Cao Bằng/Four journeys/Journey 01
Journey 01 · One day on foot

Cao Bằng Walking Only

You shop the morning market with a local guide, cook what you bought alongside a chef, then eat exactly what you made. The rest of the day unfolds on foot.

1,280,000₫≈ US$49 per person · group of 2–10 · indicative rate 26,000₫ / US$
08:00–17:30
Full day
0 km
By vehicle — all on foot
3 snacks
Street food before dusk
Ask about this journey
Cao Bằng morning market
The route

How the day unfolds

The Market Challenge
1
Morning

The Market Challenge

Ingredient list in hand, you shop the central market and bargain yourself.

Into the kitchen
2
Midday

Into the kitchen

Cook alongside the chef at Hạt Dẻ — then eat exactly what you made.

The old quarter
3
Afternoon

The old quarter

Narrow lanes, colonial remnants and the bridge over the Bằng Giang.

Highland coffee
4
Late afternoon

Highland coffee

Egg coffee by the river, and the stories of the Tày, Nùng and Dao.

Street food
5
Dusk

Street food

Crispy áp chao, Thạch An black jelly, roasted chestnuts.

Scroll for the full day →

Full hour-by-hour itinerary +
08:00
Meet your guide at your hotel. Start with bánh cuốn — steamed rice rolls in bone broth, the local breakfast.
09:00
The Market Challenge. You receive an ingredient list and shop the central market yourself, bargaining with the vendors.
10:30
Cooking class at Hạt Dẻ restaurant — into the kitchen with the chef, cooking what you just bought.
12:30
Lunch made from your own dishes, then time to rest.
14:00
Traces of Time. A walk through the old quarter — narrow lanes, French colonial remnants, the Old Quarter Pagoda, and the bridge over the Bằng Giang river.
15:15
Highland coffee culture. Egg coffee or herbal tea by the river, while your guide tells the stories of the Tày, Nùng and Dao.
16:30
Afternoon food tour — crispy áp chao cakes, Thạch An black jelly, roasted chestnuts.
17:30
The tour ends. Your evening in Cao Bằng is your own.
The detail

What's included

Included in the price +
  • Private local guide throughout the day
  • Breakfast: Cao Bằng bánh cuốn in bone broth
  • Market Challenge, ingredients included
  • Cooking class with a chef, plus lunch from your own dishes
  • One drink at the café
  • Afternoon food tour — three highland snacks
  • Old quarter walking tour and pagoda visit
  • Drinking water, travel insurance, VAT invoice
Not included +
  • Dinner — yours to explore
  • Accommodation and personal expenses
  • Extra drinks beyond the one included
  • Transfer if you stay outside the centre
  • Gratuities, entirely at your discretion
Good to know — this is a walking day; comfortable trainers matter. If you have knee or mobility concerns, tell us in advance and the guide will adjust the route.
Plan your journey

Ready for Cao Bằng?

Tell us your dates and we will hold the rooms — homestays here have very few of them.

Also in Cao Bằng

The other journeys