About this trip
This 12-day trip moves through Vietnam with food as the throughline, from Hanoi's street stalls to Ho Chi Minh City's markets, with cooking classes and market visits woven in throughout rather than tacked on.
You'll start in Hanoi, learning the city through its food culture — alleys, market stalls, and dishes like Cha Ca, Bun Cha, and Pho with a local guide pointing you to the right places. From there it's on to Ha Long Bay for a cruise, then Hoi An for noodle dishes and street snacks specific to the town, before ending in Ho Chi Minh City.
It's a mix of sightseeing and eating, with hands-on cooking classes giving you a way into the food rather than just watching from the outside.
What you'll do
- Explore Hanoi's food alleys and markets with a local expert
- Try Cha Ca, Bun Cha, and Pho at recommended local spots
- Cruise Ha Long Bay with meals included
- Take a hands-on Vietnamese cooking class
- Sample Cao Lau, Banh Can, and white rose dumplings in Hoi An
- Visit the Cu Chi Tunnels and try a dine-in-the-dark experience in Ho Chi Minh City
- Food is the organising thread of this trip — expect markets, street food stops, and cooking classes at nearly every stage
- Covers three distinct regions (Hanoi, Hoi An, Ho Chi Minh City) so there's some travel between bases
Worth it if you're a serious food lover wanting hands-on cooking classes and regional cuisine variety. Think twice if you need a faster-paced itinerary or prefer less structured group dining.
- Cooking classes with professional chefs in Hanoi and Hoi An were standout moments; teachers were clear, funny, and culturally informative.
- Tour facilitator Heyun provided seamless support from booking through to end, with frequent check-ins and genuine care for the experience.
- Vespa foodie tours and street food experiences paired with elegant cruise dinners gave genuine cultural depth, not surface-level tourism.
- Itinerary is deliberately unhurried and well-organized; suits those wanting space to absorb each region rather than a rushed schedule.
Distilled from real traveller reviews on TourRadar — we don't edit out the bad bits.
The same-vibe trips, side by side — price, value per day, and how each is moving. Only we can lay two operators' trips out honestly.
Sorted by fit — never by who paid. Price moves and availability come from our own daily tracking.
Getting there
Opens Trip.com, pre-filled — one-way so you can book your return whenever. Prices & booking shown there.
Where to stay
A night before your tour in Hanoi · 20 Jul – 21 Jul
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