Hanoi Itinerary 3 Days: Best Culture & Culinary

Hanoi - where you will be able to experience a mixture of an old and new city, taste exotic flavors, learn how to cook some delicious Vietnamese dishes, visit handicrafts village, and much more. Read along to learn more details about the itinerary

Hanoi Old Quarter

Day 1: Hanoi City & Food tour at night

The first thing you should do when starting to explore a new city is to join the city tour where the tour knowledgeable tour guide will bring you to the best places in the city to learn more about the city culture, history and even to taste the best food of its cuisine. Moreover, the tour guide will be able to give you the guideline about the city, what to do, where to eat in your free time.

Start Hanoi city tour in the morning

Hanoi is worldwide known as the capital of Vietnam for thousands of years, and also is considered the largest cultural center of Vietnam. It owns a large number of tangible and intangible relics plus a lot of traditional values. There are many interesting cultural and historic monuments that are certainly worth a visit. Join our Hanoi city tour, you will be able to learn more about the history, the culture of Hanoi, and the daily life of Hanoian. Below is a list of must-see places in Hanoi on the city tour.

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

It is the final resting place of Ho Chi Minh, the most iconic and popular leader of Vietnam, known to his people as ‘Uncle Ho’. In front of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is Ba Dinh Spare, where Uncle Ho read the declaration of independence giving birth to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

• Temple of Literature

Hanoi Temple Literature is considered the first university of Vietnam

The Temple of Literature is a well-preserved traditional Vietnamese architecture where is dedicated to Confucius & honors Vietnam’s finest scholars. Considered as Vietnam’s first university and also an academic symbol of the feudalism of the country, the temple is one of Hanoi’s most picturesque tourist attractions in Hanoi.

• One Pillar Pagoda:

One Pillar Pagoda is one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples built between the years of 1028 and 1054. The little temple is constructed from wood based on a single stone pillar crafted into the shape of a lotus blossom. The pagoda is often used as a symbol for Hanoi and remains one of the city’s most revered sights.

Hanoi's half-day city tour ends after lunchtime. You have a free afternoon to relax at your hotel or do whatever you want.

In the evening, joining the Hanoi food tour to experience real Hanoi through taste and a walking tour

Hanoi has its special charm not only during day time but also when the night falls. The night is the best time for you to feel the city in the greatest tunes of the city, enjoy the liveliness, and taste the best food of Hanoi.

Banh Cuon - Hanoi Speciality Dish

Joining Hanoi food tour, you will be going through small streets and alleys inside the Hanoi Old Quarter, see the truly Hanoians live and work, and try delicious food in Hanoi from Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle), to Banh Cuon (Steamed rice rolls), Banh Mi (Vietnamese Baguette), unique Ca Phe Trung (Egg Coffee) ... The tour is not only about the food, but also it is about the culture, local life…After the tour, the tour guide can send you the list of food you eat during the tour, methods to cook these dishes if you are interested. However, we recommend you to join the cooking class the next day to be instructed by the excellent chef how to cook these dishes.

Day 2: Hanoi Cooking Class & watch my village show

Hanoi cooking class starts at 9:00 and lasts for 3.5 hours. The tour starts with a visit to the local market in the Old Quarter, where you can buy the fresh ingredients for the class like vegetables, meat… At the local market, the chef will explain how the Vietnamese use the ingredients to make their food. You will also have a chance to talk with local people, pick up the fresh ingredients and try your bargaining skills. There is a lot of local food at the market, so you can sample street food there.

After the market is the kitchen. You will be given an overview of the recipes, ingredients, and instructions on how to cook some Vietnamese dishes. Then, it is time for you to cook your own dish at your own station. The chef is always there to help you with instructions & recipes. He can create a competition between participants, to make your cooking adventure more exciting.

When the time finishes, you will be able to enjoy your own dishes. Get the chef feedback and you will be given the recipes to bring back home and practice. The tour finishes around noon. You have free time in the afternoon and are recommended to see 'My Village' show at night.

My Village Cultural Show

The show starts at 18:00 at either Hanoi Opera House and Hanoi Vietnam Tuong Theater. You will need to be at the theater 30 minutes earlier for checking. The show is a delicate merge of tradition and innovation, where the poetic beauty of Northern Vietnam’s village life is presented under a new cirque approach. Seeing the show, you will understand more about culture as well as the lifestyle of local people in Northern Vietnam. My Village toured not only in Vietnam but also around the world from 2009 to 2012, with over 300 shows in France, Holland, Spain, Belgium, Greece, Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong.

Day 3: Hanoi surrounding Bat Trang & Dong Ho, But Thap

If seeing the show is not enough for you, you then can join our tour to visit the handicraft village in the countryside where you can visit the ceramic village, a pagoda with antique Buddhist statues, or Dong Ho village to learn more about the unique art of the folk woodcut paintings.

Bat Trang Pottery Village

The first stop of the tour today is Bat Trang Pottery village which is about 15 km from the Old Quarter. The village is a well-known attraction to tourists and locals who love traditional culture and new experiences. There, you will be visiting the village temple, a typical house-cum-workshop, the village ceramic market. It is not only a sightseeing tour, but you can also hand on interesting activities, learn how to make your own ceramic product. There are also many ceramic stores and workshops for you to browse through a vast selection of vases, bowls, cups, and plates…

In the afternoon, you will be transferred to But Thap pagoda, which is about 20 km from Bat Trang Pottery village. But Thap pagoda is one of the most beautiful pagodas in Northern Vietnam, and famous for its Buddha statue "Thien Thu Thien - thousand eyes, thousands of hands". & tall, majestic stone tower named Bao Nghiem tower. This pagoda with great values of history, culture, and architecture, was recognized as a national cultural-historical monument.

From But Thap, we now head to a traditional craft village called Dong Ho to explore the unique art of Dong Ho Paintings, and traditional Vietnamese arts of wood carving and sculpture. Dong Ho painting is special with its material made from the natural element and its sticky rice paste cover. Its paintings have colorful tones and fun contents and are considered a good luck sign for the family, popular stories, historical figures, and their perception of village life. It is a good idea to buy at least one to bring back home and wait if you can get any luck this year.

Dong Ho traditional paintings

Hands-on foodie experiences & handicraft making are a great way to learn a new skill while deepening your knowledge of Vietnamese cuisine and culture. In only 3 days, you will be visiting not only the hustle and bustle of Hanoi capital, watch the cultural show, learn how to cook delicious Vietnamese dishes but also travel to the countryside, visit traditional handicraft villages and pagodas… make your own handicraft product. This will be an unforgeable experience you should never miss while in Vietnam. Contact us to book the Hanoi tour and have the best time in Vietnam.

Jenny Tran

Image Source: Internet