Half-Day Hanoi Food Walking Tour

Rose Nhung took us on the most spectacular street food tour today! We‘re a couple from Germany and friends of ours had recommended this company to us. We did an early morning walking tour in the Old Quarter, starting at Chợ Đồng Xuân Market and then went on an incredibly well curated tour that not only showed us traditional Hanoi dishes, but also included dishes typical to Haiphong, Saigon or the Central regions! At the beginning of the tour Rose asked us what dishes we had already tried (in our case, we‘d already had quite a few Hanoi staples, such as Phở, Bánh mì, Phở Cuon, Bánh xèo and Bún bò Nam Bộ) so she adjusted the tour on the spot to show us as many additional typical meals as possible and boy, did she deliver!!! Before I list everything we had, two things: A) No, you won’t find these spots on your own! We only sat among locals, some of the stalls are only opened for two hours, you‘ll need an expert like Rose to show them to you! B) Rose was the most pleasant company! She‘s so funny, witty and so knowledgeable in Vietnamese history and food culture! We got a full history tour on the side and such interesting cultural discussions!! She took so much time for us and we really appreciated her for it. So, here it goes. We had: 1. Gorgeously fresh fruit including mangcutsteen and mango 2. Chả rươi - A seasonal dish she offered as we felt adventurous, which included a worm that is considered a northern delicacy, which in combination with tamarind and dill kind of reminded me of a hashbrown but soo much fresher and better!! 3. Bún Riêu - Next to Pho, considered one of Hanoi’s most famous soups, this red crab and tomatoe soup was deliciously sour and bursting with flavor! Also a side of salad with shredded banana tree! 4. Bún chả - Grilled on charcoal and with an excellent dipping sauce, superfresh vermicelli and herbs that elevated everything even more, this one fully brought a tear to my eye! (Not kidding) Exceptional! 5. Bánh bột lọc (tapioca shrimp and pork dumplings) and Bánh gối (pork dumplings with quail egg) - fun new textures and lovely in taste! 6. Cà phê muối (salt coffee - heavily! Like a comforting desert) and Bạc xỉu (double milk coffee) along with amazing conversations gave our bellys some time to make room for more! 7. Bánh Đa Cua (not fully sure on the name!) a noodle dish from Haiphong with red noodles, crab meat, sausages fried shallots and a comforting crab broth on the side - my husband‘s and Rose‘s favorites! Sooo rich in flavor! 8. Chè - A cold coconut dessert soup with different tapioca fruit bits and ice inside! So refreshing! Also incredibly fun to look at as you see so many different colorful treats while eating! 9. Bánh tôm Hồ Tây - Hanoi Shrimp Cake, perfectly fried, so fresh, I could’ve eaten ten more but we were getting full at that point. :) 10. Bánh Tráng Trộn - shredded rice paper and mango salad, originally a Saigon staple! A fun crunchy texture with a lovely spicy kick - perfect to end the trip ! To be honest this is more of a diary, so I can remember this day forever! I don’t think I‘ve ever eaten this good. Thank you Rose, that was magical!! Kind regards, Wiebke & Max

+4

Jay was an amazing tour guide - highly recommend doing a tour with Jay! She took us to so many off the beaten track places, and made sure it was appropriate for our dietary requirements. Could not fault this tour. The food was amazing, and we really enjoyed learning about Vietnam from, Jay!

We loved our Hanoi food tour. Jay was amazing! Very knowledgeable and made us all feel like locals. Highly recommend the tour, especially with Jay! Tailored to all dietries as well :)

I loved this tour so much! Jay was an excellent, knowledgeable, friendly guide who showed us some local, hidden spots with delicious food. She was super accomodating to me being vegetarian and added so much value in the way of teaching us about life in Vietnam, language and culture. Such a good tour, so glad I did it.

My gf and I did the knife making class with Dzung and ms Tuyen the black smith. We had an incredible time and the hospitality was phenomenal. To be able to be immersed in one of the oldest and artisan black smiths was an incredible experience. She made it so easy to make the knife and we felt like a local! We shared stories and laughs with her , Dzung and the family. Not to forget we left with a very practical souvenir (a knife) thanks !

This was a great experience. I am celiac and my wife is vegetarian but there were lots of delicious items for us to try. Jay was a fantastic guide and I would highly recommend her to anyone wanting any kind of tour in Hanoi.

Brian is a top-notch guide who clearly knows his way around the local area, knows the vendors, and has a rapport in the city. Hi tour was interesting, filled with history and fun stories of Vietnam and the local area, and filling! We tried so many different types of local cuisine and he did a fantastic job of explaining what each dish was and why it was important to Vietnamese culture. Highly recommend!

Jay, our tour guide was fun, interesting, professional and made sure we had a great time. We got to enjoy some of the hidden food gems of the city. Highly recommend!

Brian was a great host and tour guide and we really had a good time! 🙏👍🏻😊

+4

Had an amazing food tour in Hanoi Old Quarter. Nick, who was our guide, was super knowledgeable and shared lots of cool insights about the local food and culture. He took us to authentic local spots we never would’ve found on our own. If you want a fun, stress-free experience, then I would this recommend tour with Nick.