(No availability) 7 Days Culinary Holiday in Hanoi, Vietnam

Day 1:

• Hanoi arrival
• Hotel check in
• Hanoi street food walking tour

You are welcome to Hanoi city, Vietnam. Your driver will pick you up at Noi Bai airport and transfer you to the hotel in Hanoi old quarter - the most interesting point in Hanoi city. Take your own time to visit and explore the old 36 streets town. Dinner will be served for the day and you will stay overnight in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi - Ninh Binh - Hoa Lu - Tam Coc - cycling one day tour

At 08:00 a.m. your driver and tour guide will meet you at your hotel and you will start heading to Ninh Binh where you are going to see the beauty of Hoa Lu ancient capital and Tam Coc.

You will stop on the half way to take a break after one hour and half in the bus. At this moment, you can stretch your legs and take some photos of the countryside. Keep heading to Hoa Lu - the ancient capital of Vietnam in the 10th century under two dynasties: Dinh and Le Empire. You will understand much more about Vietnam with King Dinh and King Le’s temple. Through this trip, you have the chance to find out about the history, culture, architecture, and development of Vietnam and clarify what still may be strange for you.

You will arrive at Mua cave which is constructed following the model of "miniature of Great Wall" in China with nearly 500 steps up to mountain peak. You will spend about one hour to do trekking up to top of mountain for a view of the panoramic landscape of Tam Coc valley, rice fields, and Ninh Binh city.

Then, the bus will transfer you to a local restaurant where you will have the buffet lunch with a lot of local food. All the dishes for lunch are cooked by a local chef. And one of most special and famous in Ninh Binh is goat meat.

After the lunch time, tour guide will help you understand about Tam Coc before enjoying the rowing boat time on Ngo Dong River. Ngo Dong river meanders among the mountains and you will have the feeling that you are living in the most peaceful and beautiful place in the world.

The boat takes you through the three caves (Hang Ca, Hang Hai, Hang Ba). You will see not only the “Halong Bay on land”, but also you have the chance to meet the local farmers who are working in the rice field. Lovely time to understand more of the local countryside life in Vietnam.

After rowing boat time in Tam Coc, you are riding bicycle to the paddy fields and through the local villages to discover the simple daily life of local people, you will have an awesome experience in the country. At 7:00 p.m. you will get back to your hotel in Hanoi city. You will stay overnight at the hotel in Hanoi. You will be served with breakfast and lunch today.

Day 3: Hanoi street food walking tour

At 5:00 p.m. your tour guide picks you up from the hotel. Start the journey discovering the local foods in Hanoi like a street foodie. Walking through some old streets there, you will discover historical and culture tourist sites and you will visit Heritage House to learn more about the traditional house of ancient Hanoi.

You have the opportunity to enjoy “Bánh Cuốn” from the famous local restaurant. “Bánh Cuốn” (steamed rice rolls) is steamed and made from rice flour and filled with a savory ground pork and ear mushroom mixture. Then you will stop at another traditional space to try “Che” (sweet gruel) - a very special and famous sweet soup in Hanoi old quarter.

Then, keep walking to enjoy a bowl of Pho - taste of heaven that you could not find anywhere else better prepared than in Hanoi. Spring roll is a very meaningful dish for the tourist; many restaurants and companies organize cooking classes. You will visit the local market to see people show all their products, it is really interesting to learn about lifestyle and culture of the local people. You will enjoy Bun Cha (Vermicelli with grill pork), an absolute highlight of authentic local cuisine - everyone who comes for the first time to visit Hanoi must try it.

Then you will savor the real taste of Hanoian culinary tradition at a small corner of Hanoi by drinking a cup of “Bia Hoi”(Fresh beer). Finally, you will get the chance to enjoy a very special flavor of the Vietnamese -“Cafe Trung”( egg coffee). At 8:00 p.m. you will turn back to the hotel and stay overnight at the hotel in Hanoi. You will be served with breakfast and dinner.

Day 4: Hanoi - Halong Bay - cooking class

• 08:00 Tour guide and bus pick you up at the hotel. You will be heading to Halong bay after four hours in bus with short break time on the half way.
• 12:45 Arrive at Halong harbor. Crew welcomes you on board with welcome drink. Check in the cabin and enjoy the traditional Vietnamese lunch.

After lunch, there is free time for sunbathing on the sundeck, photo hunting while cruising among the mountains.

• 15:00 Cruise anchors in the center of Halong Bay. You will visit the amazing cave - one of the biggest and most beautiful cave in Halong Bay.
• 16:00: Heading to Ti Tov Island where you can hike up to the top to view the whole bay, sunbathing on the sandy beach, swimming in the pure water.
• 17:15 Back to the boat. Enjoy the sunset time with fruit and wine.

The chef on board will share with you how to make Vietnamese spring roll during the cooking demonstration, and you can practice by yourself.

• 19:00 Dinner will be served with a lot of delicious Vietnamese foods. After dinner, there is free time to a watch movie, to play cards, or attend the squid fishing game.

You will stay overnight in the cruise boat and you will be served with breakfast, lunch, and dinner today.

Day 5: Halong Bay - Kayaking - Hanoi

You should wake up a little early to enjoy the sunrise in Halong Bay - the nice moment during the trip.

• 06:30 Tai Chi Master will share with you how to do Tai Chi - very good for health for new day
• 07:00 Enjoy the breakfast
• 08:15 Go for kayaking among mountains, explore the beauty of Halong Bay by your own.
• 09:30 Get back to cruise, check out the cabin. Then, take the leisurely time to rest on sundeck to view the bay.
• 11:00 Brunch will be served. Enjoy the meal while cruising back to Halong harbor
• 12:30 Get on the bus back to Hanoi with short break time on half way.
• 16:30 Arrive your hotel in Hanoi city.

You will stay overnight at the hotel in Hanoi. You will be served with breakfast and lunch today.

Day 6: Hanoi cooking class

At 3:30 p.m. the tour guide will meet you at your hotel and you will head to the local market. The cooking class provides an immersive experience into traditional Vietnamese cooking and culture. In fact, two of these are inextricably linked. The sounds, sights, smells and tastes found in a typical Vietnam market are emblematic of daily life here, shaping the contours of Vietnamese cuisine. You will have chance to get familiar with the special spices and ingredients; additionally, a “xich lo” (rikshaw) will drive you through old corners to see the street vendors life which has partially formed Vietnamese traditional life.

This exciting program is the ideal way to enjoy an authentic cultural and culinary experience. It’s also perfect for the serious home cooks who want to learn how to cook Vietnamese healthy food for their family and friends, for spouses accompanying husband or wife on a business trip, or the adventurous travelers wishing to explore more than just the sightseeing of the great city.

Students will learn how to prepare and cook the top famous Vietnamese dishes from the extensive list of recipes, typically Pho (noodles soup with beef or chicken), Bun Cha (BBQ pork with noodles and fish sauce), Nem (fried spring rolls). When the class ends, students will enjoy their own cooking creation. The meal is even more hearty with other special food from the professional cook together with local wines that you have never tried before. At 8:00 p.m. you will get back to your hotel and stay overnight at hotel in Hanoi. You will be served with breakfast and dinner today.

Day 7: Hanoi departure

Today, there is leisure visiting to Hanoi old quarter, shopping for souvenirs for your family, and then you will be transferred by your private transport to Noi Bai airport for your flight back home. You will be served with breakfast today.

• Rowing boat trip in Tam Coc
• Surprising cave visit in Halong Bay
• Kayaking time or bamboo boat trip in Halong Bay

This tour will take place in Hanoi City and Halong Bay, in Vietnam.

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During this holiday, you will be served with sumptuous meals as mentioned in the itinerary. Also, you will be served with welcome drink on arrival and free bottled water will be provided.

Water puppet show

You can enjoy the water puppet show by your own. You can understand much more about Vietnamese culture, costume and habit.

Cyclo trip

While your free time, you can also to rent a Cyclo to visit 36 old streets in Hanoi old quarter to see the old houses, local daily lives, also tasting many local street foods, such as Egg Coffee, Pho (rice noodle).

Cycle ride

During this holiday, you can enjoy cycle ride if you love to explore the real countryside images of Vietnam. You can proceed on a 40-minute cycling ride along country lane (from Tam Coc to Bich Dong Pagoda, estimated time is 40 minutes for five kilometers, cycling two ways), experiencing the beautiful scenery of lush paddy fields.

Walking around Hoan Kiem Lake

Almost all travelers stay in the Old Quarter, this may take 10 minutes from your hotel to the first stop Hoan Kiem Lake (The Heart of Hanoi). Also, interesting cultural activities take place especially on the weekend - walking street (from Friday to Sunday).

Shopping

If you are a shopaholic, you cannot miss Dong Xuan market, a paradise for shopping. Dong Xuan market is the busiest and most popular traditional market in Hanoi.

Hanoi Landmark

If you want to see the landmark of Hanoi, then you must check out The Opera House. The place is located in the French Quarter in Hanoi.

Spa treatments

Also spa treatments are available at Anam-QT Spa Hanoi daily from 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

• Cooking class in Hanoi
• Several local street food tasting
• Tour guide for Hanoi Street food tour
• English speaking tour guide in Hoa Lu - Tam Coc tour, Halong Bay tour
• Transportation by air-conditioning bus in tour
• Rowing boat trip in Tam Coc
• Cycling time in Tam Coc
• Surprising cave in Halong Bay
• Swimming time in Halong Bay
• Kayaking time or bamboo boat trip in Halong Bay
• Return private bus / car airport pick-up and transfer
• All the entrance fees as mentioned
• Tax and service charge
• Complimentary water in tour
• Welcome drink at hotel and on Halong cruise
• Sunset party with free fruit and a glass of wine
• Meals as mentioned in the itinerary
• 6 nights accommodation

• All meals and beverages not specifically mentioned in the itinerary
• Pick up and drop off outside Hanoi Old Quarter
• Tips, personal expenses and those not clearly mentioned above
• Airfare into and from Vietnam
• Travel insurance

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• A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.