You will be picked up from your centrally located hotel in Hanoi in a minivan and taken for a sunrise tour of Hanoi with Vietnamese Cooking Class. An English-speaking guide will accompany you on this tour. This is mostly a walking tour. You have the choice between a private tour or a small group tour, the group size for the small group option will be no more than 12 people.
Your day begins very early, at sunrise. Accompanied by your local guide, you will commence your walking tour. Walk to Hoan Kiem Lake (or "Lake of the Restored Sword") to experience early morning Hanoi. Legend has it that in the mid 15th century the gods provided the Emperor Le Thai To a magical sword to defeat the Ming dynasty Chinese invaders. Following the victory the emperor was boating on the lake when a giant tortoise reared up and took the sword returning it to its rightful owners. Today, the lake is a popular place for the residents of Hanoi to do their morning exercise.
Those interested can also join in on the morning activities such as tai chi.
After a energetic start to the day enjoy a traditional local breakfast, ‘real flavor of Pho’ followed by a Vietnamese coffee at a roof top café in Hanoi’s old quarter overlooking the Hoan Kiem Lake.
Your local guide will then take you to a family-run Vietnamese restaurant for a cooking class where the chef will introduce a traditional Vietnamese kitchen and the finer points of cooking local food. The first step in your cookery class is a walk to Hang Be food market to learn about Vietnamese cooking ingredients, from hot chilli to fresh vegetables and meats.
Once back at the restaurant your chef, with the help of your guide, will teach you to cook a number of special Vietnamese dishes. Later, sit back and relish all that you have cooked.
At the end of the trip you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you in getting a taxi back to your hotel.