Not only a connoisseur of fine food and world-class wine but also a lover of authentic tastes from around the world. From the Michelin stars to the weird and bizarre, your palette leads the way, discovering more about yourself and diverse cultures with every bite. 

Activities Culinary Travelers Enjoy

As you have probably surmised, you don’t have to dine only in haute cuisine establishments to be a culinary traveler. ‘Foodies’ seek unique and memorable food experiences in their travels such as visiting wineries, touring breweries, visiting Farmers’ Markets or food festivals, sampling artisan products, and buying gourmet foods and wines to take home. Vietnam it has it all, Salty, spicy, tangy, fresh , but  only you find it most of the time on the streets— fire up the taste buds in delicious Vietnam.

Of course, Vietnam has fine dining experiences are certainly you should included, but are not the sole activity of food travel.

Food travelers are explorers as they:

• Attend a cooking schools, participate in a food tour, or go shopping in a local grocery or gourmet stores.
  
• Visit food or beverage factories, participate in wine/beer/spirits tastings, and of course, eat out in unique or memorable foodservice establishments.
  
• Visit a chocolatier, bakery or gelateria to sample what makes the area famous.
  
• Love to get off the beaten path and find the new (or new for us), unique or undiscovered experiences.
  

Vietnamese food is unlike any other in Southeast Asia – so what makes it so special?

Fresh. Invigorating. Fragrant. Sweet. Sour. Fermented. These are all adjectives you might use to describe Vietnamese cooking. It’s all about the yin and yang, the perfect balance of opposites within a dish that really makes each ingredient sing.

If you’ve tried food from several different Asian countries, you’ll know that there’s nothing quite like Vietnamese cuisine. What are the elements that make the dishes of this vibrant country unique?

It’s Not All About Spiciness

Unlike some other dishes in Southeast Asia that will melt your face off with spiciness, such as Tom Yum in Thailand, Sambal in Indonesia or Vindaloo Curry in India, Vietnamese cuisine isn’t focused on being as hot as possible. Instead, the goal is to balance all of the five taste elements of sweet, salty, bitter, sour and spicy. This results in a more balanced, aromatic and subtle dish with a complex flavour – perhaps with a bit of a kick to it but never screaming hot.

Vietnamese chefs believe that every ingredient has “heating” or “cooling” properties. So, for example duck meat is considered cool so it should be served in the summer. Chicken is a warm food, so it is served in winter and paired with a sour sauce which is considered cool. The chef strives to create a perfect equilibrium between the different elements within each dish.

It’s Light and Fresh

If you have ever had Burmese cuisine, you’ll know how rich, heavy and oily the curries are – but this is not the case with Vietnamese dishes. The cooking in Vietnam is done with minimal use of oil and dairy and relies more on the light, fresh flavours of herbs and vegetables. As a result, Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines in the world.

Some of the yummy aromatic herbs that are commonly used include mint, cilantro, basil, lime leaf, lemongrass, green onion, perilla leaf, turmeric, ginger, Saigon cinnamon and tamarind pulp.

There’s a French Flair

No other cuisine in Southeast Asia has such a strong French influence. Although it has been more than six decades since the end of French colonial rule in Vietnam, you can still taste the French culture in every fluffy baguette. The perfect banh mi baguette is soft and airy on the inside and crusty on the outside, is smeared with pate and loaded up with fresh cucumber, meat, fried egg and other veggies. You must try one – they are available from street vendors in every major Vietnamese city.

Some of the other culinary leftovers from the French colonial era include creme caramel and coffee. In some of the chic cafes of Ho Chi Minh City you’ll even find macarons and croque monsieur for sale (at Parisian prices!). However, although coffee in France is served black and hot as an espresso or with steamed milk as cafe au lait, the coffee in Vietnam is enjoyed iced and sweetened with condensed milk.

Soups are Clear

Both the French and Southern Chinese influence on Vietnamese cuisine shows in the tendency towards clearer soups and sauces. For example, the Vietnamese signature dish Pho is made with a meaty, rich clear beef broth. In these clear soups, the simple tastes of the principal ingredients is showcased. You can taste every element distinctly, from the cilantro to the lemongrass to the long-simmered beef bones and the fish sauce.

This is different to Thai cuisine, which often strikes a balance between featuring the main ingredients and emphasizing the flavour of the broth or the sauce.

Top 4 Reasons Why You Should Go On a Culinary Adventure In Vietnam

1. You’ll Discover a Myriad of Exciting Flavors In the Vietnamese kitchen.

Any avid traveler knows that food is an immense part of any culture. And If you are someone who has a penchant for delicious food and beverages, you’d be excited to learn that one of the best things about discovering Vietnam as a new destinations is that you’ll get to indulge yourself in plenty of local eats!

Through our Culinary vacations, you’ll get the amazing opportunity to explore the vast variety of the world’s culture through its gastronomic delicacies. As you might have guessed, food is almost always much more delicious and authentic when we are able to enjoy it in the country or place of origin. Plus, some local dishes and ingredients can’t be found anywhere else in the world.

2. You’ll Meet Like-Minded People

Meet like-minded people, whether you prefer traveling solo or with your friends and/or family, through a culinary vacation in Vietnam, you are bound to meet plenty of new people. This includes both locals as well as other travelers from all corners of the globe. The best part is that though you may all come from different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences, you are all brought together by your passions for food and travel.

As a lover of food travel, I can vouch that it’s always a treat to be around like-minded individuals when I’m traveling.

Through interactions with your new friends, you have the awesome opportunity to expand your horizons. This is your chance to cultivate a better understanding of the diverse culture and languages of the world. Who knows? Perhaps some of the people you meet on your culinary adventure may just end up becoming lifelong friends!

3. You’ll Learn to Cook Authentic Delicacies Vietnamese Food

What makes culinary adventure in Vietnam stand out from the usual “run-of-the-mill” vacations or food tours is that you don’t only get to enjoy a variety of mouthwatering local dishes; you’ll also be able to learn to whip them up yourself. So, if you can’t get enough of the food you tasted on your trip, you can always re-create them back home. That is the simple yet powerful beauty of a hands-on cooking experience.

As a self-professed foodie, I adore all type of cuisines – but I must admit that Vietnamese food is amongst my top 3 favorites. At Friends Travel Vietnam "Cooking Classes", all around Vietnam, it’s safe to say that all our travellers thoroughly enjoyed the experience, thanks to the warm guidance of our professional guides, and as they are genuinely impressed how fun and easy it all was!

Whether you are a beginner in the kitchen or a culinary professional, through a "Culinary Adventure", you will undoubtedly learn useful tips in Vietnam we use and tricks that will ‘wow’ yourself as well as your loved ones. 

4. You’ll Immerse Yourself in the Real Local Vietnamese Culture

They say that travel is the only thing that one can buy that makes us richer. I personally believe this to be true as it allows us to learn more about what our beautiful world has to offer. And there’s no better group of people that will be able to teach us a destination’s local culture than the locals themselves as the Vietnamese.

Culinary Adventure allows you to center your trip around cultural immersion – meeting the locals, sampling local cuisines, and having time to really explore the local ways of life.  Through those kind of experiences, you will not only be treated to authentic cultural experiences that will tantalize your taste buds but also those that will open your eyes and mind to a whole new perspective of seeing Vietnam as it really is.

Of course, w triggered your taste buds feel free to contact us what the opportunities are to explore the Vietnamese kitchen.

We always look forward to hearing from our customers!

You can contact us very easy at any time if you have any questions. We would like to hear from you.

Read More about Destinations In Vietnam

Friends Travel Vietnam has been inspiring travellers with curious-minded love & passion for Vietnam since 2013. With our on-the-ground-secret destinations & our network of human-human partners and our passionate knowledge team of our "Real Local Travel Experts" on the office and in the field you can book unique, authentic experiences with ease. We’ll take you off the beaten path in no time as all you wish!  Let us us help you? We've done tons of homework & experiences just create the ultimate trip for you!  Just simple, all as you wish!“

This is what we do! Making your holiday dreams in Vietnam coming true with us! Is the excursion, tour or trip of your choice not listed? No worries, our Team of local destination experts will be happy to assist you.

Sidney and Thao Van Meenen

Owners & Founders

Friends Travel Vietnam

Dreaming of your very own adventure in Vietnam? 

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