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Itinerary VietnamFood and Culture InsiderLuxury AdventureMay 1-16, 2008-15 nights/16 days$3,895 per person (double occupancy, single supplement $950)
Experience, enjoy and learn about the Vietnamese culture with a special focus on the food and cooking with tour leaders Daniel Hoyer and Kim Phuong Nguyen. This 15-night adventure begins in the south in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) with a visit to the Mekong Delta, often referred to as the rice bowl of Vietnam, where we will visit Phuong's family and see a slice of life far from the usual tourist routes. We then fly north to the historic old port city of Hoi An, a UNESCO Cultural Heritage site and then drive on to Hue, the Imperial City and former seat of many ruling dynasties. Continuing north, we will fly to the national capital city of Hanoi with a 2-day excursion to Bac Ha and Sa Pa to interact with the Ethnic Minority hill tribes of that region near the Chinese border. After the night, sleeper train back to Hanoi, we will drive to beautiful Halong Bay and board our private, luxury Chinese junk for an overnight excursion among the thousands of limestone islands. We finish in Hanoi again to take flights home or to enjoy an extended stay in Vietnam or some of the neighboring countries. There will be market visits, cooking classes and demonstrations with local Vietnamese cooks, visits to museums, pagodas and temples, great shopping, opportunities to get to know the local people and, of course, excellent eating.This is a 5-star comfort level trip with luxury hotels and safe, comfortable, air-conditioned transportation. You will have the benefit of two dedicated guides in Daniel and Phuong along with the support of local guides in most locations and Phuong's husband, Marny, an experienced Vietnam traveler. Although this is a food centric tour, you do not have to be an accomplished cook or even a "foodie" to enjoy it. We use food as a window into the culture and help guide you into memorable dining experiences. This is not school, and you will not be in classes everyday, but you may end up learning a lot. This is a vacation that provides a life experience and gives you an opportunity to visit and participate in things that you may not be able to easily access on your own. Daniel and Phuong have both been to all of the locations on the trip and have selected hotels, restaurants, guides and other services based on their own personal experiences and have developed this itinerary to be fun, meaningful and unique. .
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Itinerary
Printable PDF version of this itinerary Day 1 Thursday, May 1-Saigon arrivalMeet at the airport and transfer to the beautifully restored, Majestic Hotel, oozing with historic French colonial character. We will be staying in Colonial Poolside Deluxe rooms. Afternoon off to rest, take a massage or we will accompany you while you explore central Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) on foot. Welcome dinner at Luong Son (Bo Tung Xeo), one of our favorite restaurants with charcoal grills right at the table to grill your own dinner. Overnight in Saigon Meals-1, D
Day 2 Friday, May 2-SaigonBreakfast at the hotel followed by a market tour and cooking class at Dzoan Restaurant, owned by celebrity chef Miss Nguyen Dzoan Cam Van and operated by her son Khai, who is the executive chef and who will be our instructor. You will learn some of the basics of Vietnamese cooking and prepare lunch under the guidance of Chef Khai, a creative master chef in his own right, setting new trends in modern Vietnamese cooking. Free late afternoon for wandering about town, shopping, sightseeing, a nap, catching up on email, etc. Dinner at Lang Nuong Nam Bo Restaurant, for a feast of grilled Vietnamese specialties. Meals-3, B,L,D
Day 3 Saturday, May 3-Mekong Delta/SaigonBreakfast at the hotel followed by an all day tour to the countryside in Ben Tre province in the Mekong Delta; a three to three and a half hour drive. We will go to Phuong’s family home far from the typical tour routes. You can watch her family prepare lunch for us and see how the average Vietnamese family cooks and eats. This is rural and rustic. There is clean water but no toilet. You will see what very few tourists see – the daily life of rural Vietnamese families and we will get to see some of the work that the Vietnam Project has accomplished, giving you a first-hand look at what can be done for less fortunate people in this area. Return to Saigon for an independent dinner (option for a street food crawl with Daniel and Khai). Meals-2, B,L
Day 4 Sunday, May 4-Saigon to Hoi AnBreakfast at the hotel (or join Daniel for Pho, the national breakfast of Vietnam). Free morning for independent sightseeing tours of Saigon including the former US embassy site, Reunification Hall, Old post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, various pagodas and temples and the many colorful waterfronts around the city, (Phuong and Marny will be available if you want company); or an optional visit to Binh Tay, the big market in Cho Lon (Chinatown) with Daniel. After lunch at Ngon Restaurant, a unique concept, where you are seated in the lush garden courtyard of a restored French villa and you can order from dozens of street food vendors who have their kitchens set up in the streets surrounding the villa, we will transfer to the airport for an afternoon flight to Da Nang and transfer to Hoi An, a former port city and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The city is a photographer’s paradise, is full of character, with Japanese and colonial architecture, and is a wonderful shopping place that is famous for locally-made clothing. Check in at the Hoi An Beach Resort on the beach just 5 km from town where we will stay in Deluxe Riverview Villa rooms. Free late afternoon to discover Hoi An (easily explored on foot after taking the free hotel shuttle), shop, relax or take a dip in one of the pools. Dinner of fresh seafood at an outdoor restaurant along the beach. Meals-3, B, L, D
Day 5 Monday, May 5-Hoi AnOptional early morning market visit with Daniel. This is your chance to see the market as it is before the tourists arrive later in the day. We will watch the fresh fish being unloaded from the boats on the riverbank and listen to hundreds of local vendors haggle over prices and quality. Then we will watch the vegetable and fruit vendors get set up for the day’s business and enjoy some Vietnamese coffee or tea at one of the sidewalk cafes. Breakfast at the hotel. Tour of the old city with a local guide and lunch in town. Optional afternoon cooking demonstration with Miss Vy of the Cargo Club Restaurant or free afternoon for exploring town and shopping or a walk on the beach and dip in one of the pools at the hotel. Independent dinner at one of the many good options here in Hoi An. Meals-2, B,L
Day 6 Tuesday, May 6-Hoi An to HueBreakfast followed by check out and drive to the village of Tra Que to visit the herb farms that supply most of the restaurants in this region and then on to Hue, the Imperial City, over picturesque Hai Van Pass. We will stop for coffee or tea and photos at the summit of the pass. Check in at the elegant Saigon-Morin Hotel built by the French Morin brothers in the late 19th century, near the Perfume River. Free afternoon for lunch (we will give you some suggestions, there are a number of good choices near our hotel), shopping, a walk in the park along the river or an optional Xe Om (motorbike) or Cyclo (pedi cab) ride across the river with Daniel to visit the market and the Citadel, the former, walled-in, imperial city. Dinner at Paradise Garden restaurant. Meals-2, B,D
Day 7 Wednesday, May 7-HueBreakfast at the hotel. Boat trip on the lovely perfume river with a local guide to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, and the tomb of Emperor Tu Duc. Our driver will then pick us up and we will pass through the picturesque countryside surrounding Hue, full of rice and vegetable fields and small villages, including a stop for lunch. Late afternoon cooking class with Miss Huy, a chef recognized for her expertise in Hue Royal Cuisine, where we will prepare some of the dishes Hue is famous for and then enjoy the fruits of our labors with a multi-course dinner. OR Dinner at the Folksong restaurant with some of our local Vietnamese friends. (Depending on Ms. Huy’s availability) Meals-3, B, L, D
Day 8 Thursday, May 8-Hue to HanoiBreakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the airport for our flight to the historic old city of Ha Noi, the nation’s capital. Transfer to the luxurious Melia Hotel, in Ha Noi’s central district. Lunch at Season’s of Hanoi Restaurant situated in a historic French Villa and serving great Vietnamese cooking. The afternoon is free for you to go sightseeing or to relax, shop, etc. In the evening we will take a cyclo ride through the old merchant district and the on to the Highway 4 Restaurant (recently featured on Andrew Zimmern’s Discovery Channel show) for dinner, where they serve northern Vietnamese and indigenous specialties. Meals-3, B, L, D
Day 9 Friday, May 9-HanoiOptional early morning stroll with Daniel through the markets and narrow streets of the Old Quarter to interact with the people of Ha Noi and view the produce of the area. Breakfast at the hotel. Cooking class at the Hoa Sua Cooking Training School, where we will learn about the cooking of the north and enjoy the lunch we have prepared. Late afternoon water puppet show followed by an independent dinner where you can choose from the countless dining choices in Hanoi. We will be happy to give you recommendations. Meals-2, B, L
Day 10 Saturday, May 10-Hanoi to Loa CaiBreakfast at the hotel. All day guided tour of the city (lunch included) in air conditioned vehicles. We will visit the Temple of Literature, The Museum of Ethnography, the Ho Chi Minh museum, his mausoleum, the stilt house from which he conducted much of the American War, and Ba Dinh Square, where he delivered the Declaration of Independence (much like ours) in 1945 and other sites as time and inclination permit. Dinner at Le Tonkin Restaurant. We will then be picked up and transferred to the train station to board the Tulico Express luxury sleeper coach for the trip to Loa Cai, on the Chinese border. The train has secure, 4-person, air-conditioned, sleeping compartments with comfortable foam mattress beds. Meals-3, B, L, D
Day 11 Sunday, May 11-Bac Ha to SapaUpon our early-morning arrival in Loa Cai, we will have breakfast and then our local guide will drive us to Bac Ha for the fabulous Sunday market. There you will see a number of the Ethnic Minority groups, dressed in the colorful clothing that represents each groups’ and villages’ unique style, as they gather to purchase or sell local handicrafts, food, animals, tools and other essentials of daily life. The market is also a social event for the people, many who live in remote mountain communities and walk for hours to attend this market. Lunch in Bac Ha and then we will take an approximately 2 hour drive back through Loa Cai and on to Sapa on the hillsides overlooking the Muong Hoa river valley and surrounded by Minority villages and terraced rice paddies, with a view of Fan Si Pan, Vietnam’s highest mountain. Check in at the Victoria Sapa Hotel. Dinner at the hotel. Meals-3, B, L, D
Day 12 Monday, May 12-SapaBreakfast at the hotel. Market visit and guided walking tour of the Sapa area including the Ham Rong Mountain Park, the French-built Sapa Church, and Cat Cat H’mong village, where you will observe the way of life of this ethnic minority group. Lunch included. Shopping opportunities will abound. We will then drive to a Red Dao village to observe their culture, a cooking demonstration and to interact with the local villagers. Independent dinner. Overnight at the Victoria Sapa Hotel. Meals-2, B, L
Day 13 Tuesday, May 13-Sapa to the night train back to HanoiBreakfast at the hotel. Optional day-long hiking trek to several of the ethnic minority villages in the valley, including lunch. This trek consists of hiking on moderate to difficult, sometimes wet and slippery, trails with steep climbs and descents. The scenery is spectacular and the experience is memorable; however, it should not be undertaken unless you are in rather good physical condition, as it is fairly demanding. Phuong will remain in Sapa and will spend the day enjoying Sapa with anyone that wishes to skip this excursion.
Day 13-continued In the afternoon, we will have a little more time for last-minute shopping in Sapa or a snack before we depart at 6 pm to Loa Cai to catch the 9 pm sleeper train back to Ha Noi. There will be time for dinner at one of the many restaurants surrounding the train station before we board. Overnight on the train Meals-2, B, (L if on trek), D
Day 14 Wednesday, May 14-Ha Long Bay cruiseArrival in Hanoi where we will stop for a famed Hanoi Pho breakfast. After breakfast we will drive to Ha Long Bay where we will embark aboard our private luxurious Chinese junk. We will tour through the thousands of limestone islands visiting Thien Cung cave, Dau Go cave, circling Tuan Chau island, Dinh Huong island as well as Ga Choi island, Dog island and Sail island; stopping at Titov beach and anchoring overnight. Onboard, we will enjoy special Vietnamese meals prepared with fresh seafood from the area. There will also be optional sea kayaking and night time squid fishing. Overnight on the boat in air conditioned, private cabins. Meals-3, B, L, D
Day 15 Thursday, May 15-HanoiBreakfast on the Boat. Visit Man’s Head Island, Tortoise Island, Luon Cave, Bai Tu Long Bay, Toad Island and Bai Tho mountain. Lunch on the boat, and then we debark and we will be driven back to Hanoi to check in at the Hotel Melia. Farewell dinner at Emperor Restaurant Meals-3, B, L, D
Departure Day-Friday, May 16Breakfast at the hotel followed by transfers to the airport for flights home. You may also extend your stay in Han Noi or fly back to Saigon for an extended stay or head to the nearby countries of Laos, Cambodia or Thailand. We are happy to make recommendations for extended stays and additional tour options Meals-1, B
Information in this itinerary has been compiled with care and is provided in good faith, however, it is subject to change, and does not form part of the contract between the client and Well Eaten Path-Chef’s Tours.
Trip Information and Tips
Travel
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Transport Physical rating-This is a relatively undemanding trip. There will be some moderate walking and there is one optional day trek that is challenging. Temperatures in Vietnam can become fairly hot and the humidity is usually high. All of our accommodations and most transportation are air conditioned; however, you should be prepared for tropical heat. Culture shock rating-
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