Vietnam: real food from Hanoi to Saigon

1. Day 1: Arrive in Hanoi

   Noi Bai International Airport to the Old Quarter

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Dinner
   • Stay in Hanoi
   Day 1 details

   Your trip starts at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN), north of the city, where we meet you and drive you to your hotel near the Old Quarter, about 45 minutes away. Rest after the flight. In the early evening you meet your guide and the group for a short briefing, then we set off on foot for the first street food walk of the trip. The Old Quarter is a tight grid of narrow tube houses, many streets still named after the goods once sold on them, and after dark the pavements fill with low plastic stools. Your guide orders and explains as we go: a bowl of bun cha, grilled pork with rice noodles and herbs; crisp banh mi from a cart; fried spring rolls; and, to finish, an egg coffee, Hanoi's whipped yolk and coffee dessert served in a small cup. You also learn how to cross a road full of scooters calmly. If your flight lands too late, we meet you at breakfast instead.

   Included

   • Pick-up at Noi Bai International Airport (HAN)
   • Welcome briefing with your guide
   • Old Quarter street food walk with dinner and an egg coffee

   Free time: Afternoon free to rest before the evening walk

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot in the evening, with stops to sit and eat.

2. Day 2: Hanoi: a pho morning

   Breakfast pho, the Temple of Literature, then a bun cha lunch

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hanoi
   Day 2 details

   Hanoi eats pho for breakfast, so we do too. Early, before the city heats up, we walk to a neighbourhood pho shop for a bowl of beef pho with clear broth, and your guide explains how the Hanoi style differs from the sweeter southern bowls you will taste in Saigon. Then we try pho cuon, fresh rice noodle sheets rolled around beef and herbs, near Truc Bach Lake. From there it is a short ride to the Temple of Literature as it opens. Founded in 1070 and home to Vietnam's first national academy, its five courtyards and stone stelae of doctoral laureates are quiet in the first hour. Lunch is bun cha at a family-run shop, the dish Hanoi is proudest of. The afternoon is free: walk Hoan Kiem Lake, rest at the hotel or find a cafe on a balcony over the street. In the evening your guide can book you into a water puppet show.

   Included

   • Pho breakfast at a local pho shop
   • Pho cuon tasting near Truc Bach Lake
   • Temple of Literature at opening time, with entry
   • Bun cha lunch

   Optional experiences

   • Water puppet show in the Old Quarter. Evening, booked on the day.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the morning, on flat pavements.

   

3. Day 3: Hanoi: market and cooking class

   A morning market with a chef, then a cooking class

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hanoi
   Day 3 details

   This morning belongs to a chef. We meet in the morning at a local wet market, before the best produce sells out, and walk the aisles together: the herb sellers with a dozen kinds of leaves, the noodle makers, the tofu stalls, the fish still in their basins. The chef explains what each herb goes with and how Hanoi cooks shop for one day at a time, and you help choose what we will cook. Then we head to the kitchen for a hands-on class: typically nem ran spring rolls, a green papaya or banana flower salad, a dipping sauce balanced by taste rather than by measure, and a northern dish such as bun cha or caramelised fish. We eat what we cook for lunch. The afternoon and evening are free. Some guests use it for the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology or a slow lap of the Old Quarter; your guide is on hand with ideas for an independent dinner.

   Included

   • Local market visit with a chef
   • Hands-on cooking class with lunch

   Easier option: Skip the market walk and join the class at the kitchen.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 3 hours standing at the market and the cooking station. Vegetarian versions of each dish are arranged in advance.

4. Day 4: Fly to Hue

   Hanoi to Hue by air, Dong Ba Market and a dinner in the imperial style

   • Drive about 30 min
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Hue
   Day 4 details

   A short flight replaces the overnight sleeper train: about an hour and ten minutes from Hanoi to Phu Bai airport (HUI), then about 30 minutes by road into Hue. Hue was Vietnam's capital under the Nguyen emperors from 1802 to 1945, and the court gave the city a cooking of its own: many small dishes, careful presentation and a love of chilli. We start where the cooks shop, at Dong Ba Market on the Perfume River, then sit down for lunch with a bowl of bun bo Hue, the city's spiced beef and lemongrass noodle soup. After time to check in and rest, we take a dragon boat up the river to Thien Mu Pagoda, founded in 1601, for its seven-storey tower in the late light. Dinner is in the imperial style: a sequence of small dishes in the manner of the court, such as banh beo, steamed rice cakes in little saucers, and banh khoai pancakes, served with stories of the royal kitchens.

   Included

   • Flight from Hanoi (HAN) to Hue (HUI)
   • Dong Ba Market with your guide
   • Bun bo Hue lunch
   • Dragon boat on the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda
   • Imperial-style dinner

   Free time: Early afternoon free to rest

   Activity: Mostly easy walking; the market aisles are narrow and can be wet.

   

5. Day 5: Hue: the Imperial City and a garden-house lunch

   The Imperial City at opening, the tomb of Tu Duc, lunch in a garden house

   • Drive about 45 min
   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hue
   Day 5 details

   We enter the Imperial City through the Meridian Gate as it opens, when the courtyards are cool and nearly empty. The monuments of Hue are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and your guide walks you through the throne hall, the dynastic temples and the restored gardens, explaining what was lost in the fighting of 1968 and what has been rebuilt since, and where the royal kitchens stood. Late morning we drive into the hills south of the city to the tomb of Tu Duc, a lakeside park of pavilions the emperor used as a retreat in his lifetime. Lunch is the heart of the day: a meal in one of Hue's garden houses, family homes set in walled gardens of fruit trees and ponds, where the family cooks Hue dishes such as banh loc, clear tapioca dumplings, and com hen, rice with tiny river clams. The afternoon and evening are free; your guide can point you to one of the Buddhist vegetarian restaurants Hue is known for.

   Included

   • Imperial City of Hue at opening time, with entry
   • Tomb of Tu Duc, with entry
   • Lunch in a Hue garden house

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot at the Imperial City and the tomb, on paths and some steps, with shade in places.

6. Day 6: Over the Hai Van Pass to Hoi An

   Hue to Hoi An by Lang Co and the Hai Van Pass

   • Drive about 3 h
   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner
   • Stay in Hoi An
   Day 6 details

   Today the road is part of the trip. After breakfast we drive south along the coast to Lang Co, a fishing village between a lagoon and a long sand beach, and then climb the Hai Van Pass, where a spur of the Truong Son range runs into the sea. It has long been the climate divide between the north and the south, and at the top stand the ruins of an old gate and a few wartime bunkers. Cloud often sits on the pass, so your guide picks the hour on the day; if it is hidden, we spend longer at Lang Co and take the tunnel underneath. Lunch is seafood by the water, then on to Hoi An by mid-afternoon, about three hours of driving in all. At dusk we walk into the Old Town for cao lau, the thick, chewy noodles with pork and greens that by local tradition are only made properly in Hoi An, and watch the lanterns come on along the Thu Bon River.

   Included

   • Transport from Hue to Hoi An with your guide
   • Lang Co
   • Hai Van Pass, weather permitting
   • Seafood lunch
   • Cao lau dinner and an evening lantern walk in the Old Town

   Free time: Late afternoon free

   Activity: About 3 hours of driving, broken by Lang Co and the pass.

   

7. Day 7: Hoi An: dawn streets and Tra Que farm

   The Old Town at dawn, then the Tra Que vegetable village

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hoi An
   Day 7 details

   Hoi An Ancient Town, a trading port from the 15th to the 19th century and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is at its best before the shops open. At about 6.30 am your guide walks the quiet lanes with you, past the yellow merchant houses, the Japanese Covered Bridge and the Cantonese Assembly Hall, with breakfast from a banh mi stall on the way. Your Old Town ticket is included. Then we cycle about 3 km out to Tra Que, a village of vegetable gardens between the river and the lagoon, known across central Vietnam for its herbs. A farming family shows you how they work the beds with seaweed from the lagoon and water carried in watering cans on a shoulder pole; you lend a hand, then cook and eat a lunch of the garden's greens in banh xeo pancakes and fresh rolls. The afternoon and evening are free: swim at the hotel, see a tailor, or go back to the river after dark.

   Included

   • Dawn walk in Hoi An Old Town, with Old Town entry
   • Bicycle ride to Tra Que vegetable village
   • Farm visit with a cooking lesson and lunch

   Easier option: Ride to Tra Que in the vehicle instead of by bicycle.

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 2 hours on foot at dawn and a flat 3 km bicycle ride each way.

   

8. Day 8: Hoi An: the market class

   Hoi An Central Market with a chef, then a cooking class

   • Breakfast and lunch
   • Stay in Hoi An
   Day 8 details

   A slower morning. After breakfast we meet a chef at Hoi An's central market by the Thu Bon River, where boats still unload fish in the morning and the noodle sellers sell fresh sheets of cao lau and mi Quang. The chef talks you through the herbs, rice papers and fish sauces of the centre, and you buy what the class will cook. Back in the kitchen the class is hands-on: mi Quang, the turmeric noodles of this province, a fish dish cooked in a clay pot or banana leaf, and the white rose dumplings Hoi An is known for, finished with your own dipping sauces. Lunch is what you make. The rest of the day is yours, with no plans: the beach at An Bang is about 15 minutes away by taxi, the Old Town is quieter in the late afternoon, and your guide can book a basket boat in the water coconut palms at Cam Thanh.

   Included

   • Hoi An central market with a chef
   • Hands-on cooking class with lunch

   Optional experiences

   • Basket boat in the water coconut palms at Cam Thanh

   Free time: Afternoon and evening free

   Activity: About 3 hours at the market and the cooking station.

9. Day 9: Fly to Saigon: street food on foot

   Hoi An to Da Nang airport, fly to Ho Chi Minh City, an evening food walk

   • Drive about 1.5 h
   • Breakfast and dinner
   • Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
   Day 9 details

   After breakfast we drive about 45 minutes to Da Nang airport (DAD) for the flight of about an hour and a half to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), which most people still call Saigon. We check in to the hotel in the old centre and take the early afternoon to rest. In the late afternoon your guide walks you past the French-era City Hall and along the Nguyen Hue walking street to the riverside as the heat goes out of the day. Then the street food evening, on foot and without scooters: across the canal to a street of seafood and snail stalls, where the cooks grill and stir-fry to order, then back for com tam, broken rice with grilled pork chop, and a southern banh xeo, the big crisp pancake you wrap in mustard leaves and herbs. Saigon cooking is sweeter and more generous with herbs than Hanoi's; by now you can taste the difference.

   Included

   • Transfer to Da Nang International Airport (DAD)
   • Flight from Da Nang (DAD) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
   • Walk past City Hall and along Nguyen Hue
   • Street food evening on foot with dinner

   Free time: Early afternoon free to rest

   Activity: About 3 hours on foot in the evening, with sit-down stops.

   

10. Day 10: The Mekong Delta and a family lunch

    Ho Chi Minh City to Ben Tre and back

    • Drive about 4 h
    • Breakfast and lunch
    • Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
    Day 10 details

    We leave at about 7.30 am to beat the city traffic and drive about two hours south-west across the Tien River to Ben Tre, the coconut country of the Mekong Delta. A boat takes us along the main river, then we switch to a small rowing sampan through narrow canals shaded by water coconut palms. We walk a little through orchards and village lanes, with a stop for tea and seasonal fruit at a farm. There are no shop or candy workshop stops on this day. The long stop is lunch with a local family at their home in the delta: river fish such as elephant ear fish, wrapped at the table in rice paper with herbs, and dishes the family cooks every day. Afterwards there is time to sit in the shade before the drive back. We are in Saigon by late afternoon; the evening is free. The day has about four hours of driving in all, split by the morning on the water and the long lunch.

    Included

    • Transport to Ben Tre and back with your guide
    • Boat on the Tien River
    • Sampan through the water coconut canals
    • Orchard walk with tea and fruit
    • Lunch with a family in their home

    Easier option: Stay on the boat and skip the orchard walk.

    Free time: Evening free

    Activity: About four hours in the vehicle in total, in two halves. Getting in and out of the sampan needs a steady step; the crew helps.

11. Day 11: Saigon: a coffee workshop

    A coffee workshop, Ben Thanh Market, a free afternoon and the farewell dinner

    • Breakfast and dinner
    • Stay in Ho Chi Minh City
    Day 11 details

    Vietnam is one of the world's largest coffee producers, mostly of robusta grown in the Central Highlands, and Saigon runs on it. This morning a coffee roaster shows you how the beans are grown, roasted and blended, then you brew with a phin, the small metal drip filter, and make the classics yourself: ca phe sua da with condensed milk over ice, egg coffee as in Hanoi, salt coffee from Hue and coconut coffee. Mid-morning your guide walks you through Ben Thanh Market for snacks and the food stalls inside. The afternoon is free. For those who want it, your guide goes to the War Remnants Museum and walks the galleries with you, rather than leaving you at the door; entry is included. In the evening we meet for a farewell dinner of southern dishes together.

    Included

    • Coffee workshop with a roaster
    • Ben Thanh Market with your guide
    • War Remnants Museum with your guide, with entry (optional to join)
    • Farewell dinner

    Free time: Afternoon free

    Activity: Mostly easy walking; about 2 hours on foot.

12. Day 12: Depart from Saigon

    A free morning, then Tan Son Nhat International Airport

    • Drive about 30 min
    • Breakfast
    Day 12 details

    The last day is yours, with no early start. Have breakfast at the hotel, or walk out for a final banh mi and an iced coffee from a street cart, then take the morning slowly until your airport transfer. If your flight leaves in the afternoon or evening and you want one more outing, your guide can arrange a half-day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels, the network dug under the farmland north-west of the city and used through the wars against the French and the Americans. Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) is about 8 km from the centre, usually 30 to 45 minutes by road depending on traffic. We drive you there in good time for your flight home; book a flight that leaves after about 11 am if you want the morning free, or any time if you are happy to leave straight after breakfast.

    Included

    • Drop-off at Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN)

    Optional experiences

    • Cu Chi Tunnels half-day trip. For afternoon or evening flights.

    Free time: Morning free

Wildlife and weather: February to April is the driest and most comfortable time to travel the length of the country. Hanoi can be cool and grey until about March, which suits a hot bowl of pho. Hue and Hoi An get most of their rain, and the risk of typhoons, from September to December. Saigon and the Mekong Delta are hot all year and hottest in April; the delta's fruit is at its most varied from about May.

• Hanoi3 nights
• Hue2 nights
• Hoi An3 nights
• Ho Chi Minh City3 nights