A Taste of Vietnam (10 days)

• DAY 1 Hanoi Upon arrival in Hanoi you’ll be warmly welcome and transferred to city centre for hotel check-in and tour briefing. This evening you’ll be introduced to Vietnamese gastronomy at one of the finest restaurants in the city.
• DAY 2 Hanoi Hanoi retains numerous tree-lined boulevards, lakes, verdant parks, unique blend of French colonial buildings and Sino-Viet architecture. Today we explore this fascinating city, taking in the One Pillar Pagoda, the Fine Arts Museum, the Temple of Literature, and the Lake of the Restored Sword, the bustling \"Old Quarter\", and the famed Water Puppet Theatre.
• DAY 3 Cooking his morning we go with teacher chefs from Hoa Sua cooking school to a local market to choose the freshest things for the class at a French villa. No doubt we’ll be introduced to “Nuoc Mam”, a fermented fish sauce that compliments most Vietnamese dishes, and spring rolls. Not only the beautiful setting and food, the young and friendly staff also makes for the restaurant’s reputation. <br/><br/><strong>Chilling out at \"bia hoi\" (beer) corner</strong><br/><br/><em>This is probably the most exciting and culturally fun thing to experience in Hanoi. Ta Hien Street is a popular spot for locals as well as tourists. Many of the shops brew the beer daily on their premises, so if they run out, that’s it for the day. And don’t expect any award-winning quality here either. The spot comes alive at night, and even more packed on weekends. There are other great little restaurants and bars spilling onto the side streets around it.</em>
• DAY 4 Halong Today we journey east to Vietnam’s greatest natural wonder, Halong Bay. Arrival at around 12:00 we’ll board a nice junk and set sails. From the comfort of our junk, we’ll spend the day exploring this incredible setting and discovering the many islands and inlets found in the bay made famous in the film Indochine. You can challenge yourself with kayaking and swimming. Vietnamese seafood lunch and dinner included. Overnight on board.
• DAY 5 Hue Wake up to the morning coffee and a wholesome breakfast whilst cruising on to other spectacles of the bay. Get ashore about noontime, bid farewell to Halong and return to Hanoi for an early evening flight to Hue. The dinner tonight will give us first impression of the former capital’s cuisine: Spicy and well displayed, reflecting the climate in Middle Vietnam and its imperial root.
• DAY 6 Hue This morning, we accompany Mrs. Cuc, the hostess of Y Thao Garden House to Dong Ba central market and have a lesson on the ingredients for the cooking class at her property. Lunch is the food we’ve prepared. In the afternoon, we travel a dragon boat upstream the romantic Perfume River to Thien Mu, the most revered pagoda in Middle Vietnam. Proceed to the Imperial Citadel, the base of the last dynasty in the country. Round off the evening by attending a sample Royal Banquet. We’ll dress regal costumes, served ambrosia and entertained by court music.
• DAY 7 Danang This morning we drive to visit Tu Duc Tomb, a burial complex on a serene hill. There we’ll have a lecture on Vietnamese people’s thinking about life after death. We leave Hue mid-morning on a scenic journey through vivid green fields of rice and the photogenic fishing village of Lang Co, climbing over the Pass of Ocean Clouds. Stop over in Danang to visit the famous China Beach and the sacred Marble Mountains. Drive on to Hoian; settle in to hotel and rest. Dinner will be at Tam Tam, an eatery located in a meticulously restored colonial property and appropriately run by a French man.
• DAY 8 Hoian A morning walking tour of the town’s ancient area to see the Japanese Covered Bridge, several former merchant houses, one or two Chinese Assembly Halls, and the colorful market. Savor Cao Lau, the noodle unique to Hoian, for lunch. The whole afternoon is free. You can opt for leisure, shopping or water activities. The highlight of this evening is a sumptuous five-course meals featuring Hoian\'s unique cuisine at the White Lantern Restaurant.
• DAY 9 Saigon We catch a morning flight to Saigon, the biggest and most dynamic city in Vietnam. Visit the Reunification Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Old Saigon Post Office and Saigon’s Chinatown. Enjoy Vespa Foodie tour by Vespa scooters.
• DAY 10 Mekong This morning we journey to the watery world of My Tho in the Mekong Delta, just a couple of hours by road from the hustle and bustle of Saigon. On arrival we make a boat trip along the narrow waterways overhung with dense vegetation. Visit some of exuberant orchards and and try exotic fruits. Lunch at a riverside restaurant serving Elephant\'s Ear Fish, Rice Ball, etc…, all Deltas’ fare. Return to Saigon for overnight.