Day 1
Arrive into Hanoi airport (Noi Bai International) where you will be met by a Trip Feast representative. Transfer to your hotel for check-in and the rest of the day is free for you to relax. Overnight in Hanoi. Meal plan: N/A
Day 2
After breakfast, you will be taken by your guide to the Spices Garden Restaurant at the Sofitel Metropole Hotel where you will be introduced to the chefs. The morning will be spent preparing Vietnamese dishes under the guidance of a chef and lunch will consist of the meals you have prepared yourselves, served in the Spices Garden Restaurant. In the afternoon, you will explore Hanoi, visiting the Temple of Literature (the first university in Vietnam), Tran Quoc Pagoda on West Lake, and the Hanoi Flag Tower. Then wander around the Hoan Kiem Lake and visit the Ngocson Temple. Finish the day with a cycle trip around Hanoi Old Town and see the water puppet show while enjoying your dinner. Overnight in Hanoi. Meal plan: B, L, D
The cuisine of Northern Vietnam is not as spicy as it is in the South. The historical lack of spices makes typical northern food light with subtle flavours. Many signature dishes of Vietnam come from the North such as Hanois famous Pho (a rice noodle dish with chicken or beef) but the main flavours of the north come from freshwater fish, prawns, shrimp or oysters.
Day 3
After breakfast, you will depart Hanoi for Halong Bay. Upon arrival in Halong you will board a junk boat (a traditional Vietnamese sail boat) and take a cruise around the bay while enjoying a delicious seafood lunch. The cruise will take you past some beautiful islands including Dog Island, Incense Urn Island, Ga Choi Island, and Hoa Cuong Island. You will also have a chance to visit a cave and have a swim on Titov Beach. Dinner will be served on board the junk and there will be some night fishing to enjoy afterwards. Overnight on board. Meal plan: B, L, D
Day 4
The morning will be spent cruising towards Halong via Bai Tu Long Bay, Fire Island, Bo Nau Island and a traditional fishing village. Lunch will be served on the boat and you will arrive back at Halong by midday. A car will take you back to Hanoi by mid to late afternoon where you will recheck-in at the hotel. The rest of the day is free. Overnight in Hanoi. Meal plan: B, L
Day 5
After breakfast you will be transferred to the airport for a morning flight to Hue. Once there, you will be taken on a tour of the city and marvel at the wonderful architecture of the royal palaces and citadels constructed under the Nguyen Dynasty. The major sites, of the Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Royal City will be visited as well as the Ngo Mon Gate, the Nine Dynastic Urns, Nine Holy Cannons and Thai Hoa Palace. After lunch in a local restaurant the rest of the day will be free for you to go shopping in Dong Ba Market or just explore at your leisure. Overnight in Hue. Meal plan: B, L
Day 6
The morning begins with a hands-on cooking class at Vuon Y Thao restaurant where you will learn to use the right ingredients for Royal Hue cuisine. The dishes you have prepared will be served for your lunch in the restaurant. The afternoon will consist of a boat trip on the Perfume River to visit Thien Mu Pagoda and the Ming Mang Emperors Tomb. Transfer back to hotel where the rest of the afternoon and evening are free. Meal plan: B, L
The Royal Hue cuisine draws on extreme spices and colours to create dishes with complex presentation, served in smaller sizes than the other regions of Vietnam. A striking aspect of Hue cuisine is its lack of meat, deriving from the strong Buddhist presence in the area.
Day 7
In the morning, a private car will take you to Hoi An. After an early lunch, there will be a drive to and tour of My Son Holy Land, one of the world heritage sites of Vietnam. In the afternoon you will be taken back to Hoi An where you can relax on the beach or the bank of the Thu Bon river. Overnight in Hoi An. Meal plan: B, L
Day 8
After breakfast you will go to the local market and learn which ingredients are required for Hoi An cuisine after which you will make your way by boat to the Red Bridge Cooking School. Here you will learn to make Vietnamese dishes that have been strongly influenced by Chinese cuisine during a two hour class. Each dish will be first demonstrated by the chef before you prepare the same dish yourselves and then enjoy the fruits of your labour for your lunch. The boat will take you back to Hoi An where you will have the rest of the day for yourselves. Meal plan: B, L
Day 9
Today will be a travelling day from Hoi An to Ho Chi Minh City. After breakfast at the hotel, you will have some time before you are transferred to the airport to take a flight to Ho Chi Minh City. A guide will meet you at Ho Chi Minh City and take you to your hotel where you will be free to relax or explore at your leisure (ask your guide for tips) for the rest of the day. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. Meal plan: B
Day 10
Your morning will consist of a cooking lesson at the Vietnam Cookery Centre. The class will be taught by a professional chef who will be helped by a translator. He will teach you traditional dishes as well as talk about the history and culture of Vietnamese food. You will also be accompanied to a market and then have lunch. In the afternoon, you will be taken to see the Cu Chi Tunnels from the Vietnam War. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City. Meal plan: B, L
During the Vietnam War, the Vietcong built a 200km long network of tunnels that connected command posts, shelters, hospitals and weapon factories. They were dug using hand tools and usually propped up without the aid of cement.
Day 11
After breakfast, you will leave for My Tho where you will board a private boat and visit the famous Floating Fish Market in the the Mekong river estuary. You will have lunch on Phoenix Island at a garden restaurant and then continue the cruise along natural creeks to a quiet village in Ben Tre province. There you can visit orchards, a distillery and bee-keeping farms where you can taste natural honey and honey wine. The village also produces coconut candy. On the way back to Ho Chi Minh, you will stop at a bonsai garden in My Tho. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh. Meal plan: B, L
Day 12
After breakfast, you have a free morning until your transfer to the airport for your onward flight. Meal plan: B
