THE CULTURE & CUISINE OF VIETNAM

Upon arrival at Tan Son Nhat airport, you will be met by Tour guide and Driver and transferred to hotel for check-in. Dinner will be serve on Saigon river cruises. Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City

After breakfast, you get your eyes experience the way local people live, go shopping for daily life around Cau Muoi market. Furthermore, you can live like a local in half-day in purchasing ingredients for class as well as get knowledge about Vietnamese Cuisine. Then, returning with upcoming interesting things with class. We serve you with 3 main dishes (you cook yourself under instruction) and 1 more dessert served. Further, you can enjoy your market tour at the beginning, welcome drink at class and recipes at end. In the afternoon, we visit Chinatown, or more commonly known as Cho Lon, to the bustling Binh Tay Wholesale Market. Here we witness the local people rushing about selling an array of fresh and dried produce, clothing, shoes, home wares and fabrics, just to name a few. Close by, we make a stop to one of the most active temples in Chinatown, Thien Hau Temple, built by the Cantonese Congregation in 1760 in order to express their gratitude to this Goddess for her protection during their immigration trip to Vietnam by sea. We drive back to the centre of town to visit the magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, built in 1877 and the City Post Office, often mistaken for a railway station by foreign visitors and City Hall

Heading out of the town, we travel by roads to the Mekong Delta, Vietnam’s largest rice bowl. On arrival in My Tho, we embark on a boat navigating around the intricate small canals in the delta region, which is a great way to observe the local lifestyle close-up and catch a view dotted by many islands. The exciting excursion will pass the lush green vegetation before arriving at the famous Unicorn Island. Here we have opportunities to stroll around an orchard, taste many seasonal fruits and enjoy wonderful traditional music. The next stop of our trip is Ben Tre Province to visit some fascinating local industries. After feasting on a huge lunch we return to Ho Chi Minh, stopping off along the way to see the beautiful Vinh Trang Pagoda. Overnight in Sai Gon

Our first visit is to the most well respected site of Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum, which includes the Presidential Palace, One Pillar Pagoda and Ho Chi Minh Museum. After lunch, continuing on with a 25minute drive to the very interesting Ethnology Museum. Here you will learn of the traditional cultures of 54 different ethnic minority groups in Vietnam through articles, stories, displays of traditional houses, costumes, hunting equipment and much more wares used in day to day life. Your adventure trip to Sapa begins with an overnight train from Vietnam ‘s capital city to the border town of Lao Cai. Overnight on train.

Early arrives at Lao Cai station at approximately 5:30 am. Your tour guide meet and then transfer to Sapa town. The drive to Sapa is only 33 km but it takes around 1.5 hours.

Upon arrival Sapa town, having breakfast at local restaurant, after relaxing time we will start trekking on a small trails down the Muong Hoa Valley toward Lao Chai village of Black H’mong ethnic people. Here we will discover their daily life and how they make traditional clothes, handicraft, indigo…We will visit the biggest valley which provides the best view for golden rice terraced fields in Vietnam.

After Lao Chai we walk to Ta Van village of Giay people. It is a small group of ethnic people in Vietnam with a rich culture and beautiful houses located on rice paddy fields.

Lao Chai & Ta Van Villages, about 8 km from Sapa town, where black H’mong and Dzay people are living, it is also the beginning of the valley which is called Muong Hoa. From a high point of the main road, great view of the whole villages open wide to offer the marvelous panorama views, backed by high mountains and facing the river. Here you will enjoy the fresh air, see terraced fields and stream, discover and visit some of Black H’mong families. You will have a welcome feeling at any house of the hospitable people there. You can interact them, learn about their culture and customs. Then we take you back to sapa town

Overnight in hotel in Sapa.

Ta Giang Phin village is located on the foot of majestic Ngu Chi Son mountain ( also known as Buddha’s fingers mountain), 28km far from Sapa town. In 45 minutes driving along the wild region of thick rained forest on high mountains, dotted with rolling valleys & local villages, you will reach the land of Ta Giang Phin hamlets.

The village is not yet influenced by mass tourism so the local houses & lifestyles stay authentic & interesting. Trekking is a great way to explore the village, local ways of living : house styles & their local daily life. Local tribes are quite friendly & hospitable. On the trekking journey, you are warmly welcome to visit any local home for better insights of local cultures. Not like the other Sapa trekking routes – some locals will approach & follow the travellers to sell their handicrafts, hiking in Ta Giang Phin, you are on your own journey to admire the landscapes of rice terraces, peaceful stream, local hamlets and stunning mountainscapes.

Transfer back to Sapa for late lunch

In the afternoon free for your leisure to explore the town until transfer back to Lao Cai train station for night train back to Hanoi.

Overnight on train.

After a morning cyclo ride from your hotel, you’ll be treated to a hands-on cooking class where you will learn about the art of traditional Vietnamese cuisine from the locals in the Old Quarter. You’ll visit the lively local Market before donning a chef’s uniform for the demonstration. You will learn how to make a number of regional delicacies, which may include everything from Banana Flower Salad to spring rolls to Com Rang, and more. After a half-day morning session, you’ll enjoy a delicious feast that YOU created! You’ll get to take a copy of the recipes home with you. The rest of day discover the city yourself Overnight in hotel in Hanoi

After breakfast at hotel, driver picks up and transfer to Halong Bay, listed as a World Heritage of outstanding natural beauty, known in Vietnamese as “Dragon descending to the sea”. Upon arrival, the boat crew welcome you and check in then enjoy a cruise around Halong Bay with a delicious local seafood lunch served on board. You can also behold thousands of limestone islands and grottoes rising from the clear, emerald water. Following break, depending on each cruise’s itinerary of the day, you’ll join some activities on boat to discover the beauty of the bay such as visit a cave, doing kayaking or enjoy swimming in the sea before getting back to the junk for relaxing and dinner. Overnight on board. Note: Our tour guide will not escort you on the cruises, and be replaced by crew members who are fluent in English.

You’ll wake up on the bay to the sounds of waves and birds welcoming the new day. You will have an opportunity to view the sunrise over the bay and after breakfast, visit a beautiful limestone grotto. You will have a walk back to the boat for a final glimpse of Halong Bay while cruising back to the dock. Then you will drive back to Hanoi. Overnight at your hotel.