Hien was a great host! Not only was she a wonderful host on the tour, but she also made excellent suggestions for places to go that were not on the tour. We went to a number of spots that I wondered at first because there were a lot of other tour groups, but after tasting the food, it was obvious why we (and they) were there! She also did a great job mixing in the tiniest places you could find, with 4 plastic seats on the sidewalk that were out of this world. She was so friendly and welcoming and my wife and I had a blast! Thanks Hien!

It was an incredibly hot day in Hanoi, but entering the village where Hien lived relieved us from the heat immediately. It was fascinating seeing the process of making the green rice - I was really amazed by how the farmers work the rice from barely edible kernels to a tasty smooth product. Hien prepared all the ingredients needed to make fried spring rolls before we came, and we started rolling using rice paper while sitting on the floor. After that Hien and her mom fried the food while we helped arrange the table and cutlery. The food was great, especially the fried pork roll with green rice. Served with fish sauce, the pork was succulent, while the green rice melted in the mouth, combined to create a distinctive flavour of the village where they came from. Nicely served together with the dishes are bottles of Hanoi beer, which was light and refreshing. Highly recommended for those looking for a more countryside flavour to the normal local Vietnamese food!