Meet up with your local guide, then dive straight into Hanoi’s culinary scene with a visit to Dong Xuan, the largest covered market in the city. Along the perimeter of the market, dozens of street hawkers sell a staggering variety of produce, from live seafood to exotic fruits and spices. Your expert English-speaking local guide will give you an insight into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture including details on ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular northern dishes.

We eat as we go, trying seasonal fruits and sampling a banh mi, a famous Vietnamese baguette, with your choice of fillings – one of the most beloved combos is pate, ham, sliced cucumber and chili sauce. After exploring the market, walk through the maze of bustling streets that make up Hanoi’s Old Quarter, tempting your taste buds with the famed Hanoi dish banh cuon at a local eatery. Watch in awe as the skilled chefs demonstrate for you how this tasty dish is put together.

Continuing into the atmospheric heart of the Old Quarter, we wander past street stalls and quiet residential lanes where you can observe local life that has changed little since Hanoi was founded over 1000 years ago. Your next stop is a stall selling bun cha, a classic Vietnamese dish served with grilled fatty pork (chả) over a plate of white rice noodles (bún) and herbs with a flavoursome dipping sauce.

Be sure to save some room as you’ll soon be tucking into grilled nem chua, a fermented pork roll, and a fresh fruit salad, two of the most well-known snacks in the city.

Your local guide will then take you to one of Hanoi’s best-kept secrets, a hidden café with stunning views over the picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake. This hard-to-find café is one of the few left in the city that still serves egg coffee, a scrumptious local delicacy that we will sample whilst admiring the hustle and bustle of the city centre below. Or, if coffee is not your style, a cold beer awaits! At the end of our Hanoi tour, you are free to continue exploring the area or your guide will assist you with directions or a taxi back to your hotel.

Please note that this tour visits independent, family-owned businesses whose operating schedules and menus may change. Therefore, street food venues and local dishes often vary; your local guide will make any final adjustments on the spot