Start your day slurping a bowl of Vietnam’s unofficial national dish, pho. Not just any old phở, either. The best phở in Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll even teach you how to pronounce it properly. We will take you out of the tourist area for a food walk through the “real” Ho Chi Minh City. We’ll start at a pho place that’s been serving noodle soup for more than 35 years. This place is one of Saigon’s best kept secrets … and it also serves great Vietnamese coffee. After breakfast, we’ll wander around the backstreets, past food stalls, com tam (broken rice) restaurants and other intriguing local shops. As we walk we’ll start collecting snacks to sample later, picnic-style. We’ll walk through a chaotic local wet market, where tiny stall sell dried, pickled and fresh produce, as well as live seafood, frogs and fresh meat. We’ll stop in the noisy eating area to soak in the craziness. A short walk from the market is a peaceful park, and a temple famous for its fortune telling. In the shade of one of the tall trees, we’ll have our “tasting” picnic, then adjourn to a little rice restaurant where we’ll enjoy a family-style meal. This tour, suitable for families, is a great introduction to Vietnam. During the tour you’ll learn some of the basics that will make your visit to Vietnam enjoyable, including how to cross the road! While it’s not physically possible to eat everything you see on the tour, when we’re finished with you, you should be able to identify a range of local dishes and know how to order them. We also hope you’ll have a deeper understanding of Vietnamese culture and history.