The journey
Explore Seoul's palaces and hanok villages with a VIP welcome and private guides, learn to cook in Hoi An before a home-cooked lunch with a celebrated local chef, taste your way through Hanoi's Old Quarter by Vespa, then sail two days through the limestone karsts of Bai Tu Long Bay, eleven days across two of Asia's most flavourful destinations.
Seoul & Vietnam: A Culinary Journey is an eleven-day journey that pairs Korea's capital with Vietnam's central and northern highlights, built around the food and culture that define both places. In Seoul, a VIP airport welcome and private guided touring take in Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namsangol Hanok Village and a free day with a choice of galleries, a wellness spa or a Korean baseball game, all from a five-star base in the heart of the city.
Highlights
- VIP Premium Airbridge Service welcome on arrival in Seoul, with a private guided tour of Gyeongbokgung Palace and Namsangol Hanok Village
- A free day in Seoul with a choice of art galleries and museums, a wellness spa journey or a Korean baseball game
- A market-to-table cooking class in Hoi An, followed by a guided after-dark street food crawl through the town's back alleys
- A private half-day at the rural home of Duc Tran, the chef behind Hoi An's Mango Mango, Mango Rooms and Mai Fish restaurants, for a cooking demonstration and lunch
- An evening Vespa food tour through Hanoi's Old Quarter, tasting Bun Cha and Pho Cuon at local street stalls
- Two nights aboard a cruise through Bai Tu Long Bay, with kayaking, a cave visit, a floating village and a barefoot beach stop
Included
Accommodation
10 nights: 3 at a 5+ star hotel in Seoul, 3 at a 5-star hotel in Hoi An, 2 at a 5-star hotel in Hanoi, and 2 aboard a 5-star cruise vessel on Bai Tu Long Bay
Activities
a full-day Seoul discovery tour (Gwanghwamun Plaza, Gyeongbokgung Palace, Namsangol Hanok Village) with a car, driver and guide at disposal · a Hoi An market visit, farm walk, massage and cooking class · a guided after-dark Hoi An street food crawl · a private half-day cooking demonstration and lunch at chef Duc Tran's rural home · an evening Vespa food tour through Hanoi's Old Quarter · a full-day Hanoi city tour (Tran Quoc Pagoda, Temple of Literature, a choice of the Vietnam Women's Museum or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, a local family home visit and lunch, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, the Old Quarter, the Water Puppet Theatre) · a 2-day/1-night Bai Tu Long Bay cruise with kayaking, Thien Canh Son Cave, Vung Vieng floating village, an oyster-harvesting or coffee-making workshop and a beach stop
Also included
Airport meet-and-greet with a VIP concierge (Premium Airbridge Service) and deluxe vehicle transfer in Seoul · private air-conditioned transfers with driver and English-speaking guide throughout · domestic flights Seoul-Danang and Hoi An-Hanoi (not included in the land package; see airfares) · entrance fees for mentioned visits · breakfast daily from Day 2 (10 total), lunch on Days 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 (5 total), and dinner on Days 7, 9 and 10 (3 total)
The route
01SeoulDays 1 to 3
02Hoi AnDays 4 to 6
03HanoiDays 7 to 8
04Bai Tu Long BayDays 9 to 10
05HanoiDay 11
The full day-by-day itinerary is below.
Day by day
The route in detail
Day 1
Seoul Arrival (Optional Tour Available)
Arrive at Incheon International Airport, where a dedicated VIP concierge greets you at the gate with a personalised welcome sign, easing the transition through immigration and customs before a private driver transfers you by deluxe vehicle to your hotel in the heart of Seoul. Check in and rest after the flight, or make an early start on the city. An optional evening tour is available by public transport (16:00 to 20:00): visit Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO-listed Joseon dynasty palace, then explore Ikseondong, a neighbourhood of traditional hanok houses mixed with boutiques and cafes, before a street food dinner at Gwangjang Market, one of Korea's oldest and largest traditional markets. Without the optional tour, the evening is free to explore independently. Overnight in Seoul.
Day 2
Seoul Discovery
Set out at 09:00 for a full day of guided touring, with a car, driver and guide at your disposal until 18:00. Begin at Gwanghwamun Plaza before entering Gyeongbokgung Palace, the largest of Seoul's Five Grand Palaces, with the option to time the visit around the changing-of-the-guard ceremony. Continue to Namsangol Hanok Village, five restored traditional hanok houses set around a garden, with free time afterward for shopping and cafes. An optional Royal Dining Experience is available this evening (18:00 to 21:00): a multi-course dinner of Joseon-era court cuisine at a restaurant in the city. Overnight in Seoul.
Day 3
Seoul – Leisure Day (Optional Tour Available)
A free day in Seoul, with a choice of three optional experiences: an excursion to Seoul's art galleries and museums, taking in Gallery Hyundai and the National Museum of Korea; a wellness spa journey with a facial and body treatment in Myeongdong; or a day of Korean baseball at Jamsil Baseball Stadium, home to the LG Twins and Doosan Bears, complete with stadium snacks (available March to October). Without an optional activity, the day is free to explore Seoul independently. Overnight in Seoul.
Day 4
Seoul to Hoi An
After breakfast, transfer to Incheon Airport for the flight to Danang, Vietnam. On arrival, be met and transferred around 50 minutes to central Hoi An, one of Vietnam's most picturesque towns and a UNESCO World Heritage site, once a major Asian trading port in the 17th and 18th centuries. Afternoon and evening at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 5
Hoi An Cooking Class and Street Food
Be collected at 08:30 for a coffee at a riverside restaurant before strolling to a local market to learn about Hoi An's shopping culture. Continue by electric buggy to a rural cooking venue, where a short massage precedes a hands-on cooking class using produce grown by traditional, chemical-free farming methods, followed by lunch of your own creations. Mid-afternoon, set out on a guided after-dark food crawl through Hoi An's back streets, well beyond the Old Town, sampling specialities cooked by the guide's own family friends at stalls rarely found by visitors (maximum 6 people per group; limited vegetarian options, not suitable for vegans). Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 6
A Home-Cooked Lunch with Chef Duc Tran
Join Duc Tran, one of Central Vietnam's most renowned chefs and the owner of Hoi An's Mango Mango, Mango Rooms and Mai Fish restaurants, for a private half-day experience. Be collected at 08:30 for a local market visit with a guide, then continue to Duc's rural home and cooking studio for a private demonstration and lunch prepared by the chef himself (seasonal menu). Rest of the day at leisure. Overnight in Hoi An.
Day 7
Hoi An to Hanoi
Transfer around 50 minutes to Danang Airport for the flight to Hanoi, a city of contrasts, at once modern and traditional, chaotic and serene. This evening (18:00 to 22:00), join a Vespa food tour through the Old Quarter: a cocktail and snacks at a local cafe, a visit to one of Hanoi's oldest churches, Bun Cha (grilled pork and rice noodles) at a street restaurant, a ride past the illuminated Hanoi Flag Tower and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum to sample Pho Cuon near West Lake, and a final stop at a live music venue before returning to the hotel (children must be 6 years or older to ride pillion). Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 8
Hanoi City Tour
A full day of discovery from 08:30: the sixth-century Tran Quoc Buddhist Pagoda on West Lake, followed by the Temple of Literature, Vietnam's first university, founded in 1076. Continue with a choice of museum, the Vietnam Women's Museum or the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology, before visiting a local family's home for tea and conversation about their lives during and after the Vietnam-America war, followed by a home-cooked lunch. In the afternoon, view the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum complex, including the house on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and the One Pillar Pagoda, then stroll through the Old Quarter's '36 guilds' before an evening at the Water Puppet Theatre, an 11th-century Vietnamese art form. Overnight in Hanoi.
Day 9
Hanoi to Bai Tu Long Bay
Depart Hanoi at 08:00 for the drive to Halong City, boarding a cruise vessel by mid-morning. Sail through Bai Tu Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage area sharing the same limestone karsts and emerald waters as Halong Bay but significantly less crowded, much of it protected as an ASEAN Heritage Park with traditional floating fishing villages. Kayak through calm waters beneath towering cliffs in the afternoon before the boat anchors for the night, followed by a multi-course dinner on board and optional evening activities such as squid fishing or board games. Overnight on Bai Tu Long Bay.
Day 10
Bai Tu Long Bay
An early Tai Chi session or meditation on deck starts the day, followed by breakfast amid the bay's rock formations. Visit Thien Canh Son Cave after a gentle climb, then Vung Vieng, a floating village where locals live by fishing and pearl farming. After lunch on board, join an oyster-harvesting or traditional coffee-making workshop, then anchor at a secluded beach for swimming and sundowners before dinner on board. Overnight on Bai Tu Long Bay.
Day 11
Bai Tu Long Bay to Hanoi – Departure
After breakfast, disembark at port and transfer back to Hanoi for your onward departure flight.
Moments
Along the way
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