In the summer of 1998, while Annie Graham's husband was on the phone being offered a job in Vietnam, she worked the Internet. "I was frantically clicking on travel sites and photo galleries," she recalls. "I knew very little about Vietnam -- except for the war. But I could see there was an exotic adventure to be had. So, while he was still on the phone, I kept searching the Web and yelling: Yes, Yes, Yes."
A few months later, the couple moved from their home in Ashton, Ont., west of Ottawa, to Hanoi. "And I fell in love with the country, its people and its cuisine," says Graham.
Now, she is turning that passion into a business called A Lemongrass Tour: A Cultural and Culinary Adventure, preparing to welcome the first group of Canadians to Vietnam in February for a 13-day excursion, booked through Toronto's Total Travel Service.
Graham and another Canadian woman, from Toronto, plus Vietnamese guide-interpreters, will escort groups of about 20 on a tour that starts in Ho Chi Minh City and includes stops at Hue and Hanoi.
The itinerary follows the roads and rivers of Vietnam, emphasizing the history, culture, art, architecture and especially the food of a country that is just opening its borders to tourists.
"We'll float down the Mekong River where we will visit an island that grows only coconuts -- it uses every part of the tree to produce items such as roofing-thatch, cooking utensils, carvings and, best of all, candy," Graham says from her home in Hanoi. "We will also visit a floating fish market and another island that produces honey."
Then it's on to Hue, seat of the Nguyen family dynasty that lasted 400 years until the mid-1900s, renowned for its Citadel, with a moat surrounding the Forbidden Purple City. "Here," says Graham, "we will sail up the Perfume River on a dragon boat and be treated to an imperial feast in a private dining room."
Hoi An, an ancient seaport, is a great spot for shopping, says Graham. "At a silk factory, you see how the fabric is manufactured, right from the worms munching on mulberry to the final weaving on the huge old looms." Silk blouses can be made to order for $10 to $15 (U.S.) and suits for $50 to $75.
In Hanoi, there is more shopping and exotic dining, a staple of the tour and Graham's long-time obsession. "I have always enjoyed cooking and trying new cuisines. We lived for five years in Kenya, where I experimented mainly with East Indian and coastal Swahili dishes," she says.
"In Vietnam, I've learned from my house staff: Madame Lan and her husband Huynh, who trained as cooks in the army. One of my friends from Edmonton, who is a Cordon Bleu graduate, kept saying in our dining room every night: 'Man, they are good cooks.' "
Vietnamese cuisine borrows from past conquerors: the Chinese and French. Most dishes are created with fresh vegetables and fresh spices, adding rice, noodles, seafood, pork, chicken or beef.
"You can go to the street stalls and have the best bun bo (rice noodles with beef and vegetables, topped with crushed nuts) for 70 cents. Or you can go upscale and dine in the nouveau cuisine Vietnamese restaurants that are springing up all over and get your fill for under $5 (Canadian) including bia hoi (beer)," says Graham.
"The travel industry here is in its baby stage. But I think food tours to Vietnam will become as popular as ones to Tuscany and Thailand."
For more information on A Lemongrass Tour, contact: Total Travel Service on the Internet at http://www.totaltravelservice.com or phone (800) 848-8163 or (416) 964-7600.