2018 Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner

From Hanoi to the Highlands

Vietnam, the North

November 5 - 12, 2023

From the patinaed grandeur of Old Hanoi to the deep hilltribe valleys of Lao Cai province, this week is a master class in the vibrant present and the ancient past. Our hosts will be Hanoians, Hmong, Red Dzao, and the people behind Song Cai spirits, the most knowledgeable culinary minds in Vietnam’s north. We’ll track down the roots of pho from black cardamom fields to water buffalo markets. We’ll dine on blue plastic chairs down Bun cha alleys and private dining rooms with Vietnam’s most dynamic chefs. An unforgettable deep dive with the people who know it best.

Daniel Nguyen

Our Host

Activist, Distiller, Researcher
Daniel Nguyen

Andy Ricker

Trip Guide

Chef, Writer, Traveler
Andy Ricker

R&K Trip Itinerary

From the patinaed grandeur of Old Hanoi to the deep hilltribe valleys of Lao Cai province, this week is a master class in the vibrant present and the ancient past. Our hosts will be Hanoians, Hmong, Red Dzao, and the people behind Song Cai spirits, the most knowledgeable culinary minds in Vietnam’s north. We’ll track down the roots of pho from black cardamom fields to water buffalo markets. We’ll dine on blue plastic chairs down Bun cha alleys and private dining rooms with Vietnam’s most dynamic chefs. An unforgettable deep dive with the people who know it best.

November 5 – 12, 2023

Day 1

Nov 5 Sun

WELCOME TO THE CAPITOL

  • Metropole Hanoi
  • 15 P. Ngô Quyền, Street, French Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
  • +842438266919
  • Private transfer airport to the opulent Metropole Hanoi
  • Welcome cocktails with Andy & Daniel
  • Classic Hanoian dinner on Trúc Bạch Lake

Day 2

Nov 6 Mon

LEARNING THE RHYTHMS

  • Metropole Hanoi
  • 15 P. Ngô Quyền, Street, French Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
  • +842438266919
  • Egg coffee experience next to Hoan Kiem Lake at the cafe of the creator’s daughter
  • Stroll through Hanoi’s buzzing wet market with a tasting of the best market snacks
  • Visit Mr Le Dinh Nghien, last remaining artist of Hang Trong painting
  • Dinner of Chả Cá—imperial sizzling fish—a must-have classic of Hanoian cuisine
  • Private modernist cocktails with Richard McDonough – a renown molecular mixologist “Mood Therapist”

Day 3

Nov 7 Tue

NOODLES FOREVER

  • Hanoi-Lao Cai Sleeper Train
  • Early morning Jeep tour of the Old Quarter and French Quarter
  • On to Phở Thìn Lò Đúc for the king of breakfasts—Phở—in the glorious delirium of an early-rising, high-energy city
  • Lunchtime lesson in how to eat Bun cha Hanoi-style at Ngo Tram Alley
  • Spa time at Hotel Metropole
  • Dinner with the best of Bia Hoi snack and beer culture
  • Taste Vietnamese cocktail culture at Ne for a cocktail before the train
  • Head to the hills where Phở was born with private berths on our luxury sleeper train to the highland town of Lao Cai

Day 4

Nov 8 Wed

DAWN IN THE HIGHLANDS

  • Hotel de la Coupole
  • 1, Hoang Lien Street Sapa District, Lao Cai Province Sapa, 033000
  • +842143629999
  • Visit the remarkable Si Ma Cai water buffalo buffalo market, which foreigners can only visit visit with special permits (we got ‘em)
  • Private lunch of Hmong specialties at the home of Vang Sin Min, our host. This is the heartland of the earliest styles of phở
  • Transfer to Sa Pa, the blinking, blistering technicolor good-weird jewel of the north
  • Swim in the gaudy hotel pool complex or relax in the in-house spa or just do cocktails
    or do nothing
  • Dinner of Sa Pa specialty grilled meats
  • Stagger to bed, full, tired, happy

Day 5

Nov 9 Thu

MOUNTAIN LIFE

  • Topas Ecolodge
  • Thanh Kim, Sa Pa, Lao Cai, Vietnam
  • +84 24 7307 0899
  • Wake early to head to the Red Dzao village near Sa Pa
  • Roam fields of black cardamom, a key foundational ingredient of phở
  • Forage with Red Dzao elder Ly May Chan
  • Visit to a traditional Red Dzao home
  • Celebratory Red Dzao feast featuring ancient mastery of black pig cookery
  • Transfer to Topas Ecolodge, a stunning and sustainable paradise in the hills

Day 6

Nov 10 Fri

RICE AND RELAX

  • Topas Ecolodge
  • Thanh Kim, Sa Pa, Lao Cai, Vietnam
  • +84 24 7307 0899
  • Wake up late, no rush, no fuss
  • Rice cooking masterclass with Andy Ricker at the resort
  • Infinity pool, infinite chill
  • Rice wine and rice cocktail tasting at the poolside bar
  • Dinner of hotpot in Sa Pa town

Day 7

Nov 11 Sat

BACK TO THE LOWLANDS

  • Metropole Hanoi
  • 15 P. Ngô Quyền, Street, French Quarter, Hoàn Kiếm, Hà Nội
  • +842438266919
  • Wake slowly in Topas Ecolodge
  • Swim, sulk, smile, say farewell to the mountains you’ve come to love
  • Transfer to Hanoi with halfway northern Vietnamese lunch stop
  • Last night epic farewell meal: a private dining experience with one of Vietnam’s most creative chefs, Bao La

Day 8

Nov 13 Mon

GOODBYE HANOI

  • One last breakfast at the Metropole Hanoi
  • One last egg coffee and Bun cha if you’ve got time
  • Private transfer to Hanoi Airport

THE HOTELS

In Hanoi, there is only one hotel for us that is both legendary and luxurious: the Metropole Hanoi in the heart of the French Quarter. Just steps from the Opera House, the Metropole is redolent of the colonial past and the vibrant future alike. There’s just one word that comes to mind for this jewel of a hotel: grandeur.

The Hôtel de la Coupole in Sa Pa will never win any awards for subtlety. It is a gaudy confection of a hotel that is extremely comfortable as well as a very good embodiment of the Vegas-like twist in Sa Pa’s development. We’re only in Sa Pa for one night, and the Coupole is absolutely the place to experience it from.

Yes, it’s home to one of the world’s most celebrated (and Instagrammed) infinity pools. But the Topas Eco-Lodge is much more than that: it is a property that knows its place in the natural and cultural environment of the Vietnamese highlands. Their commitment to local culture and cuisine matches our own ambitions, and their sustainability efforts, while delivering a high level of luxury, are hugely laudable.

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