Southern And Central Vietnam 7 - Day Cultural Journey

Airport pickup gets you to your Ho Chi Minh City hotel, where you'll settle in after traveling. Rest up and get your bearings before things kick off.

Ho Chi Minh CityShow on map

Start point

Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Trường Sơn, Quận Tân Bình, Ho Chi Minh City 736900, Vietnam (Hotel located centrally in Ho Chi Minh City or Airport)

Head out on the Mekong River to My Tho islands with traditional music and local drinks. Paddle-boat through narrow canals and stop at a coconut candy workshop. Then you'll see Vinh Trang Pagoda before lunch featuring Elephant-Ear Fish. Later, try Vietnam's street food scene by motorbike, tasting rice paper salad, spring rolls, crispy pancakes, half-hatched duck eggs, and steamed shellfish with local beer.

Mekong Delta, My Tho, Ben Tre, Ho Chi Minh CityShow on map

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch (Elephant-Ear Fish combined with other delicious Vietnamese dishes - local specialty), Dinner (Street food experience including Banh Trang Tron (Vietnamese Rice Paper Salad), Bo Bia (Vietnamese Spring Rolls), Banh Xeo (Crispy Vietnamese Pancake), Trung Vit Lon (Half-hatched Duck Eggs), Oc (Steamed and Roasted Shell and Snail) and local beer)

Included Activities

• Cruise along Mekong River to islands in My Tho with traditional music, tea sweetened with bee's honey, and seasonal fresh fruits
• Paddle-boat cruise through narrow canals and coconut trees
• Visit to cottage industry demonstrating coconut candy making
• Visit to Vinh Trang Pagoda (national historical and cultural relic)
• Evening motorbike street food tour experiencing local Vietnamese cuisine

After breakfast, head to Tan Son Nhat airport for your domestic flight to Da Nang, about an hour long. Once there, transfer to Hoi An and check into your hotel to relax.

Ho Chi Minh City, Hoi AnShow on map

Meals

Breakfast

Bicycle through Hoi An's countryside and eat Cao Lau (traditional noodles with pork and vegetables made with water from Ba Le Well) at a local restaurant. Cycle to Tra Que Village where you'll make white rose dumpling cakes with a family and taste them. Finish in Cam Nam trying yin and yang foods like smashed rice pancakes and corn coconut sweet soup.

Hoi An, Tra QueShow on map

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch (Cao Lau - traditional Hoi An specialty composed of local noodles, pork, fresh vegetables and rice paper made with water from Ba Le Well)

Included Activities

• Bicycle ride through Hoi An countryside and local food areas
• Cao Lau lunch at local restaurant - traditional Hoi An specialty with local noodles, pork, fresh vegetables and rice paper
• Visit to Tra Que Village and hands-on white rose dumpling cake making with local family
• Food tasting at Cam Nam featuring Banh Dap (smashed rice pancake) and Che Bap (corn and coconut sweet soup)

Visit Marble Mountains in Da Nang, climbing stone steps to a Buddhist pagoda with views across the region. Walk through the stone village watching sculptors work, then explore Am Phu Cave with its heaven and hell replica and tunnels. Before heading back, stop at 19th-century Son Tra Linh Ung Pagoda for coastal views. Afternoon is free.

Da Nang, Hoi AnShow on map

Meals

Breakfast

Included Activities

• Visit to Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son) with stone steps to Buddhist Pagoda
• Exploration of stone village with skilled local sculptors creating marble products
• Visit to Am Phu Cave with Heaven and Hell replica and underground tunnels
• Visit to Son Tra Linh Ung Pagoda (built 19th century, Nguyen Dynasty)

Start with a visit to a local market where you'll see fresh ingredients and get a feel for traditional Vietnamese flavors. From there, take a basket boat ride through the Bay Mau Coconut Forest, which gives you a nice sense of the landscape. After you return, you'll have a cooking class where you prepare and eat authentic Vietnamese dishes. Later in the afternoon, fly to Ho Chi Minh City, check into your hotel, and relax for the evening.

Hoi An, Cam Thanh, Ho Chi Minh CityShow on map

Meals

Breakfast, Lunch (Vietnamese dishes prepared during cooking class)

Included Activities

• Local market visit to explore fresh ingredients and traditional Vietnamese foods
• Basket boat ride through Bay Mau Coconut Forest in Cam Thanh commune
• Hands-on Vietnamese cooking class with meal included

Have breakfast at your hotel and relax there until it's time to transfer to Tan Son Nhat International Airport for your departure.

Ho Chi Minh CityShow on map

End point

Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Trường Sơn, Quận Tân Bình, Ho Chi Minh City 736900, Vietnam (Hotel located centrally in Ho Chi Minh City or Airport)

Meals

Breakfast