Taste of Vietnam - 12 days

tour fromHo Chi Minh city, Vietnamtour finishHanoi, Vietnam
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From$1,370 $1,320 per person
You save: $50. Discount ends on: August 15, 2025
  • Duration Duration: 12 days
  • Destinations Destinations: Vietnam
  • Start Start: Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
  • Finish Finish: Hanoi, Vietnam
  • Tour type Tour type: Private tour
  • Meals Meals: 11 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 3 dinners

Vietnamese cooking is influenced by the concept of the “five flavors” — a balance of salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and spicy. A dish may be dominated by one or two of these elements, but the others usually play a harmonious supporting role. Let us discover this distinctive culinary feature through a fantastic 12-day tour.

Tour Highlights

  • Discover Saigon street food and local markets
  • Join cooking classes in the South, Central, and North
  • Experience farming life in Tra Que vegetable village
  • Stay in a homestay and cook with a local family in Vinh Long
  • Visit Cu Chi Tunnels – a historic underground network
  • Cruise the Mekong Delta, visit Cai Be market and craft villages
  • Explore Hoi An Ancient Town, Japanese Bridge, and old houses
  • Visit Hue Imperial City, Minh Mang Tomb, and garden houses
  • Enjoy royal cuisine in Hue and mountain dishes in Hanoi
  • Overnight cruise in Halong Bay, kayak and explore caves
  • Discover Hanoi’s culture: Temple of Literature, museums, water puppets
  • Free time to relax and explore local life in each destination
  • Travel styleTravel style: Culinary
  • Tour guideYour guide: English speaking
  • MealsMeals: 11 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 3 dinners
  • Tour typeTour type: Private tour
You will visit

You will visit

Ho Chi Minh city - Cu Chi Tunnels - Mekong Delta - Vinh Long - Hoi An - Hue - Hanoi - Halong Bay

Route map

Tour map
Click to enlarge

Itinerary

info B(breakfast), L(lunch), D(dinner)

Day 1: Ho Chi Minh city arrival (D)

Warmly welcome in Ho Chi Minh city (Saigon) - the great city to discover Vietnam southern cuisine. After a short break, you will visit the local markets (Ben Thanh market and Cho Lon) to discover the fruitful ingredients and fresh fruit in Saigon. Explore the street food here with special dish likes Saigon sandwich, kinds of noodle (Hu Tieu, Bun Thit Nuong…).

In the evening, enjoy a Vietnamese dinner at the local restaurant.

Day 2: Ho Chi Minh city cooking class - Cu Chi tunnels (B, L)

Ho Chi Minh city is typical for Southern cuisine with a lot of spicy dishes. Join in Ho Chi Minh Cooking Class to discover this character. Upon arrival, you will visit the agricultural villages including: Chinese medicine garden with many kind of herb, rice field, cattle farm (cow, buffalo, duck, chicken, pig…). Become a real Vietnamese farmer to pick up all the ingredient for cooking. Under the chef’s guidance, you will have chance to cook three dishes and 1 dessert and enjoy what you have done.

After lunch at the cooking class, you will visit the famous Cu Chi tunnels, an incredible underground tunnel network constructed by Vietnamese resistance fighters during the long struggle for independence.

The network included innumerable trap doors, specially constructed living areas, storage facilities, weapons factories, field hospitals, command centers and kitchens.

Come back to Ho Chi Minh city in the late afternoon.

Day 3: Ho Chi Minh city - Mekong Delta (B, L, D)

Depart Ho Chi Minh city for Ben Tre, the gateway to the Mekong delta. Upon arrival, get a boat trip round Ben Tre river, explore the waterways and stop off at some home factories to see how the local make brick, salt, coconut, mat.

Take to motor cart (xe loi) passing through rice fields, fruit and vegetable farms. Stop at one of local family to enjoy the lunch with Mekong specialties.

In the afternoon, take a rowing boat a long water palm creek. Continue to Vinh Long for homestay - a unique opportunity to experience the local culture and cuisine. Prepare the dinner with the host to understand more about the traditional southern cuisine.

Day 4: Vinh Long - Ho Chi Minh city - fly to Da Nang - Hoi An (B)

Start your morning with Cai Be floating market, cruising among local barges with full of fruits and vegetables…

After that, come back Ho Chi Minh city for your flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival in Da Nang, the tour guide will pick you up and transfer to Hoi An. You will have time to discover street food in Hoi An. Check in hotel and free time.

Day 5: Hoi An - cycling to Tra Que village (B, L)

Today, you will have the experience of working and living with the local farmer in Tra Que village - one of famous vegetable village in Hoi An. You will cycle to the village with your guide.

A short stroll will take you around the vegetable garden and then you can join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seaweed from the local lake.

Following steps are raking the ground, sowing, watering, picking vegetables and many other gardening activities. After all these activities, you will take a short rest and enjoy foot bath before getting to preparing lunch with a local family.

Your lunch will consist of many local delicacies including ‘Tam Huu” spring roll, Banh xeo or local pancake of people in Vietnam middle region. You can join the cooking with the chef on these meals.

After your morning excursions and your lunch, you will take a Vietnamese traditional post-prandial nap before learning how to harvest and wrap the vegetables.

Around 14.00: bid farewell to your host family before riding back to your hotel.

Day 6: Hoi An free time (B)

Today is your free time in Hoi An. You might like to consider the following activities for your day:

Visit Hoi An Old Quarter with ancient households, and touches of Japanese, Chinese and Thai styles in the building designs. Historic sites of Phuc Kien Communal House, Tan Ky ancient commercial house, the iconic Japanese Bridge (featured on the 20,000 Vietnam Dong note) or Phung Hung Ancient Trading House.

Take a bike tour or leisurely stroll along Cua Dai beach, located about 5km from the town centre.

Day 7: Hoi An - Hue city (B)

This morning, you leave Hoi An for Hue. On the way, you will have chance to the fascinating Cham Museum and Marble Mountain en route to charming Hoi An.

Upon arrival, you will visit the Citadel and the Forbidden Purple City. You also visit Minh Mang tomb and Thien Mu pagoda. You also to visit one garden house - the unique feature of Hue.

The houses are traditional, privately owned, and set in attractive formal gardens. You can feel the Hue traditional architecture associated with the natural environment.

Enjoy the dinner at garden house to explore the center cuisine.

Day 8: Hue cooking class - fly to Hanoi (B, L)

Reflect the imperial root, Hue cuisine is the sophisticated cooking techniques and the artful presentation. Join in cooking class at Y Thao Garden House to learn the typical Hue cuisine.

In the morning, you follow Ms. Vy - the chef of Y Thao Garden House to Dong Ba market, the most hustling market in Hue. She will give you an instruction on how to choose food for the cooking class. She also includes at least one of the Hue “Royal” dishes in the menu. Enjoy the food you prepare there.

After that you will go to the airport for the flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, pick up and transfer to your hotel. You have time to have a walking tour in the old quarter of Hanoi. You can try to drink local brew “Bia Hoi” or enjoy street food.

Day 9: Hanoi - Halong bay (B, L, D)

Today you will go to Halong bay - the UNESCO World Heritage. The driver pick you up at 8 am. After about 3.5 driving hours, you will arrive in Halong bay.

Board a traditional junk for an overnight cruise. Halong Bay is widely considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world. Thousands of towering pillars of sea and wind-carved limestone karst make the bay an unforgettable sight.

After lunch, explore some of the huge limestone caves dotted around the bay and visit a floating fishing village. Then the captain will find a secluded spot where you can swim, soak up the sun on the top deck, or try your hand at kayaking.

In the evening enjoy a seafood feast for dinner.

Day 10: Halong bay - Hanoi (B)

Enjoy an early morning swim (during the summer), followed by breakfast as you cruise through more spectacular scenery. The cruise arrives at the harbor by noon. The driver will pick you up and then transfer back Hanoi. Check in hotel and free time.

Day 11: Hanoi cooking class and city tour (B, L)

Enjoy the last cooking class in the tour to complete the picture of Vietnamese cuisine. The northern cuisine is very different to other regions with fewer spices and sweetness.  It helps to characterize this cuisine almost as much as fish sauces.

In this class, the chef will show you about the difference with some old Hanoian favorites and some lesser known dishes from the highlands. After finishing all dishes, enjoy the meal with the food you have made and more!

In the afternoon, you will visit some highlights of Hanoi such as Temple of Literature - the first university in Vietnam, Vietnamese Women’s Museum that offers a broad insight to 54 ethnic groups through a lens of women’s topics.

In the later afternoon, enjoy water puppet show.

Day 12: Hanoi departure (B)

Free at leisure until you are transferred to the airport for the departure flight. Cảm ơn và chào tạm biệt.

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Inclusions

  • Accommodation based on twin/double sharing with daily breakfast.
  • Experienced English-speaking guides as indicated in the itinerary.
  • Private transportation with AC.
  • Flight tickets Ho Chi Minh city - Da Nang, Hue - Hanoi with Vietnam Airlines.
  • All sightseeing tickets.
  • Lunches and dinners as indicated in the itinerary.
  • Taxes and services charges.

Exclusions

  • International flight tickets and airport tax.
  • Visa stamping fee.
  • Early check in and late check out.
  • Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.
  • Insurance.

Notes

  • Tour Price

    The tour rate is based on twin/double sharing rooms at 3* hotel category. The price will vary slightly depending on the number of people in your group. For an accurate tour price, please click the "INQUIRE NOW" button to discuss with our sales consultant.

  • Deposit

    A minimum deposit of 30% of the full amount is required to confirm your booking. The balance will be settled before or upon arrival.

  • Food Requirement

    If you have any specific food requirement (vegetarian, vegan, food allergies, etc.) please inform us in advance, we will provide notices to our restaurants, tour guides and partners so they would be able to serve you the best.

  • Cancellation

    We apply non refundable deposit of 10 USD for hotel, air ticket booking, 100 USD/per person for tour package upon service confirmation. Cancellations will be charged as following:

    • 30 days before arrival: No cancellation charge.
    • 29 - 14 days before arrival: 10% of the tour cost is forfeited.
    • 13 - 7 days before arrival: 40% of the tour cost is forfeited.
    • 6 days before arrival: 100 % of the tour cost is forfeited.
    • No show: 100% of the tour cost is forfeited.

     

  • Child Policy

     

    • Infant under 2-years-old free of charge land tour and 25% of airfare.
    • Child under 12-years-old sharing room with adult without extra bed charge 50% of adult land tour and 75% of airfare.
    • Child under 12-years-old sharing room with adult with bed charge 80% of adult land tour and 75% of airfare.
    • Upon 12-years-old - 100% charge of tour cost.

     

How to book this tour

Step 1
Send us your inquiry
Step 2
Dealing with travel consultant
Step 3
Final tour itinerary and rate
Step 4
Deposit the tour
Step 5
Receive the confirmed itinerary
Step 6
Settle the balance when arrival