Taste It Adventure Tour VietnamEscorted by Native Australian Food Expert and Slow Food Australia Terra Madre Italy 2010 representative, Chef Peter Wolfe Maggie's NoteOur Vietnam Taste Tour - "The recipe is so simple: We've combined a very passionate and talented Australian chef, who has a love of Vietnamese food, with our very food savvy Vietnamese tour guide and Voila! ...this is the best food tour imaginable!" Lots and lots of fun and learning while we shop in the fresh food markets, choose the best ingredients, taste the extraordinary and learn fabulous cooking techniques to bring home into your Australian kitchen. ItineraryDay 1 HanoiAfter arriving in Hanoi you will be transferred to your hotel in the full of life, Old French Quarter. Relax before exploring the bustling city streets of Hanoi while sampling food from street vendors with Chef Peter Wolfe. Peter will help us make sense of both the aromatic and pungent smells emanating from huge bubbling boilers and clay pots placed precariously above fiery coals, as we weave along the crowded foot paths taking in the noises and delicious tastes and smells of Hanoi. For those who have arrived by late afternoon, we will join our tour guide to familiarise ourselves with the energetic hub of the Old French Quarter as we take a Cyclo Tour taking in the sights and smells of Hanoi city life. This evening we will become acquainted with our fellow travellers, while enjoying a sumptuous traditional Vietnamese meal. Our Vietnamese guide will expertly explain the traditional tastes of the local people and how each traditional dish compliments each other. Feel free to ask Peter or your guide about any of the exciting adventures that lay ahead in your Vietnam Taste It Tour.
Day 2 HanoiOur Bizarre Food Tour with Peter is an experience not to be missed. Today is the day you are introduced to the incredible diversity of dining options available in Vietnam. We are up early to visit the Hang Be Hom Market, where we see the locals busily buying fresh local produce and prized delicacies. Are you brave enough to try gecko or would you rather just watch your fellow travellers and Peter do the eating for you? What an amazing and intriguing take home story about your culinary adventures. Today will also be a day filled with lots of laughs for the most serious of us gourmet enthusiasts. We also choose our ingredients to cook up some wonderful Vietnamese flavours in a cooking class where you will learn some of the secret techniques of preparing traditional Vietnamese Food. Roll up the sleeves and be ready to chop fragrant fresh herbs, pork and seafood. Taste your cooking creations over lunch as well as other fabulous local dishes. This afternoon is flexible for you to explore further the Old French Quarter and take advantage of the excellent shopping.
Day 3 Hanoi - Halong BayYou will be picked up early from your hotel to begin your tour of the well known World Heritage listed site of Halong Bay. Journey through picturesque Vietnamese countryside and villages and view the rural people toiling in rice paddies and working their land. On arrival you will board a Traditional Junk and begin your cruise. Before you realize it, you will begin to unwind and relax while taking in the breathtaking beauty of Halong Bay. After a sumptuous Vietnamese lunch you can spend some time swimming in secluded waters and kayaking on Halong Bay. Visit Cua Van fishing village where the locals work and live off little boats and rafts. Discover the traditional culture and customs of the fishermen. We then continue cruising to Drum Cave (Hang Trong) to dock. Relax over a cool evening drink while you take in the magical experience of the sun setting behind the majestic limestone islets as darkness descends silently.
Day 4 Halong Bay - HanoiThis morning you might like to rise early to view the amazing sun rise and once again and take in all the natural and peaceful beauty that Halong Bay exudes. We stop to explore the magnificent Sung Sot Cave where we stop to explore these magnificent limestone caves and visit a nearby floating fishing village, pass Dinh Huong Island, Ga Choi Island, Dog Island and Sail Island. Enjoy brunch at your leisure as we continue sailing these beautiful tranquil waters as we cruise back to the busy harbour before returning at midday for the small coach transfer back to Hanoi. Tonight you will experience Vietnamese Restaurant chic as we eat dinner at a well known fine dining restaurant, popular with locals. The difference in decor and service are vast, but what about the food? There's sure to be many avid opinions on this topic!!
Day 5 Hanoi - HueThis morning we take a mid morning flight from Hanoi to Hue, a fascinating Vietnamese historical city, with culinary tastes that will delight. Chef Peter will take pleasure in helping you appreciate the unique culinary tastes of this beautiful region of Vietnam. On arrival, settle in and relax at your hotel and a little later our Tour Guide will take you on a walking tour to explore the cobbled stone streets of this charming city. We leisurely stroll along the Perfume River and observe the lush greenery of beautiful parks dotted throughout Hue. As you wander along, our tour guide will explain how this scenic city has avoided the bustling frenzy of other Vietnamese cities and has retained a unique cultural identity, being once the Ancient Capital of Vietnam. Tonight look forward to a wonderful dining experience that is both exciting and different. Once again we'll taste, talk, eat, compare, laugh and have fun. This experience is an indulgence in itself - eating fine Vietnamese fare, while being entertained by imperial musicians who have mastered the art of ancient traditional Vietnamese instruments.
Day 6 HueBe inspired to participate in yet another culinary adventure with a hands-on cooking class at Tinh Gia Vien Cooking. We start our day at 8.00am with a drink at Tinh Gia Vien Garden Restaurant and then set out to Hue's Colourful morning "Wet Markets" where you can see the enormous pots of stock boiling for the pho, rice crepes being steamed and spring rolls being made. As you drink some of the best coffee in the world the porters bustle around you with barrows and bikes laden with fresh fruits and vegetables while the ladies sit alongside the river cleaning and serving the live fish. Here we have the opportunity to interact with the local vendors and purchase the ingredients to be used in our cooking school later. Returning to the restaurant, we explore and learn about some of Hue's Imperial as well as Vietnamese Hue speciality dishes. The cooking lesson runs for about 2 hours - each dish is first demonstrated by the Tinh Gia Vien chef's, before we prepare the same dish ourselves. Included in the class is a brief introduction to Vietnamese food carving (plate decoration). After your hands on cooking school you will sit down and enjoy your wonderful culinary creations for lunch. In the afternoon we will visit the Ancient Imperial Citadel. Here we see the magnificent Imperial Architecture of Hue as our tour guide explains the political intrigue, religious worship and cultural innovation of this beautiful city. Visit the Forbidden Purple City and the stunning Dien Tho Residence as you are engaged in the fascinating history of the many emperors who ruled the elaborate dynasties of Ancient Vietnam.
Day 7 Hue - Hoi AnThis morning we take a private bus travelling approximately 3 hours through the countryside, to the quaint, ancient shopping town of Hoi An. We stop for lunch at beautiful Lang Co beach. Settle into your hotel and then browse the tailor shops to have some clothes fitted and made especially for you. Walk along the narrow winding streets where shoes, gold, pearls, silk, art and crafts are for sale at fabulous prices.
Day 8 Hoi AnWhat a unique culinary experience you will have today! We start the day with a tour of the early morning local markets the cuisine of Hoi An boasts many local specialties that we will taste and savour at every opportunity. Here at the markets you'll have the opportunity to split into small groups and venture out to buy the necessary utensils and ingredients to cook a delicious Vietnamese meal at our Hanoi cooking school. This will be a fun morning where you can bargain with the locals, overcoming communication hurdles and choosing some interesting ingredients that will make for interesting cooking for us all a little later on. We may even spice things up a bit and judge which group is the most innovative group in their buying and cooking selections. We'll then throw ourselves into cooking some of our freshly selected ingredients to be enjoyed by us all over a lunch of laughter and fun.
Day 9This morning our tour guide will take us on a Hoi An Walking Tour where the secrets of the fascinating history behind this old merchant shipping town will unfold. Hoi An has over the centuries developed a rich fusion of many cultures around the world, including Japanese, Chinese, European and Vietnamese. The Hoi An Walking Tour is a great experience. As we leisurely walk along with our tour guide you can get a real feel the special atmosphere of Hoi An. We explore the intricate history of this merchant village as we see the many historical sites some of which are the Japanese Bridge, Chinese Temple and 200 Year old Tam Ky Ancestral House. We'll finish our walking tour up in an area of Hoi An where we can see the silk making process as well as mat weaving, lantern making, silk painting, lacquer ware and embroidery. The afternoon is free for you to enjoy at your own leisure or tag along with Peter for a relaxing boat ride on the river.
Day 10This morning we'll check out of our hotel and make our way to Danang Airport for our flight to Ho Chi Minh City. On arrival in Ho Chi Minh City you are transferred to your hotel for a short rest. We then set out on foot to take in some of the wonder of this incredibly busy, full of life city with Peter and our Tour guide. Starting in District 1 where we are staying, we explore the streets nearby and venture into the old Saigon District taking in the bustle of city life. Motorcycles, heavily laden with bounties of everything imaginable; straw, fruit, kitchen sinks and more, weave endlessly amongst trucks and the Vietnamese people crossing the streets. All your senses become stirred as you are drawn into this fascinating hub that is rapidly blending the oldest of traditions with a yearning for the new.
Day 11This morning we take a Saigon City Tour which includes a visit to the famous Ben Thanh Markets and Chinatown in the Cholon District where you can capture the frenetic cluster of the ethnic Chinese people and a beehive of stores where you can taste and see many herbs spices and foods of this very interesting district in Saigon. Our tour concludes with a visit to the well known Notre Dame Cathedral, Old Saigon Post Office, Continental Hotel and War Remnants Museum. This afternoon is flexible for you to explore Saigon and make the most of all it has to offer.
Day 12This morning feel free to spend your time taking advantage of any last minute shopping at the bustling Ben Thanh Markets or stop to devour for one last time your favourite French pastry or Vietnamese delicacy. After checking out of your hotel you will be transferred to the airport by private vehicle, for your onward journey or flight home.
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