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Hoi An: Cooking Class, Market Tour & Bamboo Basket Boat Ride

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/19

Duration6h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Hoi An flavors market walk bamboo boat and riverside cooking

You’ll wander Hoi An’s lively market with a local guide picking out fresh ingredients, float through Bay Mau Coconut Village in a bamboo basket boat, then cook (and eat!) classic Vietnamese dishes riverside. Expect laughter, new flavors, and stories you’ll want to tell later.

Step-by-step itinerary

Pick up from hotel in Hoi An
Visit local market with instructor
Select fresh herbs and vegetables
Travel to Bay Mau Coconut Village
Ride round bamboo boat in coconut forest
Try crab fishing and paddling
Arrive at local cooking school
Enjoy welcome drink and introduction
Watch cooking demonstration
Cook 4 traditional Vietnamese dishes
Eat prepared dishes with group
Have dessert with seasonal fruits
Drive back to hotel

The Experience

"Try this one—smells like licorice, right?" That was our guide, Lan, grinning as she handed me a bunch of strange green leaves at the Hoi An market. I nodded, even though honestly it reminded me more of toothpaste than candy. The market was loud and kind of chaotic, but in a good way—the kind where you catch snippets of gossip in Vietnamese and see grandmas haggling over fish. We picked out handfuls of herbs and some slippery noodles. I kept losing track of what was for lunch and what was just for smelling.

After that, we drove out to Bay Mau Coconut Village. The air got heavier with the scent of river water and something sweet—maybe those coconut palms everywhere. Climbing into those round bamboo basket boats felt wobbly at first (Lan laughed when I nearly sat on the edge instead of inside). The local guy steering us made it look easy, spinning us around while pointing out tiny crabs hiding in the roots. At one point he tried to teach me how to paddle; I mostly splashed myself.

The cooking school sat right by the river, all open-air with sunlight sliding through palm leaves. We got a cold drink (I think it was lemongrass tea) before starting the class. The chef showed us how to make banh xeo—Vietnamese pancakes—with this crispy edge that’s impossible to get at home. My spring rolls were lumpy but tasted fine dipped in that tangy sauce. Everyone joked about whose claypot fish looked most like “real food.” Lunch together felt relaxed—just people swapping stories and passing plates around. I still think about the smell of fresh herbs on my fingers after rolling those pancakes.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off in Hoi An, all entry fees for villages visited along the way, a welcome drink on arrival at the riverside cooking school, hands-on instruction from both your English-speaking guide and chef during the market tour and cooking session, plus a full lunch featuring your own creations before heading back to your hotel by van or car.

Good to know

Public transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Mai Home Hoi An