Pho the Love of Food
Itinerary
- Itinerary:Hanoi - Hue - Hoi An - Ho Chi Minh City
- Duration:10 days / 9 nights (flexible)
- Price:From £ 1,215.- per person (excluding flights)
Days 1-3 – Street Food of Hanoi
Hanoi is a capital city crammed with character. Motorbikes zip through tangled streets, food hawkers serve up steaming bowls of pho and fruit stalls spill onto shady boulevards. You’ll stay in the heart of the atmospheric Old Quarter and during your stay you’ll embark on a culinary and cultural journey through Hanoi with your private guide. You’ll learn all about local legends, admire the ancient architecture and taste a range of delicacies from grilled pork to vermicelli dumplings as you wander the streets of the Old Quarter.
Days 3-5 – Lend a Hand in Hue
After your time in Northern Vietnam you will make your own way to the airport for your domestic flight to Hue. On arrival you will be met by a driver and transferred to your hotel. Help with the local harvest, pick your own lunch and amble along the banks of the Perfume River in Hue, where history lingers in the streets. Most travellers whizz through Hue, racing around the citadel, tombs and monuments before moving on. This trip is different. You’ll stay in Hue city and escape on a day trip into the peaceful countryside where you’ll experience helping out a farming family for the day.
Days 5-8 – Classic Hoi An & Cooking Class
Today you’ll wave goodbye to Hue and set off by train to Danang, the gateway to the lantern-filled streets of Hoi An. Watch lanterns twinkle along the river and meet the local tailors in Hoi An, Vietnam’s most atmospheric town. A jumble of crumbling Chinese shop houses, artist studios and riverside restaurants, it’s crammed with charm. The pace is slow and the food is scrumptious. In recent years, Hoi An has become something of a national treasure with its day dreamy, timeless atmosphere.
During your stay you will help support a local not-for-profit organisation in Hoi An as well as learning some new skills. The Lifestart Foundation helps disadvantaged Vietnamese people become self-sufficient. You will take part in a traditional painting class and learn how to make a traditional miniature lantern. For your Hoi An cookery lesson you’ll visit the colourful market with your experienced guide and with your shopping bags full you’ll board a boat to your riverside cookery school. Here you’ll prepare your very own traditional Vietnamese dishes so you can impress your friends back home.
Days 8-10 – Scooting through Saigon
Next it’s time to head further south to the bustling city of Ho Chi Minh by domestic flight. When you land you’ll be taken to your hotel by a local driver. Scoot through Saigon on a vintage Vespa, searching for hidden street food hotspots. Zip through the backstreets after dark, sample the best traditional snacks in the city and listen to live music as you sip on Vietnamese coffee. It’s a night tour and foodie adventure rolled into one. After all, Ho Chi Minh is a city that comes alive as night falls. You’ll stay in a comfy hotel near the central market. At the end of your foodie adventure, you will make your own way to the airport for your international flight home.
