Hanoi Food Tour Opens New Perspective to Vietnam

Hanoi Food Tour Opens New Perspective to Vietnam

Letting Daniel Hoyer take him on a food tour to Vietnam’s capital, Travel Guru Michael Gebicki got to know Hanoi in quite a unique way. Though the tour only takes half-a-day, the discover goes beyond than the sumptuous food treats on the mazed alleys, but a better insight to Hanoi’s daily life, its people, history, attractions, culture, trade and even business opportunities.The tour started off at 9.30am.

First stop was at Banh Cuon, a small, open-fronted restaurant next to a shopping mall in what was once Hanoi's French quarter. The place is packed but if you know how to squeeze yourself in, there will always be a spot for you amongst the communal tables.On knee-high lacquered stools, Hoyer and Gebicki’s group enjoyed a steaming bowls of fat rice noodles to share, some wrapped around mushrooms to make a sausage. Each one gets a bowl of fish sauce to be mixed with lime, chili, browned shallots, shredded pork and garlic in rice vinegar, to be eaten with rice noodles.

They finished off their meal with banh gio (deep-fried sweet taro balls and rice powder) they bought from a lady walking around in her basket selling the treats.The next few stops had a lot to do with food. But each dish comes with abundant learning. Heading off to Cho Hom Market, Hoyer explained how the freshness of raw ingredients - may they be meat or vegetables – is the main criterion for Vietnamese cooking. Surprising to know, a Vietnamese housewife takes a trip to the market three times a day to ensure every meal uses the freshest ingredients. As the market is a huge produce market in the Hai Ba Trung area of the city, it continues to be packed from 7am and 6pm. Amazingly, the place continues to display a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and meat, all kept clean, just as the place is kept tidy.

From Hoyer, who had grown so familiar with Vietnamese cuisine and their ways, Gebicki’s group learned how the Vietnamese loves to have meat with every meal, with pork and meat as the most common, but more used as a flavoring to its dishes. Chicken is also preferred chewy instead of soft.It is interesting to observe several stalls outside selling devotional goods that are used as offerings. These can range from fake cellphones, fake shoes, miniature versions of Mercedes-Benz cars and bundles of fake money. Hoyer explains that such is how Buddhism is practiced in the country.

Adding that the Buddhism is somehow mixed with Confucianism and Taoism.A well-known chef in Hanoi and the author of Culinary Vietnam, Hoyer had formed a partnership with True Colour Tour as well as a restaurant called My Burger My, which means My American Burger. He also operates The Well Eaten Path - guided gastronomic adventures in Mexico and south-east Asia.With his extraordinary connection with the Vietnamese culture and its cuisine, his guides offer a different experience than that of ordinary Vietnam tours. Though based in New Mexico, he had grown to adapt the country’s many ways and he generously shares his insider's take on Hanoi’s life, work and play in the tour he offers.

Hoyer discussed with Gebicki everything from Vietnamese superstition to local foreign currency trading in Vietnam and real estate investments.The tour’s next stop was at a coffee house on Viet Vung Street named Tho. There, they savored coffee served with condensed milk. It's toasty with a hint of bitterness and a solid caffeine kick. Vietnam is the world's second-biggest coffee exporter after Brazil, Hoyer explained. The group had their lunch at a local restaurant known as Pho Cuon where they enjoyed spring rolls with beef, seafood fried rice, fried corn, clams with shallots, some water spinach dish and deep fried rice noodles.As well as being a tasty and cheap dining option, eating street food provides a great opportunity for people watching and an insight into local life. After all, just seeing is entirely different than experiencing it altogether.

Daniel Hoyer’s food tour offers is a allow you to experience Vietnam from a unique, intimate and well-informed perspective.Daniel Hoyer's tours cost $US50-$US85 ($48-$82) per head. Email Daniel Hoyer-Chef Tours on [email protected] or book through True Color Tours, [email protected], +84 9122 23966.