10-Day Vietnam Foodie Adventure Tour from Ho Chi Minh City: Mekong Delta, Hoi An, Hanoi and Halong Bay | Meals Mentioned Included

Your trip begins with your arrival in Vietnam. Your private driver will meet and greet you at the airport. You will be escorted to the hotel by private transportation. Check in to the hotel and get over the jet lag. You can explore the city on your own or just relax at the hotel.

Meet your guide around 9:00 am, and head to Nguyen Thien Thuat Backstreet, one of the liveliest places in the city. You will walk through one of the typical streets with constructions dating back to the 1960s. Along the street are many Vietnamese guitar makers’ stores and many interesting eateries. Admire the mass residential apartment buildings on the back street, that give you an idea of how busy Saigon is. End your walk at Ban Co market, where you will taste Vietnamese beautiful “chè” (desserts made of beans, sticky rice, and coconut milk).

Now you will explore Districts 10 and 5 and see more typical residential apartment buildings. Again, you will witness Saigon's unique lifestyles on the streets with shops, street food stands, and rickshaws passing by, while your guide introduces to you interesting facts of life in Ho Chi Minh City.

Then we will head to Chinatown and walk along Hai Thuong Lan Ong & Trieu Quang Phuc streets, which are known as traditional Chinese medicine streets. This area has various traditional clinics and medicine herb stores. Walk along the streets, you can smell the herbs and watch the shop owners do their business. Visit Thien Hau Temple (a temple where Chinese people worship Heavenly Queen - an important god in their culture). Later we will take you to the local restaurant to enjoy delicious Vietnamese meals for lunch before heading back to your hotel.

Have breakfast at the hotel and get ready, our team will pick you up around 7:20 and you will depart to My Tho, the picturesque town on the left side of the Mekong River.

Upon arrival in My Tho, you will board the sampan and cruise down the Mekong River around beautiful river islands. Have a stop at Unicorn Island to walk around the country lanes and visit orchards, where you will taste the fresh tropical fruits and enjoy Vietnamese folk music performances.

Get back on the boat and cruise through the Thoi Son enjoying the beautiful views of the quiet countryside. Have a stop on the way to visit the honey-bee farm and coconut candy workshop, where you can enjoy the honey tea with candies. Have lunch at a local restaurant and enjoy some rest. In the afternoon, join the cycling trip around Tan Thach village, and meet the local farmers to know more about daily life in the Mekong Delta. If you do not want to cycle, you can relax in the hammock.

You will be transferred from My Thow back to Ho Chi Minh. The approximate arrival time is 17:30.

Enjoy your free time in Ho Chi Minh, until your private driver will pick you up and transfer you to the airport, where you take a flight to Da Nang. Upon arrival in Da Nang, we will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in Hoi An. The rest of the day is at your leisure. (Please note, the flight is not included in the package, you need to arrange it on your own, the recommended flight time is between 12:00-14:00.)

Today you will explore the famous food scene of Hoi An tasting the most delicious local street food. Our team will meet you around 5:00 pm at your hotel, and we will head to the local bakery that has been making the tastiest banh mi in town for over 20 years. Later we will visit a small eatery, taking a seat on the ubiquitous small plastic chairs and sampling tasty BBQ pork rolled with rice paper and fresh herbs. Served with typical soya dipping sauce, this dish is an absolute must-devour. Continue walking to the central market, where hundreds of street hawkers and food stalls with a staggering array of local produce are waiting for you. Your guide will take you to a colorful array of the most popular dishes in Hoi An and to taste and will explain to you the significance of these foods to the traditional culture of central Vietnam.

Enjoy your free time in Hoi An, until your private driver will pick you up and transfer you to the Da Nang Airport, where you take a flight to Hanoi. Upon arrival in Hanoi, we will meet you and transfer you to your hotel in the Old Quarter. The rest of the day is at your leisure. (Please note, the flight is not included in the package, you need to arrange it on your own, the recommended flight time is between 12:00-14:00.)

Today we will take you around charming Hanoi to see the beauty of this city and visit the best street food places. Meet the guide around 17:45 at your hotel. Your guide will introduce the itinerary for this evening and drive you around the famous Old Quarter stopping to taste the delicious street food.

Cross over Ho Chi Minh Complex for sightseeing with overstepping by the side of the west lake to enjoy street food and drink.

Ride past the iconic Long Bien Bridge and take beautiful photos there. Continue riding around the Old Quarter of Hanoi and seeing the Opera House, Metropole Legend Hotel, Hoan Kiem Lake, and St. Joseph Cathedral. Then stop at the local coffee shop to enjoy local life & drink.

In the morning, check out from the hotel and get pick-up by the Cruise. Take a route most scenic to reach Halong Bay, taking you across the Red River Delta with emerald green rice paddies stretching for as far as the eyes can see.

On arrival at Halong, you get to enjoy a cruise on the Bay to better explore the limestone rocks and the karst grottoes. After you are done with your exploration of the bay, it is time to enjoy an utterly delicious seafood lunch, after which a trip to the famous limestone cave in Halong Bay, you’ll get to spend some time here, kayaking or swimming, so that you can get closer to the floating villages and shops. Towards the evening, you will return to the boat for an early dinner, followed by some time at leisure. You can opt to attend the activities take part in the boat or relax for the day.

Overnight on cruise.

Rise early for a lesson in Tai Chi or just to enjoy a hearty breakfast. The boat will make its way back to the port stopping at the Limestone Cave, full of stalagmites and stalactites. From here, it’s clear sailing back to the main harbor.  From the harbor, you will be transferred back to Hanoi.

Relish a healthy breakfast on the final day of your trip. Complete the hotel check-out formalities after which you can visit the local markets and buy souvenirs for your loved ones. Later, proceed for departure and board your flight back home. Trip Ends.