vietnam

Feasts and Flavors on a Holiday in Vietnam

Wherever your holiday in Vietnam takes you, you’ll enjoy the country’s amazing cuisine. Bowls of steaming pho, the staple soupy noodle dish, fragrant with herbs, cinnamon, and star anise make a hearty meal. Banh mi the Vietnamese-French fusion sandwich is great for breakfast. And a glass of strong, sweet Vietnamese coffee is welcome just about any time. Like the experienced chef that knows her ingredients and prepares a meal with the right balance of flavors, Enchanting Travels destination experts can curate a personalized tour that caters exclusively to your appetite.

Known for its great street food, fast-paced and modern Ho Chi Minh City is also famous for two architectural wonders from the colonial era: Saigon Central Post Office and the Notre-Dame Cathedral. Walk the narrow streets of the bustling Old Quarter of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi, before heading across the city to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. Stop at a restaurant to eat the city’s iconic dish, cha ca La Vong. At Hanoi’s popular Thang Long theatre, watch puppets emerge from the water to act out a traditional Vietnamese folktale, accompanied by musicians on a variety of instruments.

Beyond the tourist trails, there are many less-visited places in this once strife-torn country. You could call on the erstwhile Imperial City of Hue, the underground tunnels of Cu Chi district, Cat Tien National Park, or the enormous cave of Hang Son Doong.

It’s thrilling to set sail on Ha Long Bay in an upcycled traditional Chinese junk, fitted with all manner of amenities. As you cruise this scenic, dense archipelago of 1,600 limestone karsts covered in thick vegetation, you’ll spot natural caves and hidden bays. Take in another kind of boat ride too: down the Mekong Delta, where women wearing the trademark conical bamboo hats tend rice fields, and the lush countryside glides by.