Vietnamese cuisine is renowned for being one of the best and healthiest cuisines in the world. Including a cooking class in your Vietnam itinerary is the best way to learn Vietnamese cuisine in depth. You can learn cooking skills and Vietnamese culture simultaneously, as food is a big part of the culture.

1. Highlights

+ Shop at local markets and visit a farm or nursery with an experienced guide

+ Learn more about the most used fresh ingredients in Vietnam

+ Make new friends who, like you, travel the world

+ Create beautiful memories with your loved ones

+ Enjoy tasting your own cuisine

+ Take recipes home to share with family and friends

+ Learn about Vietnamese food culture

2. Why should you take a cooking class in Vietnam

Cooking is recommended as a special activity, separate from other more traditional sightseeing. You will fill your stomach and learn about the cuisine and ingredients during the class.

A great way to spend quality time and create memories

You can enjoy living in the present by participating in this activity. Shopping at the local market, following the chef's instructions and redoing a meal in the kitchen, and finally devouring your own creation once it's ready, that's enough to have a good time!

A chance to interact with locals and fellow travellers

Almost every course includes a visit to the local market, one of the best places to experience local life and connect with locals. You can even bargain with the locals when shopping. By participating in cooking classes, you have the chance to get to know other travellers.

Learn about the ingredients and how to cook Vietnamese cuisine

You will see many types of meat, vegetables, seafood, fruits and spices in the market. Your guide will explain which ones you don't know are popular in Vietnam. The chef will show you how to make Vietnamese dishes, from handling to cooking.

>> Read more: 10 family travel tips for a hassle-free vacation

3. What a cooking class in Vietnam looks like

Most courses have fixed programs and menus each day. If you are interested in certain recipes or particular skills, you may need to plan a particular day. A private lesson can accommodate up to 6 people, while group lessons are usually designed for between 16 and 20 people.

Every cooking class involves pretty much the same process, as follows:

+ Gather at a given time.

+ Walk around the local market, where you can see people buying and selling. You can also be part of the shopping experience.

+ Your guide will guide you to buy the necessary ingredients and introduce you to many types of food in the market.

+ Back in the kitchen, the chef shows you the cooking process step by step.

+ Make your own dishes following the chef's instructions.

+ Taste your meal.

4. Best places for cooking classes in Vietnam

The cuisine in Vietnam is different from region to region. The country is divided into northern, central and southern regions. Different types of pho are famous in Hanoi; seafood is popular in the central coastal region, where people prefer strong spices; river fish and sweeter foods are preferred by Southerners.

Hanoi

Hanoi cuisine is generally Nordic in style. The food is light in taste and not as strong in flavour as central and southern Vietnam, due to the cooler climate which limits the planting of spices. Pork, chicken, vegetables and pho are the most popular.

Recommended Cooking Class — Blue Butterfly

“Blue Butterfly” serves high-quality modern cuisine, but uses the core values of authentic Vietnamese cuisine, embodying the five elements of metal, wood, fire, water and earth. This hands-on class teaches you how to use basic ingredients to cook authentic Vietnamese dishes.

The daily cooking class with a small group of 2-10 people offers a fixed program of four popular dishes, with all the challenges of preparing, cleaning, chopping, slicing, shredding and cooking the raw ingredients, under the guidance of experienced chefs. Detailed recipes and a certificate are given to the participants at the end.

Time to go to class: 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Price: $55 per person

Menu

+ Traditional Vietnamese rice noodles with beef soup
+ Egg rolls
+ Grilled pork balls in Hanoi with vermicelli

Hue

Hue is located on mountainous terrain, providing good conditions for growing an abundance of spices. People eat spicier food there than in other areas. The dishes are decorative and colourful, a legacy of royal court cuisine, as Hue was the capital of the last dynasty.

There is a list of must-try dishes in Hue, noble and delicate: bun bo Hue (Hue beef noodle soup is the traditional one), com hen (mussel rice with a variety of herbs and spicy flavour) and banh Hue (Hue cake, with many different flavours, depending on the many kinds of possible ingredients).

Recommended Cooking Class - Taste of Hue

Taste of Hue is more about teaching you the history and culture of Hue by trying out the daily routines of the locals yourself. The menu is believed to be very similar to that served to royalty in the past.

Getting picked up by motorbike from your hotel, you can enjoy the view, farm and animals on the way to Thanh Toan village kitchen. It's perfect if you like peaceful life outside the city.

Time to go to class: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.

Price: 45 US$ per adult and 32 US$ per child

Group size: 10 people maximum

Hoi An

Seafood, fish sauces and chillies are part of the daily diet in Hoi An. It is easy to find restaurants serving fusion cuisine like Western and Vietnamese cuisine.

Recommended Cooking Class — Red Bridge

Red Bridge offers a half-day course that has been running for 10 years already and is listed in all major guidebooks. The menu includes essential dishes that are easy enough even for beginners.

Hop on board for a lovely 25-minute boat ride along the river to the cooking school. By exploring the school's private herb garden, you can learn about herbs, which are a crucial element in the cuisine's unique flavour.

If you book for this, consider adding $2 to support the school's charity, which is a great way to help locals on the go. Along with cooking skills, there's a brief introduction to Vietnamese plate decorating or food carving, and a chance to enjoy the 20-meter pool.

Time to go to class: 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. every day of the year

Price: $33 per person

Menu

+ Shrimp rolls with fresh rice paper
+ Crispy pancakes from Hoi An with prawns, herbs, bean sprouts and peanut sauce
+ Seafood salad with mixed Vietnamese herbs served in half a pineapple

5. Private session or group lesson

Special experiences will be created in a private session or group lesson. They pretty much have the same schedule: meet your guide and start the market tour, learn the cooking process from the chef, try to prepare the dishes on your own, and then eat your own meal.

Comparison between private class and joint class:

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>> Cheap travel to Vietnam – Our 8 tips and tricks

>> Casinos in Vietnam

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