Southern Vietnam Flavor

Overview:

South Vietnam food lends its delightful gastronomic blend to its historical and geographical backgrounds, reflected in a strong preference for sweetness an an array of exotic ingredients. The confluence of Chinese cuisine and that of tropical areas including Thailand and Cambodia has shaped a unique food scene like no other. Accompany Top Vietnam Travel on our 5-day exploration of South Vietnam food, venturing into regional delicacies and finding features typical of the region embodied within its gastronomic practice.

Highlights:

• Explore the cosmopolitan Saigon
• Join a cooking class in Saigon
• Explore Vietnamese cuisine
• Visit the most popular floating market in the Mekong Delta

 Day 1: Saigon Arrival.
Meal: Dinner – Accommodation: hotel in Saigon
Welcome to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), the Pearl of the Far East. Your guide and driver will pick you up at the airport then take you on an orientation tour through Saigon’s bustling streets en route to the hotel. Saturate yourself with the delectable delights of South Vietnam food for dinner. Stay overnight at the hotel.

Day 2: Saigon  Cooking Class – City Tour
Meal: Dinner – Accommodation: hotel in Saigon
In the morning, you will have your first hands-on encounter with Vietnamese cooking at Vietnam Cookery Center, started with an accompanied tour to Ben Thanh Market 1 hour before the class. During the market tour, you will be introduced to some of the most essential Vietnamese produce, from fruit and vegetables, to meat and seafood. You will learn to tell Vietnamese ingredients apart, along with their uses before going back to Vietnam Cookery Center for your hands-on cooking experience.
Not only this encounter with the art of Vietnamese cuisine will give you the opportunity to try your hand at Vietnamese cooking but also enjoy your own creations, along with those specially prepared by our top chefs. Your menu consists of salad, one local soup, braised fish or pork.
In the afternoon, you will get to tour around the dynamic and bustling city of Saigon, also known as “The Pearl of Far East”, with en route stops at Notre Dame Cathedral and Central Post office before heading to China Town. You will visit Cho Lon, the biggest wholesale market in Saigon and then stop by Thien Hau Pagoda – always packed with hundreds of local people coming to pray for health, luck, and happiness. Get in touch with local life by visiting a cafe on a typical street of China Town – where the famous French Movie “The Lover” was filmed – to enjoy the unique culture of the Saigonese brewed into every cup. Have dinner with fresh and vibrant South Vietnam food then stay overnight at your Saigon hotel.

Day 3: Saigon – Mekong Delta – Can Tho
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner – Accommodation: hotel in Saigon
Today you will leave the hustle and bustle of Saigon and head over to the luxuriant Mekong Delta. After breakfast, you will be picked up by your guide and driver and taken to Cai Be. Board on your private sampan to visit Cai Be floating market and drop by some locally own factories to learn about the processes of making traditional rice paste, rice popcorn, coconut candies, as well as drying longan fruits. Enjoy lunch at Indochinese Villa, Le Longanier, residing in a lush garden by the river. Go back on board your sampan and proceed to Vinh Long while observing the cultural nuances of the Mekong Delta’s typical rural life along the way. Pay a visit to some bonsai gardens. The evergreen islands of the Mekong River, fortunately, still manage to remain under the radar and untouched by mass tourism.
Your driver will be waiting for you on the other side of the river to take you on a 45 minute journey to Can Tho, the metropolis of the Southwest. The Mekong Delta’s largest city is an important mercantile and transport hub with a lively waterfront and a colorful mix of narrow back streets and wide boulevards. The rest of the day is at your leisure. Stay overnight at your Can Tho hotel.

Day 4: Can Tho – Cai Rang Floating Market – Saigon.
Meal: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner – Accommodation: hotel in Saigon
Wake up early and leave the hotel for the famous Cai Rang Floating Market on a motor boat to witness the bounty in full display. Feel the vibrant everyday life of the Mekong Delta through the sheer volume and variety of merchant vessels gathering from around the region to sell fresh fruit, local delicacies, and handicrafts. Continue the boat ride to visit some well-known orchards and sample their fresh, exotic tropical fruit. As you delve deeper into the countryside along the narrow backwaters and past traditional houses made of wood and palm leaves typical of the South, you will be rewarded with further insight into the water dependent livelihood of the locals. Return to Can Tho for lunch before driving back to Saigon. You will arrive in Saigon in the late afternoon and stay there for the night.

Day 5: Saigon Departure.
Meal: Breakfast – Accommodation: hotel in Saigon
Today is on your own arrangement. You can do some last minute shopping or sight-seeing before getting transferred to the airport to catch your departure flight home. Your exploration of South Vietnam food ends here. Bon voyage!