Culture History
Vietnam has a long and detailed history that many would find fascinating and from this – a nation steeped in culture.
Whether it is a walk through the renown old quarter in Hanoi, the citadel in Hue, a trek in Sapa or even the center of bustling Saigon – Vietnam offers a cultural experience unlike many others.
While there are plenty of sites to observe, our focus has always been about the people. The local people are our story tellers, they can speak towards the tougher times they experienced or that of their parents, grandparents, but they also display the passionate, optimistic and hardworking nature this country is famous for.
Our private touring captures the spectacle of the sites we visit, but also the people and their daily way of life. Our touring is an authentic, natural showcase and promotes interaction and connection from our guests to the local people.
Gastronomy
Vietnamese food is delicious, incredibly diverse and typically social – at any hour, family members, friends and colleagues will come together to prepare dishes in home kitchens, or pull up tiny plastic chairs at their favorite hawker stall to chew over the news and gossip of the day.
You’ll discover how some dishes are common throughout the country, but prepared in different ways – in Hanoi, where the staple noodle soup pho is said to have originated, you’ll find it prepared with a clear broth; in the south, it’s served with platters of leafy veggies. Likewise, many destinations have their own signature dishes, such as Hoi An’s banh bao vac, white rose dumplings, and Hue’s bun bo Hue – a deeply satisfying comfort food made by boiling beef bones with spices to create a rich beef stock, then ladled over rice noodles, pork and beef with other mouth-watering spices and seasonings.
On your culinary exploration of Vietnam, embark on street food tours on foot or the back of a Vespa, dine in refined, authentic restaurants and take chef-guided cooking classes, which include visiting wet markets and organic gardens to select the day’s best produce.
Wellness Escape
Wellness has always been an integral part of Southeast Asian culture.
From early morning tai chi to post-work-day massages and therapies to ward off illness, communities hold the benefits of a holistic lifestyle in high regard. Day spas are a core component of Vietnam’s burgeoning luxury market, with treatments combining potent, freshly harvested local herbs and essences and rejuvenating manual techniques in keeping with both Asian and Western disciplines. Let us create a restorative wellness escape program that will help you to rebalance body, mind and spirit.
Start your day with dawn yoga on the beach or deck of a riverboat. Devote an afternoon to unwinding with a four-hands head-to-toe massage ritual in a breezy spa pavilion. Practice meditation with local monks and receive a traditional Buddhist blessing. Sooth your skin after a day spent relaxing on the beach with conditioning body and facial treatments.
Cruises
Boat transportation has always been essential to navigating Vietnam’s intricate river networks, and an upscale cruise in a comfortably appointed boat is a great way to get off the beaten path and explore small villages and sprawling wildernesses far from touristy areas.
In Halong Bay, upscale choices abound, from one-day to multi-night cruises, luxuriously appointed junks to single-cabin ships with your own crew. By day, you can moor at limestone islands with secluded beaches and lagoons and explore floating villages where seafood and pearl farming are the main livelihoods; after dark, enjoy a dinner of local specialties onboard and an evening at your leisure.
In the Mekong Delta, you’ll board a traditional sampan to glide through vibrant floating markets and bucolic villages, stopping to visit farmers working rice paddies with water buffalo and hand-crafting delicacies like coconut candies and rice paper – you can even cruise as far as Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, avoiding dusty border highways completely.
Let us develop a cruise itinerary that will help you discover a new, more relaxed pace of life.
