Hanoi is a paradise for lovers of street food and the city’s best dishes can be found on its bustling

sidewalks, where the air is filled with the aroma of lemongrass, chili, cilantro, and other fresh herbs. Your

guide will offer you insights into the intricacies and traditions of Vietnamese food culture, including

details about the ingredients and historical backgrounds of popular northern dishes.

Hanoi’s contemporary art scene is evolving the most rapidly in the country and the city’s list of galleries is growing. Besides working with traditional materials like pigments, silk, papers, and lacquer on wood, the younger generation of Vietnamese artists has become very active in involving different forms of art, such as installation, performance and video art. Today, meet with an Art Director at your hotel lobby for a 3,5 hour’s journey through the contemporary art scene. His projects and activities focus on discovering the diversity of expression in the new arts, and its possibilities to be explored in different locations and circumstances covered by specific cultural and political situations in Vietnam and the Asian region. Depending on the timing, make the first visit either to an art space for an ongoing art exhibition or to a private gallery of an art curator, where you will appreciate her effort to introduce Vietnam Art to the world since the 1990s. The country has also seen a progression of technological advancements in art installation in public spaces. Admire one of the virtual artworks, which is accessible via a smartphone app through the use of augmented reality. Just standing at the corner of the bustling centre, through your phone, this artwork tells you about Hanoi’s history, the artist’s childhood memories and modern society. If time allows, stroll through 2 artworks at a public art project, that transformed the whole discarded area. The artworks use recycled materials and other items and ideas which connect the area with the Red River and the ancient Long Bien Bridge. Return to your hotel with vivid memories of the city from another aspect