Food Tours in Northern Vietnam: Three Journeys That Go Beyond the Bowl
There’s a version of eating in Vietnam that most travellers never quite reach. Not because it’s hard to find, but because you need someone to take you there.
The North of Vietnam tells its culinary stories differently. Quieter, more layered, less showy. A bowl of phở here carries centuries of identity. A port city’s crab noodle soup tastes like something you can only find within a few kilometres of where it was born.
These three food tours in Northern Vietnam were built by Chôm Chôm Travel, not from a guidebook or from CNN Travel, but from real curiosity. Each one began with a traveller who asked a question we didn’t yet have an answer to. So we went and found out.
The best part of any Vietnamese food tour? Watching local chefs in action.
Hanoi After Dark: A Ride Through the City's Tastiest Streets
How it started
Every food tour Chôm Chôm builds goes through the same process: the team eats it first. For the Hanoi motorbike tour, that process had a natural starting point. Trang Ngo, our Adventure Coordinator Manager, was born and raised here.
Trang brings something harder to replicate than local knowledge alone. Having lived abroad and worked with international travellers for years, she understands what makes an experience genuinely land for someone from outside Vietnam. Not just a sequence of dishes, but the stories, the people and the rituals woven around them. The Hanoi evening tour was built through her eyes: the spots she grew up eating at, filtered through the question of what makes a meal memorable rather than merely interesting.
Trang, our Adventure Coordinator Manager
What it is
A four-hour private motorbike food tour through Hanoi’s backstreets and Old Quarter, starting at 5:30 PM.
The experience
The evening begins at a local market, where the city shifts into a different rhythm. Your guide leads you through stalls of local delicacies including Bánh Gối, a crispy, golden pastry filled with minced meat, mushrooms, vermicelli and pepper before heading into the Old Quarter.
There, a family-run shop serves Bánh Khúc, a warm sticky rice cake that is distinctly Hanoian. A quiet alley follows, where two sisters have been serving Bún Riêu to locals gathering for dinner or Bún Ốc if snails are your preference.
By 7 PM, you’re at a 20-year-old restaurant for Phở Cuốn — fresh rice paper rolls with fried minced beef, eaten with a cold local beer and a front-row view of the street. The night closes at a dessert shop with Hanoi-style flan or coconut ice cream.
Good to know
- Starts at your accommodation in Hanoi
- Kid-friendly
- Guide speaks English or French
- Book at least 3 days in advance
Nam Định: The Day Trip That Changes How You Think About Phở
How it started
A Vietnamese-Dutch chef, Tessa Yen Nguyen, approached us to plan a trip for herself. During the conversation, she mentioned that her grandmother was from Nam Định, a city she had never visited, even though she returned to Vietnam nearly every year. That detail stayed with us.
The Chôm Chôm team traveled to Nam Định to see for ourselves. What we found surprised us: a city with more stories and more on the plate than we expected, and almost no international visitors to speak of. Every stop on this tour has been personally verified and inspected by the Chôm Chôm team.
Watch a video
Tessa, our traveller (left) and Trang (right)
What it is
A full-day private food tour from Hanoi to Nam Định, approximately 1.5 hours each way, returning you to the capital by 3 PM. Over eight hours, you’ll try 7+ local speciality dishes.
The experience
Nam Định is where phở comes from. Not the Hanoi version, not the Saigon version, the original. Tasting it here feels different. The broth is distinctive, and the beef options extend to tái lăn (stir-fried beef) which sets it apart from what you’d find in a bowl up north. By late morning, the tour wraps up the phở chapter with Phở Xíu (phở with char siu pork) and Phở Chiên Giòn (crispy fried phở) alongside the crunchy Bánh Mì Pate.
But Nam Định isn’t only about phở.
The Old Quarter here carries the slow-paced feel of a traditional Vietnamese town, quieter than Hanoi, and with fewer visitors. You’ll slow down at a café that holds the nostalgic memory of the city, wander through a local market, and visit a manufacturing shop that has been making Xíu Páo (char siu bao) fresh every morning for over 30 years.
The afternoon visit includes Phổ Minh Pagoda Tower, a national relic and symbol of the Trần Dynasty, where your guide brings the region’s history and religious traditions to life.
Nam Định doesn’t ask much of you. It just quietly reveals itself, dish by dish, street by street.
Good to know
- Private pick-up and drop-off from your Hanoi accommodation
- Kid-friendly
- Guide speaks English
- Book at least 5 days in advance
Hải Phòng: A Port City That Does Flavour on Its Own Terms
How it started
Grace, a Singaporean travel journalist approached us for a day-trip suggestion in or near Quảng Ninh that offered real cultural depth—beyond the Hạ Long Bay cruise itinerary. We suggested something we hadn’t yet done ourselves: a food day in Hải Phòng.
The Chôm Chôm team went first, inspected every stop, and came back with a tour. We’re glad we made the trip.
Hải Phòng Train Station (Source: vnexpress)
What it is
A six-hour private food tour through Hải Phòng, best experienced as an extension of a Hanoi–Cát Bà itinerary. Pick-up from either Hải Phòng or Hạ Long is available.
(Note: Hải Phòng is roughly 2 to 2.5 hours from Hanoi, which makes a return day trip from the capital a long day. Chôm Chôm recommends building it into your route rather than treating it as a standalone excursion. Alternatively, you can take the train from Hanoi to Hải Phòng, about 2.5 hours each way, and it’s a genuinely enjoyable journey in itself.)
The experience
Hải Phòng people have a saying: Người Hải Phòng ăn sóng nói gió — “Hải Phòng people eat the wave and speak the wind.” It describes the bold, outspoken character shaped by centuries of life as a seaport city. The food reflects exactly that.
The morning starts early, deliberately so. Your first stop is Xôi Thịt, sticky rice with braised pork, at a busy local stall. By 9 or 9:30 AM, the best spots are already selling out. This is not a tour that lets you sleep in.
A stroll past iconic French-era architecture follows, buildings that hold the city’s history and the character that shaped it, such as the Opera House, Hải Phòng Museum, and Train Station. Then into the streets for the dish that defines Hải Phòng: Bánh Đa Cua, deep red rice noodles in a rich crab broth layered with herbs, served at a long-standing stall tucked into a hidden alley. Vietnamese travellers have been making trips to Hải Phòng specifically for this for years. It doesn’t taste the same anywhere else.
From there: Nem Cua Bể, large, crispy fried rolls of fresh crab meat, and Bánh Đúc Tàu, a Chinese-influenced steamed rice flour dish topped with savoury toppings, a rare find that speaks to the trading heritage of this port city.
The afternoon concludes with Bánh Mì Pate Cay, spicy pâté breadsticks with a special chili sauce, and Trà Hoa Cúc, chrysanthemum tea woven into the city’s social life, a regular gathering ritual especially among younger locals.
Watch our video
Good to know
- Pick-up from Hải Phòng or Hạ Long
- Kid-friendly
- Guide speaks English
- Book at least 5 days in advance
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these food tours in Northern Vietnam suitable for first-time visitors?
Yes. All three tours are private and fully guided, with English-speaking local guides. You set the pace, and every experience can be adjusted to your comfort level with new foods. First-time visitors often find these tours among the most memorable parts of their time in Vietnam.
What makes a private food tour different from a group tour?
With a private food tour, your guide’s attention is entirely on you. There’s no fixed schedule to rush through, and no compromises on what you want to explore. Chôm Chôm’s tours are designed around your group, whether you’re travelling solo, as a couple, or with children.
Is Nam Định worth visiting just for food?
Absolutely. The city is the birthplace of Phở, one of the most recognisable dishes in Vietnamese cuisine, yet it remains largely unexplored by international visitors. That combination of genuine culinary history and a calm, unhurried atmosphere makes it one of the most rewarding day trips from Hanoi.
Can the tours be customised for dietary needs or adventurous eaters?
Yes, on both counts. Chôm Chôm’s Adventure Coordinator will help navigate any dietary requirements, and each experience can be tailored, whether you want to go deeper into the food culture or prefer to pace yourself across the tastings.
Ready to Eat Your Way Through the North?
Every Chôm Chôm tour starts with a conversation. Tell us where you’re going, who you’re travelling with, and what kind of experience you’re looking for and we’ll help you build something that fits.
Get in touch with our team to start planning your Northern Vietnam food adventure.
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