Craig Hondo
Google
Went on the "Vietnam with Nini Nguyen" tour. Modern Adventure has these tours that they pair with a tastemaker, and the pairing that they did here was awesome. I didn't know who Nini Nguyen was until I took this tour, but now I'm a big fan. Nini is a Food Network celebrity chef, but she was so accessible and friendly. She introduced all of us to her favorite foods and places in Vietnam. If something wasn't on the curated tour schedule that she felt we needed to experience, she worked with Modern Adventure to revise our itinerary.
The food experience was mind blowing. We had fruits we've never enjoyed, seafood that was unbelievable, herbs with funky tastes, and lots of fish sauce. Vietnamese street food can be scary, but it was delicious.
The non-food experiences were pretty awesome too. The experiences included the typical historical and religious sites, but we also got to experience cruises, a bike ride, cyclo tours, a basket boat ride (technically there was fishing but that is stretching it), and a Vespa tour that gets your blood flowing.
Extra points for the excellent local tour guide that stayed with us the entire tour. He was on top of every aspect of our adventure making sure everyone enjoyed the tour; and since he was formerly a history teacher explained history, culture, and current events a we explored the country. He was in constant contact from the day we arrived to the day we left Vietnam.
Definitely would go on another Modern Adventure tour when I find the right adventure.