Trip overview
This is a full north-to-south crossing of Vietnam with food as the throughline rather than an afterthought. Three separate hands-on cooking sessions anchor the route — a farmhouse class at a [Ky Son](destinations/vietnam) homestay, a Red Bridge class in [Hoi An](destinations/hoi-an), and a home-hosted dinner in Hue — alongside street-market walks in Hanoi and a scooter food tour through Saigon after dark.
Beyond the kitchen, the itinerary still covers the country's headline stops: the Old Quarter and Temple of Literature in Hanoi, a night aboard a junk in [Halong Bay](destinations/ha-long-bay), the Imperial Citadel in Hue, the Cu Chi tunnels, and a full day on the [Mekong Delta's](destinations/mekong-delta) canals near the end.
At twelve days, it suits travellers who want depth over speed — enough time in each place to sit down at a family table, not just photograph the market stalls.
Highlights
- A late-afternoon Hanoi street-food walk through Hom market, ending at the Bun Cha spot once visited by a sitting US president
- A cooking class and herbal steam bath at a farmstay in Ky Son village
- A night aboard a junk cruising Halong Bay's limestone islets
- Dinner cooked alongside a local family in Hue, served with the region's own specialities
- A hands-on session behind the stove at the Red Bridge school near Hoi An
- A Vespa-led food crawl through Saigon after dark, from a riverside café to a live-music bar
- A day of canal boats, handicraft villages and a farmhouse lunch in the Mekong Delta
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Day by day
Day 1 — Arrival in Hanoi
Land in Hanoi, where a guide meets you in the arrivals hall for the roughly 45-minute transfer into the city. There is no sightseeing built into today; settle in and rest after the flight.
Meals: none included.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 2 — Hanoi: monuments by day, street food by night
A full day in the capital starts at the grounds outside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, then continues to his teak stilt residence and the adjoining One Pillar Pagoda, before ending at the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university and a centre of Confucian learning for centuries.
Around 4pm, the pace shifts to food: a walk through Hom market for a taste of tamarind candy and dried apricot slices, then a stop for Banh Cuon steamed rice rolls made by a well-known local cook, and a plate of Bun Cha at the spot a sitting US president once ate during a 2016 visit. The evening winds down at Ta Hien's beer corner, where locals and travellers share plastic stools over cheap draught beer.
Meals: breakfast, lunch.
Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 3 — Ky Son village: cooking class and a farmstay
Around 8am, transfer out to a homestay in Ky Son village, arriving by mid-morning to a welcome cup of local green tea. Free time to explore the homestay grounds and village — including its market and kindergarten — runs into a hands-on cooking class, followed by the lunch you helped prepare.
After lunch, a lime-scented hand soak and herbal massage lead into free time with the host family: local snacks, conversation about daily life, even a Vietnamese phrase or two if you are curious. By mid-afternoon, choose a bicycle loop — a shorter six-kilometre ride or a longer twelve-kilometre round trip — past the farming hamlets of Ky Son, Tam Son, Van Minh and the local Cham community; the longer route also passes Duong Lam ancient village, Mia Pagoda and the Mong Phu communal house.
Back at the homestay by evening, a happy hour with seasonal snacks leads into a traditional herbal steam bath, a quiet moment observing evening Buddhist worship, dinner, and a warm ginger-and-herb foot soak before bed.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner.
Overnight at the Ky Son homestay.
Day 4 — Ky Son to Halong Bay: overnight on a junk
An early qigong-style exercise session opens the day, followed by breakfast around 7:30am. Free time follows — a hammock in the garden, photos in traditional dress, one last look around the village — before checking out and driving through rice paddy scenery toward the coast.
Climb aboard a wooden junk that threads out among Halong Bay's limestone islets, with lunch served as the boat cruises between the karsts. Activities in the afternoon vary by cruise and weather, and the boat drops anchor for the night out on the water.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight aboard the cruise in Halong Bay.
Day 5 — Halong Bay to Hue
A short tai chi session on the sundeck opens the morning, with coffee, tea and pastries laid out as the boat cruises back toward the pier. A full breakfast follows in the dining room as you approach the dock.
From the pier, head out to Noi Bai for the short flight to Hue, then settle into your hotel once you land.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight in Hue.
Day 6 — Hue: Perfume River, the Citadel and a family dinner
Morning starts on the water: a boat ride along the Perfume River to Thien Mu Pagoda, followed by a drive out to Emperor Tu Duc's mausoleum, set among pine-shaded gardens and lakes.
In the afternoon, walk the grounds of the Imperial Citadel, home to a scatter of former palaces, halls, libraries and residences from the Nguyen dynasty.
The evening turns personal: dinner at a local family's home, where you help with parts of the cooking while the hosts talk about their household and neighbourhood over Hue's own regional dishes, before a transfer back to the hotel.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Overnight in Hue.
Day 7 — Hue to Hoi An via Da Nang
After breakfast, the drive south follows the coast and mountain passes, with a stop at the small fishing settlement of Lang Co beach along the way.
A further stop in Da Nang takes in the Museum of Cham Sculpture, home to the world's largest collection of Cham artefacts, before continuing on into Hoi An, leaving the rest of the afternoon open for exploring on your own.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 8 — Hoi An: cooking class and the old quarter
Morning belongs to a hands-on session with a local chef at Red Bridge, finishing with a shared meal of everything the group just cooked.
In the afternoon, walk the old quarter's core: a market humming along the river, an old merchant residence, and the Phuc Kien Assembly Hall, finished at the centuries-old Japanese Covered Bridge.
Meals: breakfast, dinner.
Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 9 — Fly to Ho Chi Minh City: a scooter food tour after dark
A morning run gets you to Da Nang in time for the flight south to Ho Chi Minh City; once you have checked in, the afternoon is left open.
As evening falls, join a Vespa-led food tour through the city: drinks at a scooter-themed riverside café, stops at two local restaurants for seafood and Vietnamese pancakes, a loop past the city's lit-up landmarks, and a wind-down at a live-music café and bar where the food, drinks and rides run all night.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 10 — Cu Chi Tunnels, then an afternoon loop of Saigon
Morning is spent inside the Cu Chi tunnel network, the hand-dug system that sheltered guerrilla fighters for years during the war.
Back in the city, the afternoon runs through a short loop of three photogenic exteriors — Notre Dame Cathedral, the old Central Post Office, and the Reunification Palace — before a stroll through Chinatown's market streets and a stop at Thien Hau Temple.
Meals: breakfast.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 11 — Mekong Delta: canals, crafts and a farmhouse lunch
A full day out to the Mekong Delta starts with a boat along the Cai Be River, stopping at workshops that turn rice into paper, coconut into candy and puffed grain into snacks — a chance to see rice-paper netting, fish sauce and soy sauce production, and coconut-leaf roofing made by hand.
Smaller rowing boats then push deeper into the canals, past traditional wood-and-palm houses and farmers going about the day's work. Lunch is served at a family home known locally as Ut Trinh's, followed by fruit tasting to a soundtrack of traditional music, and a short bike ride past village farms.
The day's boat trip ends at Vinh Long, where your driver is waiting for the return drive to Ho Chi Minh City.
Meals: breakfast, lunch.
Overnight in Ho Chi Minh City.
Day 12 — Departure
The last hours are yours until a driver collects you for the run out to Tan Son Nhat and the flight home.
Meals: breakfast.
What's included
- A 24-hour helpline for the length of the trip
- Hotel stays with daily breakfast, twin or double sharing
- A similar-grade hotel offered if your listed property is fully booked
- Private, air-conditioned transport for every transfer and excursion on the route
- An English-speaking guide throughout
- Entrance fees for every stop named in the day-by-day
- Two bottles of drinking water per person, per day
- International and domestic flights
- Early check-in or late check-out at any hotel
- Travel insurance and personal spending
- A surcharge that applies during peak dates or public holidays
- Meals and drinks beyond those listed in the day-by-day
- Visa costs where applicable
- Tips for your guide and driver
Good to know
- Three cooking classes are built in — at the Ky Son homestay, the Red Bridge school in Hoi An, and a home-hosted dinner in Hue — so arrive hungry and without fixed ideas about what you will eat.
- Tell us about allergies or dietary needs before departure; the homestay and family-hosted meals are cooked to order and easier to adjust with notice.
- October to April is the driest run for this route, which matters most for the Halong Bay cruise and the Ky Son bike ride.
- The Cu Chi tunnels section on day ten involves stooping and a short crawl; it can be skipped in favour of the above-ground exhibits.
- Comfortable walking shoes earn their keep on the Hoi An old quarter and Hue Citadel days, and again on the Mekong Delta's uneven canal paths.
Curious about the food itself before you go? Our [Vietnamese food guide](travel-guide/vietnamese-food-guide) and [coffee culture piece](travel-guide/vietnamese-coffee) cover the basics.
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