Around 09h00, we start the tour with the visit to 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
After Dong Xuan market, we officially enter the Hanoi’s Old Quarter which is famous with “36 guild streets” in the past time. Nowadays, the villages were turned to streets and many of them didn’t feature the business as it names anymore. But take your time to wander along the old streets and you surely gain many exciting experience. Tip for you – Names of some streets with typical products: Bat Su (China Bowls), Cha Ca (roasted fish), Hang Bac (jewelries), Hang Dau (shoes & sandals), Hang Gai (silk), To Tich (mixed fruits), Hang Luoc (comb), Hang Duong (candies & dry apricot), Hang Buom (banboo product)
At the end of the tour, 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!