Vietnam captivates visitors with its stunning natural beauty, from the limestone karsts of Ha Long Bay to the Mekong Delta's floating markets. This Southeast Asian nation seamlessly blends ancient temples, French colonial architecture, and dynamic modern cities with a rich culinary tradition that has gained worldwide acclaim.
Top food tours
Guided experiences that show you Vietnam through its food.
Hanoi Street Food Walking Tour
Evening walking tour through Hanoi's Old Quarter sampling 8-10 different dishes across multiple street food vendors with an English-speaking local food guide. Covers iconic dishes including bun cha, banh mi, pho, egg coffee, and bia hoi (fresh draft beer).
Saigon Street Food by Motorbike
Sit on the back of a local guide's motorbike (or grab Grab Bike) to navigate Ho Chi Minh City's sprawling food scene, visiting 6-8 vendors across multiple districts from District 1's Ben Thanh area to District 4's waterfront seafood stalls.
Hoi An Boat Market and Cooking Tour
Dawn boat ride to Hoi An's Thu Bon River floating market to select fresh ingredients, then guided cooking class at a traditional house preparing 4 local dishes including cao lau and white rose dumplings unique to Hoi An.
Hue Royal Cuisine Food Tour
Walk through Hue's Dong Ba Market and narrow streets sampling the city's distinctive imperial cuisine including bun bo Hue (spicy beef noodle), banh khoai (sizzling crepe), and banh beo (steamed rice cake) not found elsewhere in Vietnam.
Mekong Delta Food Cycling Tour
Bicycle through Can Tho's back canals stopping at a coconut candy workshop, rice paper factory, tropical fruit orchard, and floating market for a comprehensive taste of Mekong Delta food culture and production.
Tour formats
Different ways to experience Vietnam's food scene.
Street food tours
Evening street food crawls are the most popular in Hanoi and HCMC, visiting 6-10 vendors in one neighborhood. Best in the Old Quarter Hanoi and District 1 HCMC.
Market tours
Morning market tours combine visits to wet markets with tastings and often include a cooking class. Hoi An Central Market and Dong Ba Market Hue are highlights.
Restaurant tours
Multi-course restaurant tours visiting 3-4 restaurants for signature dishes. Popular in Da Nang and HCMC for modern Vietnamese cuisine exploration.
Specialty tours
Themed tours focusing on a single cuisine category - pho tours, banh mi tours, ca phe (coffee) tours in Hanoi, and gin-and-tonic tours in HCMC's cocktail bars.
Cooking classes
Take a piece of Vietnam home with you.
Green Bamboo Cooking School
Hanoi's most beloved cooking school combining a morning market visit to Dong Xuan with hands-on preparation of 4-5 traditional dishes in a rooftop kitchen. Recipes cover pho, spring rolls, banh xeo, and a Vietnamese dessert.
Red Bridge Cooking School
Hoi An's pioneering cooking school operating since 1998 combines a boat trip on the Thu Bon River to herb gardens with cooking 5 Hoi An specialties including cao lau, white rose, and banh mi. Professional kitchen setting with excellent instructors.
Hue Home Cooking Class
Small-group cooking class in a traditional Hue home teaching the preparation of 4 Hue-specific dishes impossible to find elsewhere. The home setting gives intimate insight into Vietnamese family cooking traditions.
Vietnam Cookery Center HCMC
Professional cooking school in District 1 HCMC teaching market-to-table Vietnamese cooking with morning market visit and 4-course hands-on class. Covers regional variations across northern, central, and southern Vietnamese cuisines.
DIY self-guided food tour
Vietnam's street food scene is highly accessible for independent exploration. Start at local markets in the morning, follow busy street food stalls at lunch, and join the local dinner crowds at plastic-stool restaurants after 6pm.
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1
Stop 1 (6-7am): Any wet market for fresh Vietnamese breakfast - banh mi bo (egg banh mi) $1, bun rieu (crab noodle soup) $2, or banh cuon (steamed rice rolls) $2
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2
Stop 2 (morning): Egg coffee at Cafe Giang (39 Nguyen Huu Huan, Hanoi) or The Workshop (27 Ngo Duc Ke, HCMC) - $2-3
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3
Stop 3 (lunch): Bun cha Huong Lien (24 Le Van Huu, Hanoi) or Com tam Xuan Hong (HCMC) - Obama-famous spots $3-5
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4
Stop 4 (afternoon): Fresh fruit from street cart, sugarcane juice, or Vietnamese iced coffee ca phe da - $0.50-1.50
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5
Stop 5 (6-8pm): Find a plastic-stool street restaurant serving pho or bun bo - $2-3
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6
Stop 6 (8-10pm): Bia hoi corner on Ta Hien Street Hanoi or Bui Vien HCMC for fresh draft beer and snacks - $0.50-1/glass
Foodie tips
Get more out of every meal.
Follow the crowds - the most popular street stalls with queues of locals are invariably the best quality
Eat where the locals eat - plastic stools on the pavement indicate authentic food at honest prices
The best pho in Hanoi is served before 9am; pho shops often close by 10am once stock runs out
Bun bo Hue is Vietnam's best-kept noodle secret - the spicy beef noodle from Hue beats pho for depth of flavor
Hoi An's cao lau can only be made authentically with water from a specific ancient well - it's unique to this town
Vietnam's regional food differences are profound - Hanoi pho, Hue bun bo, and HCMC hu tieu are completely distinct dishes
Street food hygiene is generally good at busy stalls but avoid vendors with sitting food in the heat
Order one dish at a time at street stalls rather than a complex order - point at what other customers are eating
Vietnamese 'broken rice' (com tam) in HCMC is a perfect budget meal - grilled pork, egg, and pickles over rice for $2-3
Save room for Vietnamese desserts - che (sweet soup), banh troi (sticky rice balls), and pandan-flavored desserts are outstanding