Day 1: Saigon Arrival
Arrive at Saigon airport, meet the guide with the welcome signboard. Transfer to hotel for check in with an orientation tour of Saigon city to have an overview of Saigon. If time permits, dinner at one of the finest local restaurant in Saigon. Free at your own leisure. Overnight at hotel in Saigon.
Day 2: Saigon Cooking Class (Meals: B/L)
Morning cooking lesson at the Vietnam Cookery Center: the hands-on cooking course is conducted by a professional chef and translated by a MC who will explain the teaching of the chef and talk about the history and culture of Vietnamese cuisine. The lesson includes a market visit and lunch. Afternoon excursion to the Cu Chi Tunnels : Cu Chi was an important base during the American War, because of its strategic location. The Vietcong built a 200km long network of tunnels connecting command posts, hospitals, shelters, and weapon factories. Dug out by hand tools without the use of cement, this amazing network was only recently opened to tourists. Overnight at hotel in Saigon
Day 3: Saigon - Mekong Delta (Meals: B/L)
Leave your hotel at 7.30 for a 3-hour drive to Cai Be with stop en route at Trung Luong Bonsai garden for a tea break. Upon arrival, board a motorized boat to visit the popcorn cake, rice paper making family before visiting the lively floating market of Cai Be. Then continue by boat towards Vinh Long province to see the diverse fish traps in order to learn a kind of lazy fishing. After cruising along small shady canals, we step ashore and take a chance to watch a typical and interesting music show of the Mekong cultural life. Lunch is at the home/ bonsai garden. Afternoon, take a walk for about half an hour to enjoy the rural peaceful atmosphere of the countryside life, on the way we can also stop en route to learn more about fruit trees. Continue by boat to visit the brick and pottery factories. Back in the car at about 3 pm to drive to Can Tho. On arrival in the capital city of the Mekong Delta, do a walking city tour, including the local evening market to take photos of the busy trading activities before checking in the hotel. Overnight in Can Tho.
Day 4: Mekong Delta - Saigon (Meals: B/L)
Early morning board for a 3-hour cruise to Cai Rang and Phong Dien, 2 big floating markets with stops at a Bun Tau noodle factory and a short trek before arriving at a rice-husking mill. You can even try passing one of the many fragile monkey bridges along the canals photo shot. At the floating markets, you will discover a typical way of displaying and advertising farm products of local people gathering on the Mekong river to trade their goods. Drive back to Saigon with a lunch stop at My Tho. Overnight at hotel in Saigon.
Day 5: Saigon - Danang - Hoi An (Meals: B)
Morning transfer to the airport to take flight to Danang. Pick up upon arrival to Danang. Visit the fascinating Cham Museum, famous China Beach and the Marble Mountains en route to charming Hoi An. Known as Faifo to early Western traders, it was one of South East Asia's major international ports and today it still retains that special old-world feel. Enjoy a walking tour through the Old Quarter and try some of the local specialties. Hoi An is also famous for its large number of tailor shops, so if you want to have a new wardrobe made up, this is the time to do it. Overnight in Hoi An
Day 6: Hoi An Cooking Class (Meals: B/L)
We start the day (8.45am) with a drink at Hai Scout Cafe as our meeting point.
Visit Hoi An's colourful market, and 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. We board the Red Bridge boat for a leisurely cruise (25 minutes) along the Hoi An River to the Red Bridge Cooking School. This is a chance to view local river life, so make sure your camera is handy. On arrival, we have a chance to explore the cooking school's herb and vegetable garden, before learning about some of Hoi An's and Vietnam's well-known dishes. The cooking class is an interesting and fun way to learn about the local cuisine - the class runs for about an hour and 15 minutes, and includes demonstrations from the school's chefs as well as the chance for us to help prepare some dishes. Included in the demonstration is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). Free at leisure by your own to explore the ancient town of Hoi An or shopping at tailor shops. Overnight at hotel in Hoi An
Day 7: Hoi An - Danang - Hanoi (Meals: B)
Morning transfer to Danang airport for flight to Hanoi. After check-in hotel in Hanoi we enjoy 1 hour cyclo tours around the Hanoi City's old quarters and the traditional water puppetry show. Transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi
Day 8: Hanoi Cooking and Sightseeing Tours (Meals: B)
Morning cooking class: Today’s class begins with a walk, accompanied by the Chef of the Spices Garden Restaurant, to the local market, where participants get a chance to learn all about Vietnamese ingredients. After that, everyone rolls up their sleeves in the kitchen to prepare a proper Vietnamese meal. After the class lunch will be served in the Spices Garden Vietnamese Restaurant to sample all the different dishes prepared during the class. This afternoon you will discover Hanoi with an English speaking guide. Part of your tour will include sightseeing by cyclo, a bicycle type taxi, by which you’ll discover the Old Quarter made up of the so called "36 streets," most of which are named after the crafts or merchandise traditionally sold there. Dinner tonight at another of Hanoi’s fine restaurants. Afterwards enjoy a performance of a traditional water puppet show. This fantastic art form originated in northern Vietnam and is best seen in Hanoi. The Municipal Water Puppet Theater is located on the shore of Hoan Kiem Lake. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi City.
Day 9: Hanoi Departure (Meals: B)
Free at leisure until transferring to the airport to take departure flight for next destination.
Meals: Breakfast
Vietnamese cuisine is delicious and can be appreciated by most people. Although not as famous as its Chinese or Thai counterparts, it certainly retains the unique and specific blending of ingredients that makes the food of the region so popular.
The aromas, textures, cooking method and even ingredients have been adapted with the passing of centuries and influenced by many different cultures. Dishes of Southern Vietnam often use similar ingredients to those in Thailand: garlic, shrimp paste, fish sauce, coriander, basil, mint, citronella and pimento. However, the Vietnamese flavour tends to be less spicy and subtler. Vietnamese spring rolls (named cha gio in the South and nem Saigon or nem ran in the North) can resemble the Chinese spring roll, but are often smaller and crustier. The contents, external coating and way in which it is consumed are very different from its Chinese cuisine.
Vietnamese cooking is characterised by the way it combines complementing ingredients and contrasting textures. The variation of these textures is as important as the final flavor; the roasted and cracking peanuts often give a delicate crunch to noodle dishes and the fried and crusty shallots are often sprinkled on a dish.
Vietnamese food is very digestible; frying will be made with a lot less oil than used in Chinese frying. Light vegetable oil is preferred to the lard; Thick sauces are rare so Vietnamese food will satisfy those more attentive to their diet. Salads are often an association of meat and seafood accompanied by a large variety of vegetables and ingredients, of different flavors, texture, and color. Thus Vietnamese cooking constitutes an excellent choice for light meals, even though Vietnamese people prefer to share a larger number of small dishes arranged in the centre of the table.
