle is a round basket boat) to the mangrove forest of coconut trees. About 10 a.m you will disembark and the rest of time is for exploring the town. Your guide will pick you up for a transfer to Danang Airport, where your onward flight to Hanoi is waiting for you. Upon arrival at Hanoi Airport, transfer to the city for hotel check-in. Have you own meals here, and overnight at the hotel.

Your story in Hanoi begins with a walking to a local market. After that, you will be taken to a local house to learn to cook some traditional dishes of Vietnam. You will also hear about the daily life of Hanoi people. Taste dishes made by yourself and the hostess will also prepare for you some additional dishes. The next destination for the afternoon is the thousand-year-old Temple of Literature – also Vietnam’s first university . Then have a visit to the Ethnology Museum (closed on Monday) where you can explore the diverse and unique cultures of the 54-ethnic Vietnam. Find yourself some exquisite foods in this colorful cuisine for your own meals. Back to the hotel for overnight.

Departure for Halong Bay (180km – 3.5 - 4 hour driving) to see a  fabulous World Heritage site recognized by UNESCO. More than 3,000 islands of towering limestone with different fantastic shapes, dotting the bay and Gulf of Tonkin. Board a beautiful boat when you arrive and have an overnight cruise on Halong Bay Fresh seafood, which is one of factors to make Ha Long Bay famous, will be served for your lunch and dinner right on the boat. Have a good night on board !

Early morning is the best moment to enjoy the aquamarine water of the bay. Wake up early and after a tea break, we take a quiet cruise through amazing caves and strangely shaped islands hidden in the fog of the bay. In the late morning. back to the pier and disembark, then after a brunch you will return to Hanoi. Along the way, you will visit a pottery village of Phu Lang, to feel the charm and the enigmatic soul of an old standstill craft village. Through this unusual experience, you see a different side of Vietnam, still awesome, but out of modern times. Take a walk along Cau river in the paved streets and you can try to hand in pottery. Another option is visiting the handicraft workshops of avant-garde artists and you can also meet those families, who still keep their proficient skills from generation to generation. Have your own meals when getting back to the city, and overnight at the hotel.

Have a nice free morning time there, until we transfer you to the airport for your flightRoom is available before noon only. Enjoy your last meals there on your own, and our services end here.