My special tour is off the beaten track. Try very special snacks and street finger foods never listed on any food tour around Hanoi.
You will walk through many backstreets and hidden alleyways in the old quarter, hitting all the food stops and learning about the history and local culture
Why should be my tour
More Special, off the beaten track street eats and bites
Adventurous Foodie Tour
Hanoi culture and background stories
Local market tour
Guided by expert foodie guide
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
At your hotel
At your hotel
I will pick you up at your hotel in the Old Quarter.
First stop: Hanoi original egg coffee
Once setting foot in Hanoi, you should not miss the chance to taste a special drink which is Hanoi egg coffee. It first seems quite weird, why can eggs be added to coffee? It’s the secret recipe of Mr. Nguyen Van Giang, the father of this unique beverage. We will learn intrerstingly why and how egg coffee was created.
Second stop: Green papaya salad
We stroll down to the shortest street of just 52 meters long for your first bite of Vietnamese favorite dish of shredded young papaya with beef jerky
Thrid stop: Hang Be market -
Check out a busy outdoor local market with lots of fresh food, veggies and flowers. Try very unique crispy fried fish meat roll.Through the market, a tiny alley reveals an old historic temple that was built by the Ly dynasty.
Stop 4:Snack
Try a hot Vietnamese donut from sticky rice flower since the lady keeps busy of making and frying the donuts all day.
Stop 5: Be adventerous, Let's try
Cha ruoi (sand worm omelet) is a Vietnamese dish made from ruoi (sand worms or Nereididae) which has been popular in Hanoi for quite a while.
While the worms themselves may look frightening to some, when mixed into an omelet, they add a delicious flavor that perfectly represents the city of Hanoi.
Stop 6: Best pillow cake in town from a hidden small corner
The lady has 2-3 hours to sell out all of her pillow cakes. Her house is way deep inside the alley. She rent the small corner in front of big road. Her main customers are Vietnamese people who are real foodie. Her pillow cake is crispy outside & flavorful inside.
Stop 7: Discover the Deliciousness of Banh Mi Que
As I researched Banh Mi Que, I found out that it is a traditional Vietnamese snack that has been around for centuries. The literal translation of Banh Mi Que is “stick bread,” which refers to the shape of the snack. It is a cylindrical-shaped bread that is about the size of a finger.
Stop 8: Banh cuon - Vietnamese Rice Rolls)
The name literally means rolled cakes because these delicious little treats are a batter of primarily rice flour, and the traditional filling is made of pork, onion, jicama, and mushrooms which are then rolled up. The texture is just amazing. The cooked dipping fish sauce makes it perfect.
Stop 9: Green sticky rice with ice-cream
Sweet sweet dessert
Walk through the old streets. Try the delicious famous snack to northern Vietnam, then get to a small alley where you try a very simple but creative bite from southern Vietnam.
Discover a few more very hidden spots before we head over to some sweet desserts.
At your hotel
End the tour with a warm goodbye and enjoy the rest of your evening.
Ending Point
At your hotel
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Professional English speaking tour guide
Pick up and drop off at your hotel
All the best food tastings
Unique egg coffee
Signature dessert
Transportation fee (such as taxi if your hotel is far from the Old Quarter)
Drinks (if any)
- For the tour that you book the guide only, kindly understand that the transportation and lunch fees for yourself and the guide will be paid by the customer.
- Hotel meetup inside the Old Quarter. This is considered to be the best location for tourists.
"Xin Chao" my dear customers from all over the world,
I am Rose Nguyen , who was born and raised in Hanoi. I have been working as a guide and travel consultant for customized unique tours in all parts of Vietnam. It is my great honor always to be your local expertise wherever you go in my country. I graduated from the University of Languages and International studies. My second and third degree are tourism & Vietnamese cooking. I found those as the great connection to bring the best services to my beloved customers.
I have been the international licensed tourist guide for more than 12 years until now. I am lucky to escort my clients through different regions. From that, I have chances of better understanding and respecting each culture and value. My priority of working is your satisfaction.
Beside all classic tours in Vietnam, I also have great ides for authentic tours as below:
1) Hidden Hanoi photograph tours
2) Hanoi backstreet motorbike tours: visit the beautiful parts of city and learn about local lives through hidden streets and alleys that only motorbikes can go through.
3) Non-touristy rural market visit and hands-on cooking experience at local home
4) Unspoilt Ninh Binh day trip from Hanoi
More customized options I can offer for your kind consideration.
To describe briefly my self: I am passionate, energetic and sincere always.
Warmest regards,
*Your ambassador in Vietnam*
Rose Nhung
Gim Y.
“Great experience and worth every moment”
All of us thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with Rose who provided much insight into Vietnamese food, culture and history. Rose is genuinely a great tour guide and chef. We have no hesitation in recommending her to our friends.
Nhung N.
Dear Gim and family, I would like to thank you so much for such wonderful review. It was my great honor to welcome you and family to my house with hands-on cooking class. I am so glad that you loved all the food we cooked from spring roll, banana blossom salad to Obama noodles. I wish you a safe and sound flight home. With my warmest regards from Hanoi, Rose Nhung
David K.
“Full day tour with Rose in Hanoi”
What a fantastic day with Rose, seeing the sites of Hanoi. We were picked up promptly in a clean, and very comfortable van with a friendly and excellent driver. We had already been in close contact with Rose to organise which sites to visit in the city of Hanoi. She was very time efficient, however we did not feel rushed at all. We visited Hoa Lo Prison, Temple of Literature, Train Street, street food in the Old Quarter, remnants of the B52 Bomber, some hidden alleyways and went to the famous Cafe Giang for our much anticipated, authentic Egg coffee experience !! We had an amazing lunch at Cha Ca Thang Long - so delicious and it is the best food we have eaten in Vietnam so far ! Rose is a highly experienced and professional tour guide of 15 years. Her excellent English made the day so enjoyable and memorable. Her knowledge of history, politics, culture and food is very impressive. She patiently answered all our questions and was interested in our background too. Her sense of humour made the day even more fun. She guided us across the incredibly busy roads and made us feel very comfortable at all times. We highly recommend yRose as a private tour guide for any area of Vietnam !
Nhung N.
Dear David, I would like to thank you so much for such glowing review. This really made my day. Thank you so much for picking me as your guide for Hanoi city tour - train street and street food tour. I am so glad to manage to take you to train street (in much less toursity area) and the original egg coffee from 1946. I am so glad that you LOVED Hanoi grilled fish. As a local guide who love history, culture and cuisine, I always want to show the must and hidden gems to my clients. Thank you so much for enjoying the tour with me. Your appreciation is well noted with gratitude. With my best regards, Rose Nhung
Buck J.
“The best you can get”
Rose was our guide for 4 days in and around Hanoi and Ninh Binh. I would recommend everybody to hire her a your guide. First of all she is a lovely person and extremely dedicated to make sure you have the best time ever. But in addition to her personality she is very well informed about so many aspects of life, culture, and religion in Vietnam. She also knows the hidden gems, the not very touristic places to go If you have enough energy you can talk to her all day about this beatiful country. Her grasp of the english language is excellent.
Nhung N.
Dear Buck and family, I could not know how to fully express my gratitude for such glowing review. It was my great pleasure to be your guide from Hanoi (street food tour - city tour) to Ninh Binh and then Mai Hich - a peaceful less known place. I am so happy for short time, we had done alot from tasting the best local food to learning Vietnamese history and local culture of Ethnic groups. Thank you so much again and with my best regards from Hanoi, Rose Nhung
$70/ per group