he historic port city of Central Vietnam is seen as the new gastronomic capital of the country. As such, it offers an opportunity to brighten up your stay with unique taste experiences. So consider signing up for a cooking class if you stop in this charming town. This is one of the ten best travel experiences in Vietnam, according to the Lonely Planet guide. Here are the reasons:

• The quiet atmosphere of Hoi An makes you want to enjoy life there by discovering its different tasty dishes.
• The environment of the river city with the welcome of its inhabitants. They know how to please travelers by skillfully combining usual tourist activities with culinary experimentation sessions. These include a quality program with the choice and purchase of ingredients in local markets. It complements bike or walking tours in the villages of the region, and excursions in a round bamboo boat to look for crabs. We also offer visitors the opportunity to see how vegetables and fragrant herbs are planted and picked in the gardens of Hoi An and its surroundings.

• The region has large spaces where rural cuisines are established, pleasant outdoors with their charming restaurants.
• The choice of programs is varied. There are many restaurants and travel agencies capable of organizing high-quality sessions.
• The typical dishes of Hoi An are healthy, delicious, made up of ingredients from everyday life. They are found everywhere, in fact, from rice and pork to peanuts, fragrant vegetables, peppers and various sauces. Participating in classes and sharing experiences is all the more enjoyable because once you return home after the trip, cooking these Vietnamese dishes at home is not difficult.

For Whom?

This activity is accessible to travelers of all ages, gourmets or not. Some have a particular passion for Asian gastronomy, while others are mainly interested in the cultural dimension of the destinations they visit. Cuisine reflects the traditions and history of a region or country, in fact, with all the variations of its styles. The secrets of local chefs will be revealed to you by preparing traditional dishes with them, starting with the (right) choice of ingredients.

What is a cooking class like in Hoi An?

Culinary discovery sessions normally take place in a restaurant, in the company of an English- or French-speaking guide. The steps are as follows:

• Departure to join a local market with your chef-instructor to choose ingredients by listening to his advice and comments.
• Cook with him in a restaurant. Discovery and learning recipes for traditional Vietnamese dishes: spring roll, grilled fish with banana leaves, green papaya salad, grilled pork skewers marinated in a special sauce, small rice flour pancakes…
• End of the class around noon, then tasting of the dishes prepared with your active participation.
• You keep your notes and recipes well so you can do the same at home later.

The programming of this cultural, gastronomic, practical and informative activity in Hoi An allows you to benefit from a range of other services and associated excursions:

• Reception/drop-off at the hotel by bike or boat, depending on the travelers’ choice.
• Guided tour of a local market little frequented by tourist hordes, to choose and buy the necessary ingredients. Listen to explanations from the chef or the accompanying guide about daily life, the habits and customs of the region’s inhabitants.
• Walk in the surrounding countryside to learn more about local agriculture. You can plant, water, pick vegetables in an authentic market gardening village, as there are few tourists. We also offer you the opportunity to take part in a basket boat excursion in the surrounding mangrove forest.
• Culinary experience in an open kitchen space, with varied options: in the countryside, in a garden, on the edge of the mangrove, with a local family from a nearby village…
• Accompanied by a English-speaking guide.