Autochtones
Autochtones
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One Day in Hanoi is a unique day tour organized by Autochtones, a non profit organization (registered French charity). Join us to explore a side of the capital very few tourists experience. The tour includes laughing yoga, a cooking class, lotus tea tasting, cycling, a reflexology massage... And for the food lovers, join our street food tours to wake up your taste buds!
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
5.0
20 reviews
Excellent
19
Very good
1
Average
0
Poor
0
Terrible
0
sypakine
Ottawa1 contribution
May 2014 • Couples
This tour is exactly what I had been seeking - something different from the everyday tourist trap tour. If you are interested in a true cultural experience and the opportunity to ask a lot of questions, this is the way to do it. Perrine and her co-guides are truly wonderful and have put a lot of thought into organizing the day. There wasn't a dull moment! Well worth the cost of the tour. I'm also so glad I got up so early in the morning (not a morning person) because to see how active all the locals are at that time is amazing!! The laughing yoga really set the tone for the day. Plus the group of Vietnamese were so welcoming regardless of us not understanding a word they said.
The true Vietnamese sauna and massage at the end (choose this option!) was the ultimate Vietnamese experience. It's hard to describe and I don't want to ruin it for anyone but if you're adventurous and want to immerse yourself in the culture but only have a short time to do it, this is definitely the tour for you.
We were so happy with the tour that we raved about it for days after. It was the best day of our whole month traveling. Enjoy!
The true Vietnamese sauna and massage at the end (choose this option!) was the ultimate Vietnamese experience. It's hard to describe and I don't want to ruin it for anyone but if you're adventurous and want to immerse yourself in the culture but only have a short time to do it, this is definitely the tour for you.
We were so happy with the tour that we raved about it for days after. It was the best day of our whole month traveling. Enjoy!
Written 23 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
mungo3068
Melbourne, Australia28 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
I've lived in Hanoi for a long time, but still got a lot out of doing both the Street Food Tour (vegetarian) and the One Day in Hanoi tour. Lots of fun, lovely guides, who can tell you both the basic facts about Hanoi, or cover more obscure interesting topics, depending on your preference! It was pretty fantastic to discover some vegetarian foods in Hanoi that I hadn't tried and to wander the streets with someone who really knew what they were doing. Highly recommend these tours for both locals and travellers.
Written 8 September 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tony TONG Kee Choi
Singapore, Singapore53 contributions
Jul 2014 • Couples
Perrine (who owns and runs this project) assigned Minh as our guide for the day. Since we are in our early 70s, we opted for using taxi (at our own expenses) to cover the different stops - a wonderful experience. All things we did were our FIRST (what we see, eat and do) in Hanoi, although we have been here many times. Minh is enthusiastic, knowledgeable and caring. He met us at the hotel at 9 am we brought us back around 5 pm, a perfect no-rush itinerary for us.
Written 2 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anthony S
1 contribution
The One Day in Hanoi tour was a fantastic experience that exposed my wife and me to parts of Hanoi that we would not have from other tours. Food, drink, culture and sights are all included - providing a level of value that was unmatched to the numerous tours we had throughout Vietnam and Cambodia.
The tour starts off with a great, light/fun exercise that sets the tone for the entire day. Breakfast, snacks (fruit/vegetables), and lunch all provide ample (or excessive!) portions to keep you well fed. You will also get to see Hanoi in its rustic and raw form, stripped of the fluff that foreigners are often exposed to. The tour's finale is also fantastic.
Unlike many our other tours, Perrine kept to the the itinerary and avoided tourist traps. This provided for a more relaxed atmosphere as we did not feel pressured into anything. Perrine also created challenges that encourage soaking up as much of the sights, history and language - something that more our previous tours seem lacking in hindsight.
Approach the tour ready to experience the real Hanoi - It is sure to exceed your expectations.
The tour starts off with a great, light/fun exercise that sets the tone for the entire day. Breakfast, snacks (fruit/vegetables), and lunch all provide ample (or excessive!) portions to keep you well fed. You will also get to see Hanoi in its rustic and raw form, stripped of the fluff that foreigners are often exposed to. The tour's finale is also fantastic.
Unlike many our other tours, Perrine kept to the the itinerary and avoided tourist traps. This provided for a more relaxed atmosphere as we did not feel pressured into anything. Perrine also created challenges that encourage soaking up as much of the sights, history and language - something that more our previous tours seem lacking in hindsight.
Approach the tour ready to experience the real Hanoi - It is sure to exceed your expectations.
Written 23 May 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pauline G
Halle (Saale), Germany1 contribution
Apr 2014 • Couples
The tour was really great! A bit exhausting but that was fine for us since we had been really lazy the last week. I really liked that we were never in a hurry and always stopped for snacks and drinks. Quy was really funny and nice. The only thing that could be better are the information about Vietnam that we got on the way. To get a bit more than what you find in most tourist books would round up the tour. But overall it was really a great experience!
Written 20 April 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shi H
Singapore, Singapore27 contributions
Feb 2014 • Friends
We were thoroughly charmed after spending a day with Minh, our excellent guide from Autochtones! A jovial, knowledgeable, passionate and proud HCM native who now lives in Hanoi with his wife, Minh showed us his Hanoi.
We started the day with a group of locals, led by Laughing Yoga instructor, Vinh, at a park by the lake at 6am to breathe, dance and laugh our way into a healthier day. Laughing Yoga is hilarious, at the same time, invigorating and tested our cheek and spontaniety to new levels! It was so much fun.
We spent the next few hours talking food and coffee. Minh took us through a narrow alley that revealed a gorgeous quiet sanctuary that is a home and a rooftop cafe at the same time. Minh explained this is one of 2 remaining cafes serving Cà Phê Trung - egg coffee. Traditional, sweet, thick and wonderfully soothing. Minh is a coffee expert himself, and took the time to explain to us what really goes into Vietnamese coffee.
Breakfast beckoned next once our taste buds were awakened and caffeinated. We went, by foot, in search of Bun Rieu Cua, crab and tomato noodles topped with fish cake, pork, herbs, chilli and home-brewed rice vinegar. Such. Beautiful. Flavours.
What we loved about Minh was that once we chatted more, he found out we loved food as much as he did. After which he promptly walked us more around the Old Quarter, pointing us to famous sights but also stopping to buy us traditional mung bean rice cakes for us to try. We visited the local flower market to experience the madness of preparing for Tet.
We later sought respite in a local wet market to buy ingredients for our cooking class later, instructed by his lovely wife. Our lunch of Cha Gio, steamed vegetables and stewed pork in a whole coconut was a revelation in simplicity. Massage, precious lotus tea appreciation followed after, and we ended our day with Minh showing us proudly the plots of cherry blossom and kumquat plants that his family owned and leased to other locals for Tet.
Thanks to Minh, his wife and his family, we felt the warmth of the people, and the buzz and spirit of the city. We saw it in Minh, we tasted it in the food and coffee he got us to try, we felt it over tea and conversation with his wife.
We started the day with a group of locals, led by Laughing Yoga instructor, Vinh, at a park by the lake at 6am to breathe, dance and laugh our way into a healthier day. Laughing Yoga is hilarious, at the same time, invigorating and tested our cheek and spontaniety to new levels! It was so much fun.
We spent the next few hours talking food and coffee. Minh took us through a narrow alley that revealed a gorgeous quiet sanctuary that is a home and a rooftop cafe at the same time. Minh explained this is one of 2 remaining cafes serving Cà Phê Trung - egg coffee. Traditional, sweet, thick and wonderfully soothing. Minh is a coffee expert himself, and took the time to explain to us what really goes into Vietnamese coffee.
Breakfast beckoned next once our taste buds were awakened and caffeinated. We went, by foot, in search of Bun Rieu Cua, crab and tomato noodles topped with fish cake, pork, herbs, chilli and home-brewed rice vinegar. Such. Beautiful. Flavours.
What we loved about Minh was that once we chatted more, he found out we loved food as much as he did. After which he promptly walked us more around the Old Quarter, pointing us to famous sights but also stopping to buy us traditional mung bean rice cakes for us to try. We visited the local flower market to experience the madness of preparing for Tet.
We later sought respite in a local wet market to buy ingredients for our cooking class later, instructed by his lovely wife. Our lunch of Cha Gio, steamed vegetables and stewed pork in a whole coconut was a revelation in simplicity. Massage, precious lotus tea appreciation followed after, and we ended our day with Minh showing us proudly the plots of cherry blossom and kumquat plants that his family owned and leased to other locals for Tet.
Thanks to Minh, his wife and his family, we felt the warmth of the people, and the buzz and spirit of the city. We saw it in Minh, we tasted it in the food and coffee he got us to try, we felt it over tea and conversation with his wife.
Written 11 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jonas H
Stockholm, Sweden2 contributions
Dec 2013 • Solo
If you're traveling to Hanoi or if you'll use Hanoi as your starting-point on a longer Vietnamese journey, this is a perfect tour to start with. It will give you crucial information about food, language and culture in Vietnam that you'll have so much use of. I travelled in Vietnam for two months and I wish I took this tour when I arrived. The reason why I liked it was because it was very well organized, it was full of nice food experiences, I gained a better understanding of the language and the guide spoke excellent English. There are no hidden charges (which is quite common on other tours) and you'll get more than you paid for. This tour is organized with excellence and delivered with passion. Be sure to be rested though. :)
Written 8 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Monique_WalkMelb
Melbourne, Australia44 contributions
Oct 2013 • Friends
I published this as a blog post in October, but Trip Advisor would n't accept the link. So here's the blog post text.
A few days a go we were hanging out at the Hanoi Social Club and picked-up a lovely looking postcard for a day tour called ‘One Day in Hanoi‘. The graphic design was beautiful and it promised things such as a walking tour, local food, market shopping, lotus flower tea and a bike ride. Just up our alley!
Perrine was our host and is involved with Autochtones, a French organization in Vietnam that promotes meaningful cultural exchange. They have had a number of projects, which includes film making and since mid-2013, walking tours.
At 6.15am (!) we met at the meeting point in an important public square in Vietnam. Under the statue of one of Vietnams founding fathers we joined a very local ritual of ‘laughing yoga’. Now – I’m a skeptic of laughing classes/groups, but will give everything a go once. Yes, it was surreal to be laughing on-demand with group of middle-aged Vietnamese ladies in a public square. Even more bizarre was the young man at the centre of the circle leading the group. Apparently he does this voluntarily every day. The reason? He’s believes happiness comes through laughing and this is his advocacy approach. We asked Perrine to make a doco about him.
Anyway, after yoga we briefly joined the group on the other side of the statue learning be-bop. In a public square. At 7.30 on a Sunday morning.
Then the walking and eating started. We walked around Hoam Kiem Lake and Perrine brought us to a little street food stall in an alley for a tomato and crab based noodle soup. Noodle soup is fundamental to northern Vietnamese cuisine and so many words exist, mostly describing the noodle they use. This was Bun – a long, thin rice noodle. The Pho we know is called so because the noodles are flat and wide. The broth was delicious served with a basket of fresh herbs, chilli and garlic water to self medicate.
breakfast noodles hanoi
Soon after, we were taken through another small alleyway which opened out into a lush indoor/outdoor space. We climbed onto the rooftop for a Vietnamese egg coffee. The
Vietnamese coffee is topped with a kind of Italian meringue for a sweet coffee treat. I elected to go with my new favourite ca phe sua cua. Coffee with yoghurt.
There is lots of walking in this tour – Perrine really has packed it in. The commentary is not limited to food. We learnt about the history of Hanoi’s Old Quarter which was pretty useful after a couple of days wandering around with no rhyme or reason. The great part of walking with a guide is that is unlocks the city you can’t see – I guess that’s called local insight.
We left the touristed Old Quarter and ducked into what I thought was a mechanics store, until Perrine told me it was the most famous wedding cake store in Hanoi. These are not the wedding cakes we know. Small (10x10cm), square glutinous rice cakes filled with yellow or red bean paste are traditional at weddings. This one we sampled was bright green. Apparently it’s not colored – the rice itself is green!
More walking and the next stop was a local wet (i.e food) market. No tourists here! Perrine has given us a quick Vietnamese lesson and the idea was that we would buy all the ingredients for lunch here ourselves – in Vietnamese! The market ladies played along and we had a great time! I alway find market to be a lot of fun and a great insight into what the local people are eating. I tell you that they are eating well in Vietnam!
Our final walk took us to a peaceful, private garden retreat owned by a local and managed by Minh and Nga, a young couple who have lived in Australia and studied hospitality and tourism. We sat in their outdoor kitchen and learnt to make Nem – the fried rice paper roll. Pork, dried mushrooms, kohlrabi and carrot, bound with egg and wrapped in rice paper before being shallow fried in vegetable oil and eaten hot, wrapped in greens. I will replicate this at home.
A number of other dishes appeared including wilted mustard greens and morning glory and a caramel pork served in a coconut shell. Dessert was simple but delicious – pomelo and dragonfruit – stunning to look at, refreshing to eat.
By this time we had walked (a lot) and eaten (a lot). It was time for a massage in a studio overlooking a lily pond. It’s a pretty special place and I was feeling pretty good about the world by the end of it.
We finished with an incredible lotus flower tea. The flowers are stuffed with green tea before sunrise (4am) and then at the end of the day the flower has perfumed the tea. The flower is picked and wrapped in lotus leaves for storage. The brewing of the tea is quite spectacular. The ugly little package of a dry,dead leaf is unfurled to present a moist, vibrant purple flower. The petals are peeled back and the tea is ready for the teapot. The bright yellow stamen is then added to the tea pot for extra perfume. The brew time was not more than 1 minute. We drank from tiny cups (not more than 20 ml) and the perfume and flavour were intense! Like a very intense green tea, but with an extra perfume. Not especially floral, but super interesting. A second cup a few minutes later proved too strong.
After our tea experience, we cycled around the largest large in Hanoi (West Lake) and it being a Sunday afternoon, was full of locals enjoying a sunny afternoon.
‘One day in Hanoi’ is a brilliant tour for those interested in food, but also interested in other things as well, such as language, history, insight into local life and generally a good story. Perrine is an amazing host and also has a group of Vietnamese tour guides. You can contact her on asso.autochtones@gmail.com. I recommend you do.
A few days a go we were hanging out at the Hanoi Social Club and picked-up a lovely looking postcard for a day tour called ‘One Day in Hanoi‘. The graphic design was beautiful and it promised things such as a walking tour, local food, market shopping, lotus flower tea and a bike ride. Just up our alley!
Perrine was our host and is involved with Autochtones, a French organization in Vietnam that promotes meaningful cultural exchange. They have had a number of projects, which includes film making and since mid-2013, walking tours.
At 6.15am (!) we met at the meeting point in an important public square in Vietnam. Under the statue of one of Vietnams founding fathers we joined a very local ritual of ‘laughing yoga’. Now – I’m a skeptic of laughing classes/groups, but will give everything a go once. Yes, it was surreal to be laughing on-demand with group of middle-aged Vietnamese ladies in a public square. Even more bizarre was the young man at the centre of the circle leading the group. Apparently he does this voluntarily every day. The reason? He’s believes happiness comes through laughing and this is his advocacy approach. We asked Perrine to make a doco about him.
Anyway, after yoga we briefly joined the group on the other side of the statue learning be-bop. In a public square. At 7.30 on a Sunday morning.
Then the walking and eating started. We walked around Hoam Kiem Lake and Perrine brought us to a little street food stall in an alley for a tomato and crab based noodle soup. Noodle soup is fundamental to northern Vietnamese cuisine and so many words exist, mostly describing the noodle they use. This was Bun – a long, thin rice noodle. The Pho we know is called so because the noodles are flat and wide. The broth was delicious served with a basket of fresh herbs, chilli and garlic water to self medicate.
breakfast noodles hanoi
Soon after, we were taken through another small alleyway which opened out into a lush indoor/outdoor space. We climbed onto the rooftop for a Vietnamese egg coffee. The
Vietnamese coffee is topped with a kind of Italian meringue for a sweet coffee treat. I elected to go with my new favourite ca phe sua cua. Coffee with yoghurt.
There is lots of walking in this tour – Perrine really has packed it in. The commentary is not limited to food. We learnt about the history of Hanoi’s Old Quarter which was pretty useful after a couple of days wandering around with no rhyme or reason. The great part of walking with a guide is that is unlocks the city you can’t see – I guess that’s called local insight.
We left the touristed Old Quarter and ducked into what I thought was a mechanics store, until Perrine told me it was the most famous wedding cake store in Hanoi. These are not the wedding cakes we know. Small (10x10cm), square glutinous rice cakes filled with yellow or red bean paste are traditional at weddings. This one we sampled was bright green. Apparently it’s not colored – the rice itself is green!
More walking and the next stop was a local wet (i.e food) market. No tourists here! Perrine has given us a quick Vietnamese lesson and the idea was that we would buy all the ingredients for lunch here ourselves – in Vietnamese! The market ladies played along and we had a great time! I alway find market to be a lot of fun and a great insight into what the local people are eating. I tell you that they are eating well in Vietnam!
Our final walk took us to a peaceful, private garden retreat owned by a local and managed by Minh and Nga, a young couple who have lived in Australia and studied hospitality and tourism. We sat in their outdoor kitchen and learnt to make Nem – the fried rice paper roll. Pork, dried mushrooms, kohlrabi and carrot, bound with egg and wrapped in rice paper before being shallow fried in vegetable oil and eaten hot, wrapped in greens. I will replicate this at home.
A number of other dishes appeared including wilted mustard greens and morning glory and a caramel pork served in a coconut shell. Dessert was simple but delicious – pomelo and dragonfruit – stunning to look at, refreshing to eat.
By this time we had walked (a lot) and eaten (a lot). It was time for a massage in a studio overlooking a lily pond. It’s a pretty special place and I was feeling pretty good about the world by the end of it.
We finished with an incredible lotus flower tea. The flowers are stuffed with green tea before sunrise (4am) and then at the end of the day the flower has perfumed the tea. The flower is picked and wrapped in lotus leaves for storage. The brewing of the tea is quite spectacular. The ugly little package of a dry,dead leaf is unfurled to present a moist, vibrant purple flower. The petals are peeled back and the tea is ready for the teapot. The bright yellow stamen is then added to the tea pot for extra perfume. The brew time was not more than 1 minute. We drank from tiny cups (not more than 20 ml) and the perfume and flavour were intense! Like a very intense green tea, but with an extra perfume. Not especially floral, but super interesting. A second cup a few minutes later proved too strong.
After our tea experience, we cycled around the largest large in Hanoi (West Lake) and it being a Sunday afternoon, was full of locals enjoying a sunny afternoon.
‘One day in Hanoi’ is a brilliant tour for those interested in food, but also interested in other things as well, such as language, history, insight into local life and generally a good story. Perrine is an amazing host and also has a group of Vietnamese tour guides. You can contact her on asso.autochtones@gmail.com. I recommend you do.
Written 19 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marion M
Paradise Point, Australia66 contributions
Nov 2013 • Solo
I recently did this day tour. I am almost 60 and it is a big day which requires an average level of stamina with the walking and bike riding. I throughly enjoyed it from start to finish. This was my third trip to Vietnam and probably felt the most 'local type' activity I have done as a tourist. Such a variety of activites and they are interesting and fun..
Written 18 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Danieleguerard
Joliette10 contributions
Oct 2014 • Couples
This tour was the best decision we made arriving for the first time in Vietnam.
The tour should be named "first day in Hanoi"...
Perrine was our guide through that day and we learn so much about Hanoi, Vietnamese culture and especially we learn a lot of crucial informations that we used throughout our trip in Vietnam.
We learn how to pronounced, how to speak basic words so useful when you travel backbacking on your own.
We visited, with her, off beaten path places in Hanoi.
We won't enumerate everything we did that day because it is so fun to discover it as the day goes by.
We liked this tour so much that we talked about it to everybody we met afterward.
Thank you Perrine for this great and memorable day.
Daniele and Gilles
The tour should be named "first day in Hanoi"...
Perrine was our guide through that day and we learn so much about Hanoi, Vietnamese culture and especially we learn a lot of crucial informations that we used throughout our trip in Vietnam.
We learn how to pronounced, how to speak basic words so useful when you travel backbacking on your own.
We visited, with her, off beaten path places in Hanoi.
We won't enumerate everything we did that day because it is so fun to discover it as the day goes by.
We liked this tour so much that we talked about it to everybody we met afterward.
Thank you Perrine for this great and memorable day.
Daniele and Gilles
Written 6 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
No questions have been asked about this experience
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.