Cooking Class Tour 11 days

Highlights: More than the excellence of a cooking tour. Take part in cuisine classes in all three regions of Vietnam with  different ways, different teachers and different tastes. Besides, you'll be able to grasp the spectacular settings of deserved visiting spots including resplendent Ha Long Bay, majestic Hue city, picturesque Marble Mountain, remarkable Cham Museum and charming Hoi An. The tour is a perfect combination of scenery exploring and culture understanding.

Details Itinerary 

Code: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, G = Guide  

Day 1: Arrival at Hanoi (D, G)

Arriving at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi, you'll be met and driven to your hotel.
17.15: You'll be picked up to watch the Water Puppet show an art form unique to northern Vietnam, and a good, light-hearted introduction to its rural culture.

18.30: Your Welcome Dinner will be served at one of the best local restaurant.

You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 2: Hanoi (B, L, G in class)

In the morning, you'll be picked up from your hotel to the restaurant where you'll learn cooking Vietnamese cuisine. You'll have chance to buy or bargain as a local people in the market. When you come back the restaurant, Vietnamese teacher will prepare and help you to cook your lunch. The rest day will be free in the bustling Old Quarter. You'll spend the night in Hanoi.

Day 3: Hanoi/Ha Long (B, L, D, G)

8.30: You'll leave for Ha Long Bay, one of the most spectacular UNESCO World Heritage Areas and the world's largest marine limestone "karst" landscape.

10.00: You'll take a short break at Hong Ngoc Embroidery workshop.

10.30 - 12.00: You'll continue driving to Ha Long Bay.

12.00: You'll board your boat, a wooden junk built from the model of the old Vietnamese court vessels. It will take you first to the World Heritage area where you'll visit Amazing Cave and a famous beach in Ha Long Bay. You'll be able to swim, fish, climb a hill for an overview of the Bay's remarkable seascape. All your meals will be provided on board, usually based on fresh seafood.

You'll spend the night on the boat.

If you don't like seafood during this trip, please let us know what you like so we can arrange for you.

Day 4: Ha Long/Hanoi (B, L, G)

7.30: You'll have western breakfast on boat.

8.00 - 8.30: You'll venture into some of the sea level caves in a small sampan.

8.30 - 11.45: You'll spend the morning cruising Ha Long Bay, followed by lunch just before docking to the harbour.

11.45 - 15.00: You'll drive back to Hanoi for your overnight accommodation.

Day 5: Hanoi/Hue (B, G)

Your time will be your own until you'll escorted to Noi Bai airport for your flight to Hue. On arrival, you'll check in your hotel in the city centre and have a Hue city tour in the afternoon.

14.30 - 16.30: You'll be picked up to visit Imperial Citadel, once the seat of the Emperors of the powerful Nguyen Dynasty that ruled Vietnam from 1802 to 1945.

16.30 - 17.30: You'll visit the bustling Dong Ba market, which is one of the most famous markets in the Centre areas.

You'll spend the night in Hue.

Day 6: Hue (B, L, D, G in class)

In the morning, you'll visit one of city's "garden houses" in Hue. You'll then learn to cook some traditional typical food in Hue, you'll also prepare for your dinner. By the time you finish your cooking is the time to sit down for dinner in the pleasant surroundings and a comfortable atmosphere of another of the garden houses. You'll spend the night in Hue.

Day 7: Hue/Danang/Hoi An (B, L, G)

7.30 - 8.30: Breakfast at your hotel, you'll then be picked up to travel to Hoi An.

8.30 - 12.00: You'll drive to Lang Co Beach and the lagoon far below. You'll then cross the high mountain pass of Hai Van with excellent view to see Danang spread out.

12.00 - 14.00: You'll have lunch at local restaurant and have a brief to visit Cham Museum, a remarkable Hindu statuary.

14.00 - 15.45: Driver and guide will take you to visit Marble Mountain, Stone Carving village where you can admire the stone products of local people.

15.45 - 17.30: You'll continue driving to Hoi An and have a time to visit  Hoi An Town, and enjoy its considerable significance in the history of Vietnamtown.

You'll spend the night in Hoi An.

Day 8: Hoi An Cooking (B, L, G in class)

In the morning, you'll cycle to the local market to buy material to prepare for your lunch. You'll then come back the restaurant to learn and cook traditional food in Hoi An. The rest day will be free to relax on the beach or in the Old Quarter as you wish. Your overnight stay will be in Hoi An.

Day 9: Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City (B, G)

You'll be free and then be picked up to Danang airport for your flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On your arrival at the Tan Son Nhat airport, you'll be driven to your hotel. You�ll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City Cooking Class (B, L, G in class)

You'll join a cooking class in the morning held at Ho Chi Minh City's Cookery Centre. You'll learn how to cook five traditional Vietnamese dishes representative of the all three regions in Vietnam:

09:30 - 10:00: chat over a pot of Vietnamese tea

10:00 - 11:00: making green papaya salad and cooking Vietnamese spring rolls 

11:00 - 11:20: relax and enjoy the first two dishes

11:20 - 12:10: cooking the three main course dishes

12:10 - 12:30: lunch!

12:30: awarding of certificates of competence and souvenir gifts

The rest day will be free. You'll spend the night in Ho Chi Minh City.

Day 11: Ho Chi Minh City departure (B, G)

Your time will be your own until your private car and driver arrives to take you to Tan Son Nhat airport for your departure flight.

Prices per person in US$:

Valid until December 31, 2011

Surcharge for peak season of hotels are not inclusive in the prices above.

Prices include:

• Breakfast and accommodation in twin or double room.

• All pick up and transfer.

• Travel by private, air-conditioned vehicle with an experienced driver.

• Return domestic flight ticket: Ho Chi Minh City-Danang-Ho Chi Minh City

• Experienced English-speaking tour guide as indicated in the itinerary.

• Entry fees for all sightseeing as mentioned in the programme.

• Lunches and dinners, as specified, in the local restaurants

• Government Taxes.

Price do not include:

• International flight tickets and airport tax.

• Visas.

• Dinners except as specified.

• Drinks, gratuities and personal expenses.

• Insurance.

Hotel list for Five Star standard

• Hanoi: Melia Hotel (***** modern high-rise building in one of Hanoi’s leafy boulevards in the city centre, uninspiring bland architecture, but high-quality facilities, restaurants, and service, ten-minute stroll from the city centre, Deluxe room)
• Hue: Imperial Hotel (***** in the heart of city centre, Deluxe Riverview Room) or similar
• Hoi An: Palm Garden Beach Resort (***** beautiful villa and bungalow style resort on a 5ha site on the northern section of Cua Dai Beach, Deluxe Ocean-view Room)
• Ho Chi Minh City: Renaissance Riverside hotel (*****the city's finest location, Deluxe City-view Room) or similar

Hotel list for Four Star standard

• Hanoi: Silk Path Hotel (**** modern boutique hotel in the old quarter, Deluxe Room) or similar

• Hue: Huong Giang Hotel (**** on the bank of the Perfume River, Deluxe Room) or similar

• Hoi An: Hoi An Trails Resort and Spa (**** beside Cua Dai beach, Deluxe Room) or similar
• Rex Hotel (**** located at the best of downtown Saigon, a luxury hotel heritage dating back to early 20th century, ROH Room) or similar

Hotel list for Three Star standard

• Hanoi: Thang Long Opera hotel (*** city centre, walking distance to Hoan Kiem Lake, Innova Superior) or similar

• Hue: Mondial Hotel (*** city centre with outdoor swimming pool, Superior Room) or similar

• Hoi An: Lotus Hotel (*** with swimming pool, 2km from town centre, Deluxe Room) or similar
• Ho Chi Minh City: Elios Hotel (*** ideally located in the city centre, Superior Room) or similar

Hotel list for Two Star standard

• Hanoi: Nam Hai hotel (*** in the Old Quarter, Standard Room) or similar

• Hue: Canary Hotel (** city centre, Superior Room) or similar 

• Hoi An: Lotus Hotel (*** with swimming pool, 2km from town centre, Superior Room) or similar

• Ho Chi Minh City: Duc Vuong Hotel (** city center, Standard Room) or similar

Creating Unique Touring Experiences with Gia Linh Travel
  All the touring itineraries on this website have been carefully crafted by our in-country management teams and represent a series of experiences we can certainly recommend. However, we understand that every travel experience should be as unique and individual as each traveler. Our consultants are waiting to hear from you so that we can tailor or custom design a tour to your individual specifications.