Culinary Delights of Vietnam
11 days / 10 nights | Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi An, Hanoi and Bai Tu Long Bay | Private tour
Vietnamese food is one of the great cuisines of the world, and this trip lets you taste it properly from south to north. Eat your way around Saigon by vintage Vespa and learn the city’s coffee culture, cook with chef Duc Tran at his home near Hoi An, graze through Hanoi’s Old Quarter, and dine at Madame Hien. You stay at the Park Hyatt, Namia River Retreat and the Sofitel Legend Metropole, then finish with two nights cruising quiet Bai Tu Long Bay.
This is an example itinerary. We can tailor the hotels, pace and inclusions to suit you.
From NZ$13,120 per person twin share, based on 2 travelling together in 2027.
Domestic flights are not included in the tour price. You fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang and from Da Nang to Hanoi, and we quote these separately along with your international flights.
Highlights
- Saigon’s street food, night markets and a hidden cocktail bar by vintage Vespa
- A tasting of six regional styles of phở, plus egg coffee in a restored shophouse and the city’s oldest coffee shop
- A farm-to-table cooking class near Hoi An, and a secret cocktail crawl through four very different bars
- Market visit, private cooking demonstration and lunch at the home of chef Duc Tran of Mango Mango fame
- Dinner at Madame Hien in a restored French villa, and a street-food walk through Hanoi’s hidden Old Quarter alleys
- Two nights on the Violet Cruise in Bai Tu Long Bay, with kayaking, caves and a floating fishing village
Day by Day
You’re met inside the terminal and fast-tracked through immigration, then driven about 30 minutes to the Park Hyatt. Depending on your arrival time, we can book dinner at Anan, the first restaurant in the city to win a Michelin star (at your own cost).
Meals: None today
Walk the colonial city centre with a local guide: City Hall, Dong Khoi Street, the Opera House, a building taken over by the city’s young creatives, the Central Post Office, the Reunification Palace and Ben Thanh Market. Finish with a tasting of six distinct, and sometimes rare, styles of phở, from crispy fried to dry-style, and leave with your phở-expert certificate. The rest of the day is free.
Meals: Breakfast
Discover the city’s coffee habit through a local neighbourhood, a 90-year-old coffee shop (the oldest in the city) and a restored shophouse where you learn to make cà phê trứng, egg coffee. Tonight, ride pillion on a vintage Vespa to a famous banh mi stall, a home-cooked tasting meal, a night market, a dessert stop and a hidden bar.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Fly to Da Nang (flight not included) and drive about 50 minutes to Hoi An, the UNESCO-listed former trading port. The afternoon and evening are free, and we’re happy to recommend restaurants.
Meals: Breakfast
Start with coffee by the river, then visit a fresh market and ride an electric buggy to a beautiful countryside cooking school. Learn how local farmers grow chemical-free produce, enjoy a short massage, then cook and eat your own lunch. At 5 pm, set off on a secret cocktail tour of four very different bars, from a hidden alley bar to a rooftop over the Thu Bon River, finishing with a hands-on Vietnamese-themed cocktail.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Spend the morning with Duc Tran, one of Central Vietnam’s best-known chefs and the man behind Mango Mango, Mango Rooms and Mai Fish. After a market visit with a local guide, head to his rural home for a private cooking demonstration and a seasonal lunch he prepares himself. The afternoon is free.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Fly to Hanoi (flight not included) and transfer to the Sofitel Legend Metropole. This evening, stroll around Hoan Kiem Lake and the Old Quarter, drink strong green tea in a century-old French villa, dine at Madame Hien, and finish with a cocktail overlooking St Joseph’s Cathedral.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Visit the Temple of Literature, Vietnam’s first university, then choose the Vietnam Women’s Museum or Hoa Lo Prison (the “Hanoi Hilton”), followed by a walk through the Old Quarter. Late afternoon, set out on foot for egg coffee, regional dishes like bánh đa trộn and crab noodle soup, hidden shared alleys, a resident’s historic home, Dong Xuan market, herbal rice liquor on Lan Ong Street, and a family phở noodle workshop.
Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Drive about 2.5 hours to Halong and board the Violet Cruise. Sail into Bai Tu Long Bay, which has the same dramatic limestone islands as Halong Bay but far fewer boats. Kayak in the afternoon, then enjoy a multi-course dinner as the boat anchors for the night.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Start with tai chi on deck, then climb to Thien Canh Son Cave and visit Vung Vieng floating fishing village. After lunch, join an oyster-harvesting or Vietnamese coffee workshop, and end the day with sundowners on a secluded beach.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Breakfast on board as you sail back to the marina, then disembark around 10.45 am and transfer about 3.5 hours to Hanoi’s Noi Bai airport, where you’re fast-tracked through departures.
Meals: Breakfast
Where You Stay
- Ho Chi Minh City (3 nights): Park Hyatt Saigon, 5-star, Park Room Garden View
- Hoi An (3 nights): Namia River Retreat, 5-star, Nipa Villa
- Hanoi (2 nights): Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, 5-star, Premium room
- Bai Tu Long Bay (2 nights): Violet Cruise, Junior Suite
What’s Included
- 10 nights’ accommodation, twin or double share, with daily breakfast
- Meals as listed: 10 breakfasts, 4 lunches and 5 dinners
- Private air-conditioned transport with English-speaking local guides for touring and transfers
- All the food, coffee and cocktail experiences listed
- Fast-track service at the airport on arrival and departure
- Entrance fees and boat trips as listed
- Bottled water in the vehicles
Not included: domestic and international flights, visas, travel insurance, meals and drinks not listed, camera fees, tips and personal expenses.
Good to Know
- From NZ$13,120 per person twin share, based on 2 people travelling together in 2027. Prices change with travel dates, hotel choice and exchange rates, so ask us for a current quote.
- Domestic flights are not included in the tour price. You fly from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang and from Da Nang to Hanoi, and we quote these separately along with your international flights.
- Travelling solo? Ask us about the single supplement.
- Street-food options for vegetarians are limited, and the Hanoi food walk isn’t suitable for vegans. Let us know any dietary needs at least a week before the cruise.
- The cruise route can change with the weather.
- Travel over Christmas, New Year, Tết (Vietnamese Lunar New Year) and Vietnamese public holidays may attract surcharges and compulsory hotel dinners.
- Central Vietnam is wettest from about September to December, when Hoi An’s old town can flood.
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