Vietnam Culinary Discovery

Vietnamese cuisine was once little-known in the West, but today the secret is out…and an array of enticing gastronomic delights are here to be discovered like they can only be when prepared by the chefs that have been creating them for generations with spices, herbs and other fresh ingredients only available here.

Travelling from Hanoi to Saigon, the Vietnam Culinary Discovery is the ideal journey for travellers keen to see the country’s highlights whilst satisfying their longing to learn about the Vietnamese cooking tradition in a little more depth. Visit markets to learn about the fresh ingredients that flavour local delicacies, enjoy fun cooking classes and dine on lavish meals at some of the country’s best restaurants. 

Throughout this journey we stay in Vietnam’s finest hotel properties. These include Hanoi’s grand, colonial-era Sofitel Metropole and the historic Caravelle, Saigon’s five-star historic luxury property. This trip has been designed to ensure a perfect balance for connoisseurs of travel and fine food.
 
We experience our first taste of Vietnam – and her delicious cuisine – in Hanoi. Hanoi is a cosmopolitan city which boasts a thriving café and restaurant culture, from the noisy footpath food stalls that serve up some of the best pho (noodle soup) and bun cha (chargrilled pork served with noodles) to the upmarket restaurants that dot the French Quarter and beyond, we will explore the entire spectrum of Hanoi’s taste sensations.

With a thousand years of continuous settlement, Hanoi is Vietnam’s oldest city. We’ll explore the colourful Old Quarter, with its maze of ancient trade streets, as well as spend time in the Ho Chi Minh Quarter so we can pay homage to the man known reverently by the locals as ‘Uncle Ho’. We will also spend time cruising among the mysterious karst limestone islands of Halong Bay, and enjoy a feast of fresh seafood while on board our private boat (and perhaps a refreshing dip in the azure waters, if weather permits). We attend a hands-on cooking school at our hotel – the colonial-era Sofitel Metropole, and gain a further insight into the incredible cuisine of Vietnam. At the end of a day of exploration, the Sofitel’s Le Club Bar is the perfect place to relax and unwind while sipping on a delicious Graham Greene cocktail. The author of the Quiet American stayed at the Sofitel Metropole in 1951 during his first visit to Hanoi as a war correspondent for Paris Match magazine and was often seen relaxing in the Le Club Bar jotting furiously into his notebook.

Next, be sure you try cha ca – a tasty fish dish served with noodles, roasted peanuts, nuoc mam (fish sauce) and dill. Cha ca has been a staple of the locals for centuries. The best part about this dish is you get to prepare it yourself from a sizzling hot sizzle set onto your table!

From Hanoi we travel south to Hue, the former royal capital of the country. Hue boasts over 2,000 local specialties – a legacy of Emperor Tu Duc, who demanded that at least 50 different dishes to be served at every meal! While in Hue we will sample some of these local specialties (we can’t promise to cover all 2,000 but we’ll try!) and, of course, attempt to uncover some of Hue’s intriguing history with visits to sites such as the Citadel and the tombs of two of the dynasty’s former emperors.
Hoi An is a perennial favourite for travellers to Vietnam, and it is also home to some of the country’s most delicious regional delicacies. A major trading port during the 16th and 17th centuries, Hoi An wears its many foreign influences on its sleeve. Our base here is the tranquil Life Resort, located on the river and walking distance from the town’s ancient alleyways, tailor shops, markets, temples, art galleries, restaurants and bars. Local architecture fuses Chinese, French, Japanese and Chinese styles, and the food is equally as exotic. Hoanh thanh, or white rose, a dish of delicate wontons filled with shrimp and garlic and drizzled with fish sauce, is a popular Hoi An specialty. Another is cao lau, thick noodles mixed with bean sprouts, mint and thinly sliced roast pork, sprinkled with rice-paper croutons. There are plenty more, and while in Hoi An we’ll enjoy a fun demonstration on how to make some, and sample the results!

Vietnam’s long coastline means that throughout the country seafood is fresh and abundant. Hoi An is no different, and a visit to the lively Hoi An fish market in the early hours of the morning is a must! From daybreak, iconic red and blue fishing boats pull up to the dock to unload the fish caught the previous night. For the next few hours the dock takes on a frenzied atmosphere as locals descend on the market and the freshest fish is haggled for at the best price. The resulting caterwaul is almost deafening. And the smell! We are likely to be the only non-locals in the sea of conical hats, and this unique experience is a must for keen photographers.

Our final stop is Vietnam’s biggest and most exciting destination, Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). We will explore the Saigon’s most famous sites, like Dong Khoi Street (known as Rue Catinat during Graham Greene’s time), Notre Dame Cathedral and the Hotel de Ville on a walking tour, as these (and more) are all just steps away from our fantastic hotel, the Caravelle. We also visit the Reunification Palace, the nearby Mekong Delta, and Binh Tay Market in Cholon (Chinatown), the nation’s largest wholesale market and home to every kind of produce imaginable – from tropical fruits to a startling array of green vegetables, pickles, seafood, fresh meat and tofu. Vietnamese cuisine is all about using the freshest ingredients available – supermarkets are a relatively new development in Vietnam and most Vietnamese still prefer to shop at the local markets. We will see all this and more on a visit to Cholon.

We will, of course, also sample some of Saigon’s best cuisine. With the fertile Mekong Delta and the South China Sea so close, Saigon chefs are spoilt for choice when it comes to ingredients. And the Saigonese love their food – barbecued seafood, hotpots and more await us, as do southern takes on northern staples, such as pho. There will be plenty of time to sample some of the city’s culinary delights, as well as learn more about southern cuisine, in an educational and entertaining cooking class. In a half-day lesson we will be guided through the preparation of a number of dishes; perhaps today we will learn how to make our own spring rolls, claypot pork and sour clam soup…and be able to try them all at the end! We will also enjoy exotic delights at some of Saigon’s finest and most exquisite restaurants.

Only a visit to Vietnam can truly reveal the country’s cooking tradition in all its diversity. On our Vietnam Culinary Discovery we also experience first-hand the fascinating history, charming people and stunning landscapes of Vietnam. For those in a pinch when it comes to time, we also offer a 7-day Taste of Vietnam journey that explores the food and features of Hanoi and Saigon, paying special attention to the country’s culinary delights.

Click here to find out more about our Vietnam Culinary Discovery Small Group Journey.