Essence of Hue - Meditation, Floating Market & Rural Life 4 days

Upon arrival in Hue after a road transfer from Hoi An by scooter, you will settle into your accommodation and take some time to relax before your food tour begins.

From 18:00 to 18:15, our tour guide and cyclo will pick you up at the designated meeting point in the city center for Hue cuisine. The first stop is a Hue cake restaurant where you will sample some of the most famous specialty cakes of Hue. Do not miss Banh Beo (bloating fern-shaped cakes) because their soft texture, paired with shrimp paste, fried onions, and fish sauce, offers a truly unforgettable taste.

Continue your tasting journey with Banh Nam (flat steamed rice dumplings) and Banh Bot Loc (rice dumpling cake). These delicacies are known for their chewy outer layer and rich, savory filling. Our guide will also show you the correct way to enjoy crispy pancakes and pork skewers, ensuring you experience the dish just as locals do.

Next on the menu is Bun Bo Hue (Hue beef noodle soup), a must-try dish that represents the essence of Hue cuisine. At the end of the tour, you will be taken to a long-standing and much-loved sweet soup (Che) shop in a corner of the city. With over a hundred varieties and a riot of colors and flavors, this dessert will give you a whole new perspective on Vietnamese sweets.

At 21:00, the cyclo will bring you back to the pickup point, and our guide will bid you farewell until your next schedule.

After breakfast, our guide will come to collect you from the meeting point in the Hue city center. You will kick off the day by soaking in the fresh morning air as you visit Vinh Quoc Cong Palace, dedicated to Nguyen Huu Do and the Nguyen Huu family. This site is known for having the most beautiful golden triple gate on Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Street, facing the Perfume River, and preserving the legend of the elegant Kim Long lady.

Around 9:00, you will board a dragon boat to drift along the Perfume River and take in the peaceful beauty of the surroundings. You will also release fish seeds into the water, contributing to the regeneration of aquatic life. Your experience becomes more memorable when you participate in “a bowl of water” meditation. Simply put, you will walk mindfully in a circle while holding a full cup of water, followed by seated breathing meditation to harmonize body, mind, and spirit. 

(On a sunny day, you can do exercise while seeing the river sparkle with vivid colors and life. In case of rain, the meditation will be held in the calming space of a garden house)

Later on the journey, at 10:00, you will move to a small temple on Duong Xuan Hill, where a kind-hearted master welcomes you with a smile and a cup of tea, sharing life lessons that inspire reflection and peace in the pure atmosphere.

By 10:30, you will pay a visit to the Flower House, a dreamlike home for the deaf and people born with brittle bone disease. Here, you will have the opportunity to learn basic sign language and join hands in making paper flowers alongside warm-hearted residents, gaining insights into their resilient lives.

One hour later, you will get to enjoy a macrobiotic lunch, which is more than just a meal. It is actually a practice that nurtures balance, enhances well-being, and supports disease prevention.

At 12:30, it is time to come back to Hue city center and unwind with the essence of a royal foot bath therapy at a local spa. The program ends at 13:30.

Today, you will be an early bird to depart at 4:00 from the city center of Hue. You will then get on a boat to explore a floating market at Ngu My Thanh community, where trading activity brings a close and visual look into local life. It is best to spend some time at the Lagoon Seafood Market to observe how fresh catches are gathered and sold at dawn. 

During the excursion, you will also travel to the Ban Chua tree system, experience catching fish, and enjoy SUP rowing. After all the activities, you will sit back, get a taste of fresh seafood, and take in the scenery of the lagoon in the early morning.

Around 7:30, you will go back to the stilt house area for a local-style breakfast featuring seafood noodles, followed by a relaxing coffee by the water. You will also have the chance to do more leisurely SUP rowing against the romantic backdrop of the lagoon.

Then at 9:30, you will proceed to Sia Market, one of the largest and most bustling markets in the region. This is where you can explore specialties and witness the daily rhythm of those who call it home. 

Before heading back at 13:30, you will enjoy a flavorful lunch at a nearby restaurant. 

You will have a full-day countryside immersion in Thanh Toan Village, including a home-cooked meal and a cycling route of up to 17 km on flat terrain.

Spend a peaceful and enriching day in Thanh Toan Village, a beautiful countryside area just outside Hue. This cycling tour gives you the chance to explore Vietnam’s long history of wet rice farming and truly experience rural life as it was centuries ago.

Ride through green rice fields and quiet village paths as you visit this village. Along the way, you’ll learn how local communities were organized, what their daily lives were like, and how they’ve preserved their traditions.

You’ll join local farmers in planting rice, try your hand at traditional fishing, and cook a fresh home-style meal with ingredients from the land. There’s also time to make simple handicrafts, just as villagers have done for generations.

Take a break on the peaceful tile-roofed bridge, and soak in the charm of rural Vietnam. This is not just a tour - it’s a hands-on, heartwarming journey into the soul of Vietnamese village life.