The day starts off with breakfast, which is Pho, a beef and rice noodle soup. After enjoying this national specialty, you’ll continue on to the market where ,once again, you can learn about what ingredients make for the best local dishes. We visit Hanoi’s largest covered market, Dong Xuan. Along the perimeter of the market, dozens of street hawkers sell a staggering variety of produce from live seafood to exotic fruits and spices. Your expert English-speaking local guide will give you an insight into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture including details on ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular northern dishes. We eat as we go, trying seasonal fruits and sampling a tasty French-inspired snack from a street cart.
Then wander about the Old Quarter streets to enjoy aromas from local street food stalls. You can feel the traditional atmosphere of the most attractive part in Hanoi and witness local people enjoy their breakfast on the pavement along the ride. Walking through the maze of bustling streets that make up Hanoi’s Old Quarter, we tempt our tastebuds with the famed Hanoi dish Banh Cuon at a local eatery. Watch in awe as the skilled chefs demonstrate for you how this tasty dish is put together. Continuing into the atmospheric heart of the Old Quarter, we wander past street stalls and quiet residential lanes where you can observe local life that has changed little since Hanoi was founded over 1000 years ago. You will have a chance to sample various dishes such as : the pan fried Banh Goi at Ly Quoc Su street, Bun Cha at Hang Manh street, sweet fried fruits O Mai at Hang Da street or grilled fish fillets Cha Ca La Vong.
Then it’s time for a coffee or tea break at one of the many sidewalk cafes in Hanoi centre. Your local guide will then take you to one of Hanoi’s best kept secrets, a hidden café with stunning views over the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake. This hard-to-find café is one of the few left in the city that still serves egg coffee, a scrumptious local delicacy that we will sample whilst admiring the hustle and bustle of the city centre below. Or, if coffee is not your style, a cold beer awaits