5 Days Vietnamese Gastronomy Culinary Tour in Vietnam

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi

Asia Queen Travel driver will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your hotel in Hanoi. Upon arrival, you will be served with a welcome drink and check in to your room. Hanoi is one of Asia’s most delightful cities. It is rich in culture and history. Its diverse city draws its influences from both French and Chinese culture. The rest of day is yours to enjoy. No meals are included on your first day. Overnight will be at a hotel in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi to Ha Long Bay

• 07:45 You will meet your tour guide at a suggested place around Old Quarter before departing to Ha Long Bay.
• 12:30 Embark at Tuan Chau harbor, Ha Long city and be transferred by tender to the Viet Beauty Cruise. Upon arrival at Viet Beauty Cruise, you will be greeted by crew members followed by welcome drinks. You will get cruise briefing and check in into your cabin.
• 13:00 Savor delicious lunch on board while the cruise heads to the center of Halong Bay
• 15:00 Explore Sung Sot Cave, the biggest cave in Halong Bay which famous for its wonderful stalactites and stalagmites
• 16:00 Visit Titop Island for swimming or take a short walk to the top for some overview photos of Halong Bay
• 18:00 Enjoy sunset while local wine and fruit is served
• 18:30 Attend cooking lesson and learn how to make some spring rolls by yourself
• 19:00 Dinner on board, then free time to relax with other activities of your choice such as squid fishing, singing karaoke, relax on sundeck, and much more

Today's meal plan includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You will stay overnight on Viet Beauty Cruise in the middle of Ha Long Bay.

Day 3: Ha Long Bay to Hanoi

• 06:30 Start your morning with the Tai Chi class up in sundeck
• 07:00 Enjoy a new day with complimentary tea and coffee served for light breakfast on board
• 08:00 Visit Me Cung Cave (Maze Cave) with layers of fossilized shells which present the historical formation of Halong Bay
• 09:00 Stop by Pearl Farm to study the culture pearl making process
• 09:30 Check out of your cabin and have your brunch while Viet Beauty cruise heads back to the harbor
• 12:00 Disembark harbor. Say goodbye to Halong Bay and you'll head back to Hanoi
• 17:00 Your tour guide will drop you off at your hotel

Today's meal plan includes breakfast and lunch.

Day 4: Hanoi city tour and street food tour

Option 1: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday

• 07:45 Get picked up by your tour guide and get into your bus. After a short drive, you will visit your first stop of the day, Tran Quoc Pagoda. The pagoda is a Buddhist relic and national heritage lying on the West Lake.
• 09:00 Visit Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum - the final resting place of Vietnam’s greatest father. You will walk along Ho Chi Minh’s stilt house where he lived and worked from 1958 to 1969.
• 10:00 Visit One Pillar Pagoda - the one modeled after a lotus flower, a symbol of Hanoi city
• 11:00 Visit the colorful features of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam in the Ethnology Museum
• 13:00 Your bus will take you to a local restaurant in Hanoi Old Quarter, have a rest and enjoy your lunch
• 14:00 Visit Temple of Literature - the most famous temple situated in Hanoi, also functioned as Vietnam's first university. It was first constructed in 1070 under King Ly Nhan Tong and dedicated to Confucius, sages, and scholars. The temple is a vast structure that has existed to present day.
• 15:30 Drive to legendary Hoan Kiem Lake, visit Ngoc Son Temple dedicated to Van Xuong saint, and former general commander Tran Hung Dao for his struggle against Mongolians. You also see the beautiful Vietnamese and French architecture around the lake.
• 16:00 Return to your hotel

Option 2: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

• 07:45 Your tour guide will pick you up and you will visit Tran Quoc Pagoda. Experience Vietnam's national heritage and the beautiful Buddhist relics on the West Lake.
• 09:30 Visit a sacred place to recall President Ho Chi Minh’s life and career in Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, the Stilt-house where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked from 1958 to 1969.
• 10:30 Visit One Pillar Pagoda - the one modeled after a lotus flower, a symbol of Hanoi city in present days.
• 11:00 Visit the Temple of Literature - considered as the first university of Vietnam. The temple was first constructed in 1070 under King Ly Nhan Tong and dedicated to Confucius, sages, and scholars.
• 12:30 Enjoy Vietnamese lunch at a local restaurant in Hanoi Old Quarter and relax.
• 13:30 Continue exploring the daily life of traditional ceramics village of Bat Trang. Visit the pottery showrooms and see how they modeled the products.
• 14:30 Drive back to Hoan Kiem Lake to visit Ngoc Son Temple dedicated to Van Xuong Saint and Tran Hung Dao General Commander for his struggle against Mongolians.
• 15:30 Return to your hotel
• 17.30 Your tour guide will welcome you at your hotel lobby and you will then start walking tour in old quarter "36 streets" to visit some famous and specialized - food families or stalls and local restaurants, shops where they run their business every day. You will certainly get to watch and taste some particular dishes (Asia Queen Travel can customize vegetarian food or according to your special requirements).

The old quarter in Hanoi is over one thousand years old and today retains much of the old flavor that made the area special in earlier times, each street was the exclusive domain of one trade (guilds) so there are whole streets of blacksmiths, silver shops, paper shops, headstone makers and more. Originally there were just 36 streets in the old quarter but today there are more than 50 streets. Although many of the streets are short, and the area is rather compact.

• 21:00 Your tour guide will say goodbye to you and will help you order a taxi or show you direction back your hotel.

Day 5: Hanoi (departure day)

Breakfast at the hotel then the time will be at your leisure. You can wait until Asia Queen Travel driver come and pick you up to send you off to the airport.

During this holiday, you will get to taste Vietnamese cuisine. On your free time, you can also try the local food found in the streets and markets of Vietnam. Asia Queen Travel can accommodate vegetarian and special requirement diet.

• 4 nights accommodation
• A bottle of water per person
• Airport transfers
• All transport during the holiday
• Entrance fees for Vietnam attractions as per itinerary
• Kayaking
• Local English speaking guide
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary
• Vietnam visa approval letter (a month single entry visa)
• Welcome drink at the hotel and on the boat

• Beverages, tips, and personal expenses
• Other things not mentioned clearly in the package
• Peak season surcharge and compulsory dinner at the hotel if any
• Surcharge for a private car
• Vietnam visa stamp fees