Day 01: Arrive in Hanoi
Upon arrival, meet and transfer to hotel for check in (early check in is subject to availability of the hotel). Balance of the day is free at leisure.
Meals: None
Accommodation: Melia Hotel/Deluxe room

Day 02: Hanoi cooking class and city tour
Drive 40min out of Hanoi town to the beautiful private home of Mr. Dung - a key member of Hanoi Chef Association. After a culinary briefing over a cup of hot tea, drive to a local market with the chef to enjoy together sights, smells and flavours of all those tantalizing incredible local ingredients. Learn how to choose fresh food. We are back to his charming kitchen for a private hands-on cooking demonstration – opportunity to share his experiences of being a chef at a noted 4-star hotel for 10 years as well as his memories participating in Culinary Festivals in France. Lunch will be the meal you have prepared. Afternoon, we visit to the Temple of Literature to have an overview about Hanoi culture and history at the outset of the trip. Then visit to the Ho Chi Minh house – simple stilted home, where he lived during the last years of his life. Continue visiting the lotus-shaped One Pillar Pagoda in the form of a lotus, it emerges from the water and rests on a single stone pillar. It contains a statue of the Goddess of Mercy with its legendary “thousand arms and a thousand eyes”. We also stop to see the Beaux Arts style Opera House and lovely Quan Thanh Temple. Then, enjoy a cyclo ride through the Old Quarter of “36 streets and 36 wares” to witness the vibrant life along the street sides, Dong Xuan market. In this part of town each colourful street is devoted to a particular craft or ware. You are pedalled amongst the quaint French buildings along Shoe Street, Silk Street and Banner Street (to name just a few), ending at historic Hoan Kiem Lake, the social centre of Hanoi. This evening attend a traditional water puppet show, a uniquely northern Vietnamese art form especially designed for depicting scenes from rural life and many episodes of national history.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Melia Hotel/Deluxe room

Day 03: Hanoi - Hue VN245 | 10:10/11:20 (Economy class)
After breakfast, free at leisure until transfer to airport for the flight to Hue. Upon arrive in Hue, meet and transfer to your hotel for check in. Afternoon, we take a short walk through the beautiful garden home complex of Phu Mong (Kim Long) and stop by a local home for tea-break and possible interaction with local family before visiting the Tu Duc & Khai Dinh tombs and end the day at Dong Ba market to learn about all kinds of Hue recipes and ingredients. Tonight, you will be transferred to enjoy a home hosted dinner at Mr. Phan Thuan An's house whose wife is the descendant of the Dong Khanh emperor.
Meals: Breakfast & Dinner
Accommodation: La Residence hotel/Superior room

Day 04: Hue cooking class
After breakfast, at around 08:00AM, our guide will pick you up at your hotel and take you to the colourful Dong Ba Market to introduce Raw materials and learn about all kind of Hue recipes. After buying ingredients, we drive to the Ancient Hue complex. Then a hands-on cooking class with Hue Royal cuisine (3 courses) will take place. It is conducted in the open air cultural complex and you will enjoy your trophy food that you have cooked. After lunch, we visit to visit Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s most preserved religious monument. The former imperial city of Hue offering an insightful look into its regal past with a visit to the Imperial Citadel of Hue from where the Nguyen Emperors once ruled Vietnam with a celebrated Hue’s historian, Mr. Phan Thuan An to learn about the former Royal history and culture.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Accommodation: La Residence hotel/Superior room

Day 05: Hue – Da Nang | Hoi An
After breakfast, free at leisure until check out of your hotel at 09:00AM. We will enjoy 2, 5 hour scenic drive to the former Royal city Hue over the Cloudy Pass Hai Van cloudy pass where a spectacular panorama of the central coastline can be viewed from the summit. We stop en route at the wonderfully photogenic fishing village of Lang Co located on a sand dune for a photo opportunity. Upon arrive in Da Nang, visit to Cham Museum, the best collection of the Cham ruins dating from 2nd to 15th century. The objects on display represent the art of architecture and sculpture of the Hindu influenced ancient civilization of Champa. Then, continue to Hoi An, check in to your hotel. Have lunch at Full Moon restaurant. Mid afternoon, we take a walking tour of Hoi An's old district, one of Vietnam’s great artistic gems. For hundreds of years, until it was superseded by Da Nang, this was the most flourishing port in the country and attracted traders as well as influences from China, Japan and Europe. Miraculously, the town has remained intact, and it is still possible to wander here and imagine oneself in another age. Highlights of your walking tour include the Japanese Covered bridge, Tang Ky House and the Fukhien Association.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Life Resort Hoian/Superior Garden View

Day 06: Hoi An
After breakfast, around 9 am, a well-known Hoi An chef from the Cargo Club restaurant will take you to the colourful central market to introduce some Hoi An dishes and their ingredients by way of a walking tour through the market. After buying the food, we will head to the restaurant for an interactive cooking demonstration of Vietnamese typical dishes; followed by a lunch that we have created. Afternoon is free at leisure.
The chef’s background:
Trinh Diem Vy continues to operate and develop her family’s catering business for the third generation. As a native of Hoi An, Vy grew up in and around the kitchen of her grandmother and parent’s noodle soup shop and restaurant respectively. Vy’s first restaurant named Mermaid at No 2 Tran Phu street (locate in centre of the old town) was firmly established as one of the best restaurants in guidebooks. When the first tourist started to arrive in Hoi An in the early 90’s, due to repeated requests from tour guides and independent travellers, Vy agreed to share some secrets and tips from her kitchen, and the first cookery classes were established. Over the years Vy’s gourmet cuisine classes have been featured in the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, Le Firgaro, World Food Viet Nam (Lonely Plane), The Weekend Australian, The Emotion journal and many other publication
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Life Resort Hoian/Superior Garden View

Day 07: Hoi An | Da Nang – Saigon VN321 | 08:20/09:30 (Economy class)
After early breakfast, transfer to Da Nang airport for the flight to Saigon. Upon arrival, meet with another guide and transfer to hotel for luggage storage and start your city tour to visit to landmarks. These include the Post Office & Notre Dame Cathedral circa 1880, highlight tour of the former Presidential Palace, once headquarters for the Saigon Government during the “American War”. Afternoon, have a choice of the Historical Museum or the War Remnant Museum. Visit Saigon’s ‘twin city’, the Chinese district of Cholon, to enjoy the bustling wholesale quarter of Ho Chi Minh City, Thien Hau temple built by Cantonese Buddhists at the end of 18th century.
Meals: Breakfast
Accommodation: Caravelle Hotel/Deluxe room

Day 08: Mekong delta day trip
Today is a full-day excursion into the Mekong Delta, visiting Cai Be and Vinh Long. Upon arrival in Cai Be, take a motorized sampan to cruise and see the floating market. Visit to the popcorn cake and rice paper making shops nearby. Continue the boat trip through small village canals to experience the lazy fishing traps and visit the village making thatch roof from palm-water coconut leaves. Mekong delta lunch is served in a garden of a local farmer and dessert with diverse varieties of fruit. Trip ends up with a visit to a brick and pottery village. Then, drive back to Saigon for the night.
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Caravelle Hotel/Deluxe room

Day 09: Saigon cooking class
After breakfast, transfers to “The Saigon Culinary Art Centre”, guests are greeted in a Vietnamese House with a welcome drink of Vietnamese Traditional Tea. After that, the participants will be introduced to the corner of a Vietnamese kitchen: arrangement of 3 stoves, story of the Kitchen God and some old cooking utensils closely linked to the Vietnamese life in the past.

9.45 - 10.15: Enjoy shows of "Process of Making Tofu" or "Hand-made net rice paper” Especially, on Sundays, Show of” Making Conical Leaf Hat"

10.15 - 12.00: Participate in a hands-on cooking class from 3-4 dishes with our Professional Chef Cook and our English / French speaking MC. Participants will study the way of cooking, to recognize the basic ingredients, to master the chopstick and to savour their own creation. A handbook will be provided to help guests to reproduce the dishes once back home.

12.00 - 12.30: Issue of Certificate "Merit of Recognition" and Souvenir gift will end the session. Afternoon is free at leisure on your own with shopping opportunities
Meals: Breakfast & Lunch
Accommodation: Caravelle Hotel/Deluxe room

Day 10: Saigon departure
After breakfast, free at leisure until check out at your hotel at 12:00PM (late check out is subject to availability) and transfer to the airport for your departure flight home.
Meals: Breakfast
End of service

Far East Tours recommends .... Consider extending your holiday with a pre or post trip extension.

Beach extension to Nha Trang 4 Days | 3 Nights [ read more ]

Excursion from Hanoi 3 Days on Jasmine Junk | Halong Bay [ read more ]

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