Hanoi Street Food Tours

Continuing my exploration of street food tours in Hanoi, I booked onto an afternoon tour with Hanoi Street Food Tours, run by Mark Lowerson, of Sticky Rice fame, and Van Cong Tu, the “Vietnamese God“. Bring on three hours of snacking heaven.

It started with a steaming parcel of loveliness

We started our tour in Day Duy Tu Street in Old Quarter at a street stall serving nem cua be: large, square, deep-fried spring roll parcels filled with crab, mushrooms and glass noodles, chopped into quarters and served with a side of bun noodles, fresh herbs and a dipping sauce. While we ate, Mark talked me through the ingredients and the different herbs and we chatted about Hanoi and street food in general. He is clearly very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about food and I was already highly engaged and raring to go.

Vietnam Sapa Travel Guide

Vietnam Sapa Travel Guide - Choice views of Fansipan are the prime commodity on sale in Lao Cai's signature destination, Sapa, a hill station high in the mountains which is a vestige of the French colonial era. 

Before the French came, Sapa was home to several ethnic minorities, and now that the French are gone — they're still there. Dzao, Red H'mong, and particularly Black H'mong have adapted to the tourist trade with considerable zeal, and their notoriously aggressive sales techniques should probably be attributed to how poor the region is, and how hard it is to eke out any kind of a living.

Ha Long Bay Travel Guide

Halong Bay Travel Guide - A cruise on Ha Long Bay or the Bay of the Descending Dragon for many represents the pinnacle of their experience in Vietnam. easily one of the most popular destinations in the country, UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay is both mystical and magnificent, an incredible feat of nature that almost never fails to impress.

Yes, it really is that good. Last time we counted, UNESCO had picked out 830 World Heritage sites around the world, chosen for their cultural and historical importance, and also for their geological uniqueness. Ha Long Bay offers a little of all three.

Travel in Halong Bay and Northern Vietnam

Travel in Vietnam - Away from Halong Bay, you can still find some parts of Northern Vietnam free of tourist buses and technology.

As we crowd around a knee-high table feasting on fried pork, lemongrass and sticky rice, our Vietnamese guide tells us it is customary to drink 15 small glasses of rice wine before you can be excused from dinner.

We are 400km north of Hanoi, in Tien Thang Village, quickly learning about the vital role of this homemade liquor at most rural meals.

The owner of the large, sparsely-filled homestay pours the clear spirit from a plastic water bottle into tiny teacups, clasps both of his hands around mine while looking intensely into my eyes, and says "Chuc suc khoe!" (Cheers!), with a toothy smile.

Vietnam Travel - 2 days in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City - Vietnam's biggest city packs in fresh flavours, French relics and a futuristic skyline.

TRAVEL ESSENTIALS

WHY GO NOW?

The dry season in the southern portion of Vietnam runs from December to April, making now the ideal time to visit the country's biggest metropolis. The city will also be in party mode on 30 April. Liberation Day celebrates the anniversary of the end of the American War and the reunification of the two halves of Vietnam in 1975.

TOUCH DOWN

Tan Son Nhat airport sits 7km north-west of the centre of the city.

Transfers will be included if you are on a wider tour. Taxi firm Mai Linh has a booth in the arrivals hall. Cabs to the centre cost 200,000 Vietnamese dong (NZ$11.40), taking 15 to 30 minutes. Bus 152 runs to the main bus station on Tran Hung Dao street, for V$5000 (29c), during daylight hours.

8 Tip For Hanoi Travel Guide

Hanoi capital , Vietnam, is a wonderfully chaotic city. Today, I'm tells you how to to get the most out of the place as an unabashed, camera-toting tourist, or as a savvy local in Vietnam Travel.

1: Drink espresso

Vietnam's coffee heritage is strong because of its French colonial legacy and it produces the second-largest amount of beans in the world. Most cafes have superb espresso, or alternatively try Vietnamese coffee, which is slightly bitter, often tar-thick, and comes with a dollop of sweetened condensed milk.

2: Head to the Museum of Ethnology

Ignore the dry-sounding name. I was transfixed for hours at the museum, a modern two-storey building jam-packed with artefacts of Vietnam's 52 ethnic groups, from weapons to spooky masks, against a background of tribal recordings. The sprawling gardens feature peasant huts, with birdsong overhead and frogs plopping across the path.

INFORMATION AND SERVICE VIETNAM VISA REQUIREMENTS

Only citizens of certain countries can visit Vietnam without a visa, they are: Nationals of most ASEAN countries: No visa is required if they plan to stay less than 30 days.

Nationals of South Korea, Japan, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland: No visa is required if they plan to stay less than 15 days (applied for both tourist and businessman).

Citizens of other countries are required to get an entry visa for Vietnam before departure or an approval letter for a Visa on Arrival (the visa issued on arrival at Vietnam International Airports).

To obtain your entry visa you have to apply to any Vietnam Embassies and/or Consulates worldwide. You need a passport with at least 6 months validity.

If there is no Vietnam Embassy or Consulate in your country, or if you just want to make Vietnam part of a multi-destination trip, then Visa on Arrival is the best option.