Our favorite Vietnam tours and excursions

If you ask us, there’s no better way to kick off your trip to Vietnam than with this cooking class at the home of Vietnamese MasterChef finalist Chef Ai. 

The experience starts with a visit to the local wet market, where Ai will guide you between mountains of fresh herbs and teeming buckets of crabs to pick out ingredients for the lesson. Then, after returning to Ai’s home kitchen, you’ll learn how to make a selection of dishes loaded with aromatic herbs, spices and sauces. This isn’t just an insider’s introduction to the flavors and textures of Hanoian cuisine, it’s a window into Vietnamese daily life – and the things you learn will set you up to make the most of the (many, many) gastronomic opportunities that await you on the rest of your trip.

Whether it’s a steaming bowl of pho or sizzling char siu pork, food is never just food in Vietnam.

As you’ll discover under guidance of expert food bloggers Mark Lowerson and Van Cong Tu, food is one of the best ways to connect with local people, understand regional differences, and immerse yourself in the local culture. That’s exactly what this tour is all about: taking you inside the culinary traditions of the capital via its tastiest street-food treats, and giving you an insight into the real lives of the Vietnamese people. 

We've road tested our fair share of cooking classes in Vietnam, and this is one of our favorites. 

Hosted on an organic farm, this is a hands-on introduction to how green agriculture, ecotourism and traditional practices can be combined to create truly delicious food. Grind your own rice flour using a traditional stone grinder, hand-pick your own fresh ingredients from the garden, and learn some of the secrets of Vietnamese cooking as you whip up five fresh, healthy and traditional dishes. Finally, sit down to enjoy the fruits of your labor in the lush and laid-back surroundings of the Hoi An countryside.

With its sheer-sided mountains rising dramatically from flat-bottomed valleys, Ninh Binh’s scenery is almost otherworldly. 

It’s the perfect setting for a gentle sampan ride through the flooded fields of rice plants, lotus and waterlily, with opportunities to float through caves by torchlight, spot temples hidden in the forests, and see water buffalo wading on the banks of the rivers. 

Though we love hiking and cycling through the region’s farms and villages, the classic way to appreciate this quintessential Vietnamese scenery is from a sampan boat on one of its slow-moving rivers. These days the main waterways can get quite busy, but there are still plenty of smaller and quieter routes to ply — with opportunities to float through caves by torchlight, spot temples hidden in the forests, and water water buffalo wading on the banks of the rivers.

Every time we do it, cruising on Halong Bay - or quieter Lan Ha Bay - feels almost magical – like we’ve accidentally sailed into a Vietnamese legend. 

Imagine waking up in a wood-paneled cabin to the quiet lapping of water against the hull of your Chinese junk boat. You head out on deck, and there’s a thick sea mist all around you. Sheer green cliffs come into view, looming so high above you that it’s impossible to see where they end. As the sun rises and the mist clears, you can see jagged, limestone pinnacles stretching into the distance as far as the eye can see.  For added romance, treat yourself to your own private vessel – or maybe a luxury cruise with an onboard spa? If there’s ever been a place to travel in style, it’s here.