Vietnam with Aaron Barnett

Welcome to Hanoi, one of Asia’s most mesmerizing cities. Today is about settling in, maybe exploring the ancient and deeply photogenic city center on your own—past pillared gates and incense-filled altars dedicated to Confucius.

We’ll meet up for lunch at Koto, a nonprofit training organization for at-risk youth. It’s an opportunity to dive head-first into grassroots Vietnam and experience the beating heart of culture from the ground up. After, we’ll explore the Temple of Literature, an 11th-century Confucian temple which is commonly referred to as the first University in Vietnam.

Inspired by its manicured gardens and stately gates, we’ll make our way back to our hotel for some rest and relaxation before our incredible welcome dinner at La Table Hanoia, where Michelin-star chef Alain Dutournier crafts a superbly delicious, playful menu—think saffron potato risotto with lobster bisque sherbet—in a stunning modern setting.

This morning we dive straight away into Hanoi’s crooked lanes and centuries-old buildings, sampling the best street foods Hanoi has to offer, including pho tiu (Vietnam’s original beef and noodle soup) and cà phê trúng (creamy egg coffee). 

Next, it’s time to relish in the magic of water puppetry. This is not the standard tourist show; instead, we’re exclusive guests with a chance to meet the artisans and masters of this ancient craft. Then we’re off on a cyclo ride through Hanoi’s graceful Old Quarter, its crooked tree-lined lanes framed by old guildhalls and skinny, colorful houses stacked together. We’ll be dropped off at one of the city’s renowned Bia Hoi, the outdoor pubs serving fresh draft beer to locals until their taps run dry.

This evening we’ll dine in postmodern style at the local Ly Club—think playful and only-in-Hanoi remixes of Vietnamese specialties like beef in bamboo and ‘whistling’ duck.

Say tạm biệt (farewell) to Hanoi; after breakfast we’ll head to the airport for our short flight to Hue, seat of the Nguyen Dynasty and the national capital from 1802 to 1945. Our first stop is the Royal Home of Tha Om and its stunning grounds, followed by lunch at a restored royal home in a sumptuous garden setting and a visit to the former residence of a Nguyen Dynasty princess. Keeping with they royal theme, we’ll end the afternoon at the Imperial Citadel, a UNESCO Heritage site, strolling the gardens of this former royal court.

Tonight’s dinner is a treat: at Phu Mong, a gracious garden house dedicated to recreating the authentic cuisines of Hue’s royalty. We’ll dine on vegetables sculpted into shapes of plants and animals, as well as local specialties like banana blossom salad and banh khoai (fried rice pancakes). Back at the hotel’s sheik mansion bar, we’ll gather for a casual nightcap with Aaron.

Our day starts with a leisurely bike ride, wending our way through verdant rice paddies out to Thanh Toan, a 17th-century village just outside Hue where ancient ways are very much intact. We’ll explore its rural market, clan shrine houses, and famous tile-roofed bridge. After lunch we’ll drive to the elaborate Khai Dinh Royal Tomb and visit Vu Di Tea House to savor traditional teas steeped in the region’s centuries-old tea culture.

Back in Hue, we’ll have time for a short boat trip down the picturesque Perfume River to visit the majestic Thien Mu seven-story pagoda, the city’s best-preserved religious monument and a local icon. After some downtime we’ll reconvene for a dinner by cyclo, as Aaron guides us through the flavors of Hue, from vegetarian street food to rice with river clams and sizzling ground-pork on lemongrass skewers. Don’t be shy about dessert: The region’s famous sweet soups — made from lotus seed, kidney bean, and purple yam — await!

We’re off to Hoi An, jewel of central Vietnam, via the famous Pass of the Ocean Clouds. At the top of this mighty mountain pass we’ll have stunning horizon-wide views over the turquoise sea below.

We’ll check in to our stunning Hoi An hotel and, after lunch, set out to explore the city’s historic Old Town, a UNESCO World Heritage site. This picturesque riverside town was a major trading port for centuries, and mansions built by merchants line the narrow streets of the Old Quarter. We’ll stop to admire temples, artisan workshops, and the bustling fish market, and visit the home of a master lantern-craftsman.

Dinner is at the iconic Mango Mango fusion restaurant. Duc Tran, the Vietnamese-American chef and owner, left Vietnam on a boat at age 15, settled in Texas, and cooked and surfed his way around the world before returning home to open his own artful, award-winning Hoi An restaurant.

It’s market day, and we’ll tour Hoi An’s bustling trading post by boat. The experience is a celebration of every sense: the vibrant colors, the cacophony of sounds, the exotic fruits and vegetables. We’ll even stop by a rice-paper purveyor for an insider’s peek at the production process.

Then it’s off to a gourmet cooking class with local legend, Ms. Lu, to create our very own lunch of local specialities: crab wontons, papaya salad, and muc nhoi thit (squid stuffed with pork).  

Dinner tonight is a Hoi An favorite: a street food tour by vintage Vespa. We’ll zoom through the bustling streets to an islet lit by dancing lanterns, then dismount our Vespas and hop onto a boat for a slow river cruise, joining locals for a few cold brews and starters. After disembarking, we’ll settle in for our main course—fiery Vietnamese barbecue at one of the city’s most innovative kitchens.

We’re hopping back on our bicycles this morning for a leisurely ride out to Cam Thanh village, past lush rice paddies and water buffalos grazing along the canals. We’re here to experience some of Vietnam’s centuries-old traditions. First, in the coconut-palm water forest off Cam An, we’ll try our hand at fishing and crabbing in a traditional “basket boat” before heading to Tra Que, a small farming community where we’ll visit the village garden and meet local farmers, rolling up our sleeves and assisting them as they harvest ripe vegetables.

As midday approaches we’ll join Aaron alongside a local family—we’ll be honored guests in their home—to prepare lunch and learn the techniques behind some of Hoi An’s most delicious traditional dishes. We can expect a genuine, delicious country meal.

In the evening we’ll meet up for dinner at Morning Glory, with elevated specialties like shrimp mousse on sugarcane skewers, or smoked eggplant with minced pork in a banana leaf, from their bustling open kitchen. 

This morning we’re up bright and early for our short flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). We’ll head straight from the airport for an immersive tour of this fabled city, zipping through the bustling streets, stopping to take in thought-provoking monuments like the Burning Monk Memorial and reveling in the French architecture.

After lunch at Cuc Gach Quan, a lovingly restored restaurant inspired by the owner’s grandmother’s vegetable stall, we’ll head to Chinatown to visit Thien Hau temple, built by the Cantonese congregation in the early 19th century to honor the Goddess of the Sea. Afterwards, at one of the city’s famed herbal medicine shops, we’ll meet a local herbalist who will share some of the secrets of traditional Chinese medicine. 

We’ll travel by moto taxi to a bustling hẻm (alley) packed with food vendors who have spent decades perfecting their special dishes, then rub shoulders with hairdressers, motorcyclists, children and grandmothers as we wander from stall to stall sampling local specialties like snails in coconut milk, sizzling pancakes with turmeric, and crab fried noodles. Aaron will be leading the charge and sharing his own favorites with us at every turn. 

After an adventurous urban day, we dive into rural Vietnam. Southwest of Ho Chi Minh City are the spidery tributaries of the mighty Mekong River, where the bulk of the country’s produce and rice comes from. We’ll glide through the waters on a private boat, browse the incredible bounty of its renowned floating markets; after haggling for a few appetizers, we dock on Tan Phong Island and mount bikes for a short cycling tour through the shaded roads of the village.

Lunch is an unforgettable experience, a banquet of delicacies sourced along the Delta, prepared in a local home by our hosts in collaboration with Aaron.

After our time in the countryside, it’s back to the city for a night of celebration. Our farewell dinner at Hoa Tuc, a beautifully restored Art Deco row house, is a joyful reminder of our time together in Vietnam with Aaron. After dinner, the night is yours to explore—maybe you’ll venture into chic rooftop bars for a nightcap in this enchanting city that never sleeps. 

It’s time to bid goodbye to Vietnam, Aaron and all our new friends. With all that we’ve experienced and tasted, we know it won’t be long before we return.