helloworld Travel Ponsonby - Recent staff trips

Rohan's journey through Vietnam lasted nearly three weeks, split between an 12-day small group tour from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, followed by a week exploring the capital on his own.

What made Vietnam unforgettable wasn't just the sights. It was discovering that some experiences can only be understood through taste, that coffee could vary so dramatically from one region to another, and that the most remarkable meals often came from the humblest places. We'll share his journey in two parts, starting with Vietnam's culinary soul.

An invitation to taste Vietnam

Imagine spending 12 days following the scent of grilled pork through Hanoi's alleyways, learning to judge coffee by the sound it makes dripping through a metal filter, and sitting with families who've been making the same dish for three generations. Not as an observer, but as someone they're welcoming into their kitchen.

In October 2026, Helloworld Travel Ponsonby is partnering with Lazy Sunday Club, a food-focused community with over 40,000 members, to lead a culinary deep dive through Vietnam. This isn't a restaurant tour. It's access to the street vendors locals queue for, the family-run places with no English menus, the morning markets where ingredients are still warm from the garden.

You'll learn to make dishes in hands-on cooking classes, discover tea-making traditions that go back centuries, trust chefs to feed you their best work, and walk through neighbourhood after neighbourhood where the best food never makes it onto tourist maps. A seasoned food entrepreneur who knows exactly where to find these experiences leads the journey.

With only 17 or 18 spots available on a first come, first serve basis, this intimate experience is filling fast. The tour costs starts From $5,955 per person on a twin-share basis, including flights. But value here isn't measured in receipts. It's measured in the moment you taste something so perfectly balanced you finally understand what all the fuss was about, or when you're welcomed into someone's home and realise food has just become the universal language. You can find more details about the tour here.

Contact Rohan Dhamija at Helloworld Travel Ponsonby to secure your place on this October food tour before spots fill up.

Coffee like you've never tasted before

If you think you know coffee, Vietnam will humble you. The country has transformed the simple act of drinking coffee into an art form, with each region offering its own distinctive takes on the beverage.

In Ho Chi Minh City, Rohan stumbled upon what might be every coffee lover's dream: an eight-storey apartment building where all 24 apartments have been converted into coffee shops. Each floor offers something different. One apartment served as a cafe, another as a restaurant, yet another specialised in burgers. But coffee remained the constant in this vertical village of caffeine.

The variety didn't stop at the building's architecture. Travel to central Vietnam, and you'll encounter coconut coffee, a discovery that Rohan still raves about.

"They make it with coconut ice cream, and it just tastes amazing. Perfect for the hot weather."

Then there's the famous Vietnamese coffee itself, served at roadside kiosks across the country. Strong, dark coffee that is slowly dripped through a metal filter directly into a glass of sweetened condensed milk. "It's very sweet, but you can actually taste the coffee really nicely."

Hanoi took things even further with salt coffee and egg coffee, specialities unique to the capital. The egg coffee particularly intrigued him: whisked egg beaten with coffee, creating a smooth, custard-like texture that somehow worked despite sounding impossible.

"The taste is fine, but the egg aftertaste is something I couldn't digest. But worth trying for the experience."

Vietnam's coffee culture goes far beyond what Rohan discovered in three weeks. There are roasteries pushing boundaries, cafes with decades of family history, techniques you won't find anywhere else. We can point you toward them.

Where roadside stalls deliver food fit for a President
Fine dining in Vietnam doesn't always come with white tablecloths and sommelier service. Sometimes it comes from a roadside kiosk with six items on the menu.

In Hanoi, Rohan joined the queue snaking down the street from what locals simply call 'Bun Cha Obama.' Years earlier, former US President Barack Obama had sat at this humble establishment, eating the same simple meal available to everyone else.

"There was nothing fancy about it. It was the simplest restaurant I've ever seen. They had six things on the menu and people were queuing outside."

Bun cha was the specialty of choice, a Hanoi classic of grilled pork served with noodles, fresh herbs, and a sweet-sour dipping sauce. The photos of Obama dining there still hang on the walls, a testament to how food in Vietnam transcends status and pretension. Whether you're a world leader or a backpacker, you sit on the same small stools, eat from the same bowls, and experience the same perfectly balanced flavours that have made this hole-in-the-wall famous.

The street food culture extends throughout the country. In Hoi An, one banh mi vendor has achieved legendary status. Madam Khanh (the Banh Mi Queen) is a small stall where customers queue down the street, even in the pouring rain, for their famous baguette sandwiches.

What truly impressed Rohan was the inclusivity of it. Whether you're vegan, vegetarian, or have specific dietary requirements, Vietnam makes it easy. From family homes in the Mekong Delta to restaurants in the cities, finding food that suits your needs is never a challenge.

This variety in Vietnamese experiences extends beyond food. Just as the country offers everything from street stalls to fine dining, it also balances energetic exploration with moments of genuine calm. A Mekong Delta river cruise lets you drift past floating markets, watch daily life unfold along the water, and absorb the pace of communities shaped by the river. We're currently offering special rates that pair comfort with genuine local encounters.

We have a super early bird offer of up to $1500 per person on the Mekong Delta land and cruise tour from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Receive an additional exclusive discount of $200 per person if booked before 28th February. For more details, click here.

Coffee and street food revealed one side of Vietnam, but the country had more to offer: War museums, dragons guarding mountain peaks, festival that not even floods could stop and bays that look like they were straight out of a desktop screensaver. Next time, we dive into history, culture, and the bliss in letting someone else plan.

Contact Rohan at Helloworld Travel Ponsonby to start planning your Vietnamese adventure. Whether you're interested in the October food tour, a Mekong cruise, or a custom itinerary, we're ready to help you explore this remarkable country.