Culinary Tour of Vietnam 22 March to 2 April 2017

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1 Culinary Tour of Vietnam 22 March to 2 April 2017 Visitors to Vietnam have their sense thrilled by all the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of a society born of over a century of contact between an ancient civilization and the ways of the West. There s nothing quite like grabbing a delicious lunch of local delicacies at a food stall deep inside a market place, surrounded by tropical fruit vendors and legions of curious youngsters. Or sitting by a waterfall in the Central Highlands, sipping a soda with lemon juice and watching new wed couples on their honeymoon tiptoe up to the stream bank in their Sunday finest. Or being invited by a Buddhist monk to attend the prayers at his pagoda conducted, according to ancient Mahayana rites, with chanting, drums and gongs. About Your Host Michelle Darlington is the owner & operator of, a foodies destination store specialising in exclusive kitchenware, cookware & gourmet foods in Berry NSW. Michelle has travelled the world extensively, both professionally as a photographer, and more recently as an obsessed foodie. In 2009, Michelle was a finalist on the first series of Masterchef Australia and with that success came a variety of food related experiences from tours to cooking schools. In 2010 Michelle visited the wonderful world of Vietnam with a small film crew to make a pilot for a cooking show and discovered a land rich in both flavours and generosity. It is Michelle s desire to share that again with you on this amazing 12 day Food Tour from Hanoi to Saigon. Check out her video on You Tube Cooking Below The Line

2 DAY 01- Hanoi Upon arrival at Noibai International airport, meet up with your guide to be transferred to your hotel. Remainder of day at leisure. Evening welcome dinner. Overnight Silk Path Hotel Meals Dinner DAY 02 - Hanoi After breakfast at your hotel, enjoy a half day cooking class which will introduce you to the culture and philosophy of Vietnamese cuisine. In the afternoon, enjoy an optional half day city tour in Hanoi where we will finish at Dong Xuan Market, one of the biggest and oldest markets in Hanoi. Then for dinner, we ll enjoy the street food of Hanoi, including. Banh Cuon, Banh My, sticky rice, Hanoi coffee and special egg- milk coffee, Chả cá Lã Vọng, and Bun Cha. The evening s highlight will be a Water Puppet Performance a unique form of Vietnamese art derived from the wet rice civilization of South East Asia. Overnight Silk Path Hotel Meals Breakfast at hotel /Lunch at Cooking Class / Dinner around Old Quarter with Street food DAY 03- Halong Bay A morning departure from Hanoi where we travel by road through the Red River Delta to beautiful Halong Bay. Upon arrival, board the overnight junk boat, The Victory cruiser, where you will enjoy a welcome drink and a freshly caught seafood lunch whilst sailing out of the bay passing amazing shaped mountains. Later you will visit Sung Sot Cave, then sail on to Titop Beach and mountain. Weather permitting, you may wish to partake in the 400 step climb up the mountain to enjoy a picturesque view of Halong Bay whilst viewing the sunset. Overnight on The Victory Cruiser Meals Breakfast at hotel /Lunch on cruise / Dinner on cruise

3 DAY 04 - Halong Bay/Hanoi Enjoy the early morning view of the bay s landscape from the upper deck. Relax and enjoy the breath- taking beauty of the rocky islands rising from the water of the bay before taking a small boat to visit Hang Luon. You will have free time to swim before sailing back to the harbour. After checkout, we will have an early lunch before driving back to Hanoi. Evening at leisure. Overnight Silk Path Hotel Meals Breakfast/ Brunch on board DAY 05 - Hanoi/ Hoi An Optional Morning tour, or at leisure Meet your tour guide for an early start at around 6am to experience how a busy day in Hanoi starts. Arrive at Hoan Kiem Lake the symbol of Hanoi capital, to watch hundreds of Hanoians practice their morning exercise Tai chi. Feel free to join in the activity. We then proceed to a well known restaurant to enjoy a traditional breakfast of Pho Bat Dan. Remainder of morning at leisure before transferring to the airport Arrival to Danang, with lunch at a local restaurant before transferring to your Hoian hotel. In the afternoon, enjoy a city tour of Hoi and visit to the Assembly Hall, Japanese Covered Bridge Pagoda, Chinese Quarter Ceramic Museum and Chua Ong Temple. This is followed by a guided street food tour in Hoi An Overnight Little Hoian Central Hotel Meals Breakfast at hotel/ Lunch at Aspara Restaurant/ Dinner at Hoi An Street food Flight VN167 HAN DAD Pho Bat Dan Bat Dan Noodle DAY 06 - Hoi An After breakfast, we bicycle to Hoi An s colorful central market. Here you will have the opportunity to interact with the local sellers and learn about the ingredients to be used in the cooking lesson later. Bicycle to Tra Que vegetable village for a welcome drink and walk through the vegetable gardens where local farmers work in their fields, using the traditional methods of hundreds of years - no electrical machinery here. We then arrive at Brother s Café for a cooking lesson with the chef. After the lesson, enjoy what you have cooked.

4 Recipes: Tra Que vegetable salad Tam Huu dish Banh Xeo (Vietnamese Pancake) Hoi An spring rolls In the afternoon, ride back to Hoian for free time to explore Hoi An Town. Overnight Little Hoi An Central Hotel Meals Breakfast/Lunch at Cooking Class/ Dinner at Brother s Café restaurant DAY 07 - Hoi An/Hue After breakfast enjoy a scenic drive along the coastline from Hoi An to Hue, the former capital of Vietnam. We stop at the Marble Mountain to see the five marble and limestone hills, before reaching Hue. You will have some free time at Dong Ba Market before an afternoon cooking class at the home of the grandson- in- law of Princess Ngoc Son,daughter of the King Dong Khanh. Overnight La Residence Meals Breakfast /Lunch at Y Thao Restaurant/Dinner at Phan's Garden House DAY 08 - Saigon After breakfast, free time at leisure until your transfer to the airport. Upon arrival in Saigon, meet your tour guide for the transfer to hotel. The rest of the morning is free time. In the afternoon we'll wander around the backstreets, past bakeries, com tam (broken rice) restaurants and other intriguing local shops. As we walk we'll start collecting snacks from local stalls and wandering vendors. We'll walk through a chaotic local wet market, past dried, pickled and fresh produce, live seafood and a noisy eating area. As we poke around, we'll collect more snacks and some tropical fruit. Then we'll adjourn to the grounds of a nearby temple to eat the food we've collected. After our picnic we'll explore the temple, which is dedicated to an Imperial military leader. You can get your fortune told at the temple using a system of numbered sticks. During the tour we teach you some of the basic necessities that will make your visit to Vietnam enjoyable, including how to cross the road! While it's not physically possible to eat everything you see on the tour, when we're finished with you, you should be able to identify a range of local dishes and know how to order them. Dinner on the way to hotel. Overnight Liberty Central Hotel Meals Breakfast / Picnic Lunch/ Dinner around Saigon Street Flight VN1373 HUI SGN

5 DAY 09 - Mekong Delta This morning, we travel to Vinh Long town where we will visit the local market before boating to the islands in Mekong Delta. The boat takes us past the brick kilns where we can see how the local people create beautiful potteries from clay; and then we stop at a nursery garden, enjoy some seasonal fruit and home- made rice wine. After that, we venture deeper into the countryside through smaller canals, seeing traditional houses made of wood and palm leaves and witness local farmers in their daily routines. After lunch at a local house, we check in to Vinh Long home- stay. Afternoon activities include biking along the village paths, seeing local farmers, farms, houses, real life and the ancestral ways of the Mekong delta. In the afternoon we participate in a cooking demonstration with the owners of the home stay. Overnight in Vinh Long home- stay Meals Breakfast / Lunch at local house / Dinner at local house DAY 10- Mekong Delta/Can Tho It s an early start this morning with a quick breakfast then boat to the Cai Be colorful floating market. The ideal time to visit this old floating market is from 6am to 8am every day. After the market, we stop at local workshops to see rice paper, coconut candy, pop- rice, and pop- corn being made. We also visit the village of rice- net making for spring rolls, fish sauce, soya bean sauce, cooking salt, and the sewing of coconut- leaves for cottage roofs. The boat then takes us back to Cai Be town and our awaiting vehicle for transfer back to Can Tho. Overnight Victoria Can Tho Hotel Meals Breakfast / Lunch at local house / Dinner at Sao Hom Restaurant DAY 11- Can Tho/Saigon Your morning in Can Tho will begin with a leisurely trip through the picturesque canals and waterways in a small boat, taking in the fascinating scenery and daily activities of the small boat vendors who live along these Mekong canals. We also stop at the spectacular Cai Rang floating market the largest in the entire Mekong Delta. We then cruise to

6 enjoy a some tropical fruits at the Cong Garden House. After lunch at a local restaurant you will be transferred back to your hotel in Saigon. Overnight Liberty Central Hotel Meals Breakfast at hotel / Lunch at Mekong Restaurant /Dinner at Monsoon Saigon Restaurant DAY 12 - Saigon/Home Breakfast at hotel. Free time until your transfer to the airport for departure flight. Meal Breakfast at hotel 113 Queen Street Berry. NSW 2535 Ph : / Fax : / berry@whitesandstravel.com.au Presents A Vietnam Food Experience with Michelle Darlington Inclusive of Meals 11 Breakfasts / 9 Dinners / 8 Lunches Flights 2 Domestic Vietnam flights Transport Deluxe minibus with expert English speaking guide/ Halong Bay junk Food 3 cooking classes / Mekong handicraft workshop / 6 markets and street food visits Stay 9 nights 4 star hotels / 1 night Mekong home stay/ 1 night Halong Bay junk Non Inclusive of :

7 Visas NOTE Australian passport holders require a visa to travel to Vietnam Other meals not mentioned Travel Insurance please contact Whitesands Travel for a quotation Tips and gratuities Items of a personal nature International Airfares Tour Cost $3170 per person based on twin share accommodation as above $990 per person single room supplement Booking Conditions 1. A completed booking form must be returned to Whitesands Travel (contact details noted above) 2. A non refundable deposit of $800 per person must be received by Whitesands Travel within 7 days of a booking form being submitted. 3. Deposits without a booking form will not be accepted. 4. Balance of tour is due 60 days prior to departure