Ho Chi Minh City , Can Tho , My Tho , Danang , Hoian , Hanoi. Includes:

  • Carefully selected accommodation with breakfast and mals as mentioned
  • Expert English or French speaking guide
  • Tours as mentioned and air-conditioned transfers
  • Single entry sightseeing and permit fees during guided times
  • Boat cruises, train ticket and rides while on tour if any
  • Service charges and government VAT tax

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh City – Arrive at Saigon airport, meet the guide transfer to hotel for check in with an orientation tour of Saigon city to have an overview of Saigon. Dinner at one of the finest local restaurant in Saigon. Free at your own leisure. Overnight at hotel in Saigon

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh City Cooking Class – Cu Chi

  • 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: Ho Chi Minh City – Mekong Delta – Can Tho

  • Leave your hotel at 7.30 for a 3-hour drive to Cai Be. 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 enroute 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 – Ho Chi Minh City

  • 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 enroute. Overnight at hotel in Saigon

Day 5: Ho Chi Minh City – Da Nang – Hoi An

  • Morning transfer to the airport to take flight to Da Nang.
  • Pick up upon arrival to Da Nang. Visit the fascinating Cham Museum, famous China Beach and the Marble Mountains enroute to charming Hoi An. Known as Faifo to early Western traders, it was one of Southeast 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. Overnight in Hoi An

Day 6: Hoi An Cooking Class

  • 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 – Da Nang – Hanoi

  • Morning transfer to Da Nang airport for flight to Hanoi.
  • After check-in hotel in Hanoi we enjoy 1-hour cyclo tours around the Hanoi City’s old quarters.
  • 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.
  • Transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi

Day 8: Hanoi Cooking and Sightseeing Tours

  • 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.
  • Afternoon city tours to visit the city’s landmarks such as Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Once Pillar Pagoda, The Temple of Literature. Overnight in Hanoi City.

Day 9: Hanoi Departure

  • Free at leisure until transferring to the airport to take departure flight for next destination.