Take morning flight to Da Nang. Pick up at Da Nang airport and transfer to Hoi An. Along the way, visit the open-air Cham Museum and Marble Mountain in Da Nang. Continuing south, enjoy a stop at Non Nuoc Beach. This afternoon arrive in Hoi An. After check-in, enjoy a walking tour around the ancient town of Hoi An with your guide. Highlights of your tour through its charming streets include the Japanese Covered Bridge, the local produce market, Tan Ky House and the Fukhien Association. Then at leisure to explore or shop Hoi An on your own. The cobblestone streets in the old French Quarter are a delight to roam with many cafes, art galleries and handicraft shops. Hoi An is especially well known for its local artists and tailor-made clothing, with over sixty shops providing this service in town. Overnight in Hoi An.

 

Day 2: (B, L): Cooking class and discovering Hoi An

This morning, you will be met and transferred to the Market Restaurant where you will take part in a join-in cooking class at Miss Vy’s Cooking Academy. A local success story, Vy now owns and operates several restaurants in town including the well-regarded Cargo Club, Moring Glory, and Market Restaurants. Enjoy an introduction to traditional methods and ingredients used in Vietnamese dishes. Your lesson will start with the purchase of various ingredients at the nearby riverside market. Instructions and recipes will be given while each dish is prepared. Today’s dishes will be curry vegetable soup, white rose, and grilled tuna with saffron in banana leaf. After class, you’ll have lunch at the Market Restaurant and perhaps try some of your own creations or order off the menu prepared by the professionals. Afterward, leisure time to explore Hoi An or go shopping on your own. The cobblestone streets in the old French Quarter are a delight to roam with many cafes, art galleries and handicraft shops. Hoi An is especially well known for its local artists and tailor-made clothing, with over sixty shops providing this service in town. Overnight at the same hotel.

 

Day 3: (B): Hoi An – Hue

10:00am depart Hoi An for drive to Hue. On the way ascend Hai Van Pass. Stop at beautiful Lang Co Beach. Upon arrival, transfer to hotel for check-in. After settling in, depart with your personal guide and driver and begin exploring Hue. First, visit the former Imperial Citadel and Forbidden Purple City. Hue was the capital of Vietnam until the early 20th century, and generations of royalty lived in the Forbidden Purple City, inside the walled exterior of the Citadel. This was also the sight of some of the most brutal fighting during the infamous Tet Offensive. Finish the day with a visit to the Dong Ba Market. Overnight in Hue.

 

Day 4: (B) Hue

After breakfast, depart on a boat trip up the Perfume River, past some lush,dreamlike countryside and charming scenes of Vietnamese life, to the Royal Tombs of the Nguyen Emperors. The Royal Tombs, with their vast, lovingly-tended botanical gardens, beautiful open-air pavilions and numerous shrines, were to provide the seven Nguyen Emperors noble burials as well as comfortable afterlives. The tombs of Minh Mang and Tu Duc are the most elegant, while that of Khai Dinh is the most unusual, combining Western architecture with Vietnamese style. Continue to Thien Mu Pagoda, one of Vietnam’s oldest and most beautiful Buddhist temples. In a corner of the grounds, note the aged, pale blue Morris automobile, which transported a local monk to Saigon where he immolated himself in 1963 in protest against the anti-Buddhist laws of the Ngo Dinh Diem regime.

Late afternoon, eat like a local and explore the city streets of Hue on a 3-4-hour Hue foodie tour by cyclo. This will be a small-group tour to ensure personalized attention. You’ll sample a wide variety of street food and get an overview of Hue’s culinary culture with commentary by a professional and informative guide. Visit Dong Ba Market where you can mingle with the locals. Sink your teeth into a variety of dishes, such as Banh Khoai – Hue pancake; Bun Bo Hue – Hue beef vermicelli soup; Banh Loc – filtered tapioca dumplings; Banh Beo – steamed rice discs topped with shrimp; Ram It – sticky rice dumplings on a fried dumpling; Banh Nam – steamed flat rice dumplings; Banh Uot – Hue wet rice paper; Bun Thit Nuong – grilled pork vermicelli; Nem Lui – grilled chopped meat, and much more. We’ll finish the tour at the city center. Select a morning or afternoon departure, with pickup included from selected hotels. Back to hotel in the late afternoon for leisure time on your own. Overnight at the same hotel.

 

Day 5: (B): Hue – transfer to airport

This morning after breakfast, transfer to airport for your flight to your next destination. End services.