Sesbania sesban and mud carps sour soup is one of the most typical dishes eaten
during the flooding season downstream in the Mekong Delta. Photo by VnExpress/Nam Chay

It has specifically mentioned a culinary tour along the Mekong River. 

The New York Times’ recommendation comes as food tourism emerges as a rising trend, prompting tour companies and cruise lines to organize tours led by accomplished chefs around the world.

The chefs serve as tour guides, introducing the quintessence of local cuisine and culture to guests.

The APT travel group is launching a new food tour next month in Viet Nam, led by Vietnamese - Australian celebrity chef Luke Nguyen.   

The 14 - day tour will take guests through the alleyways of Ho Chi Minh City to meet his relatives, visit their kitchens, and take a trip down to market stalls to buy ingredients, the New York Times said.

The highlight of the tour will be the chance to join the famous chef in cooking while sailing down the Mekong River.   

A food tour along the Mekong River will take tourists
to explore the quintessence of local cuisine and culture. Photo by VnExpress

The tour is scheduled to depart on November 30 and end on December 13. The tour price starts from $5,945 per person based on double occupancy.

Other food tours picked by the New York Times include journeys to explore Italian culture and cuisine on bikes, food and wildlife in South Africa, spices and teas in India and Sri Lanka, a cruise through Polynesia and a food tour on the Amazon.

Earlier, a cruise along the Mekong River from Viet Nam to Cambodia, also led by Luke Nguyen, was featured among the top global river tours of 2019 by British tabloid Daily Mail.

Vietnamese travel firm Exotic Voyages last month introduced a new tour package called "A Tribute to Anthony Bourdain: Taste of Viet Nam”, taking guests to many places patronized by the late celebrity chef.

The tour, which lasts 14 days and 13 nights, offers a package price starting at $3,755 per person, covering all food and accommodation charges.