Hoi An Cooking Class: Market, Basket Boat & Crab Fishing

You catch the crab, you cook the meal

A morning or afternoon cooking class in Hoi An where you shop the local market with a chef, paddle a bamboo basket boat to fish for crab in the coconut village, then spend two hours in the kitchen making four dishes from scratch. The class includes pickup from your hotel, lunch, written recipes to take home, and an English-speaking guide; children from age 4 are welcome.

The Experience

The day starts at the Hoi An colorful market, where your guide and the chef walk you through the stalls to select ingredients for the class. You learn how to spot quality produce and talk directly with local traders—the chef points out what makes a papaya ripe or a shrimp fresh, and you handle the buying yourself. This is not a tour of the market; it is a working visit where the shopping matters because you will cook what you choose.

From the market, you head to the water coconut village and board a bamboo basket boat. You paddle into the Nipa palm forest canals and fish for purple crab using the traditional method—the fishermen show you how, and you do the catching. The boat ride lets you see the countryside and the way people live along the water, and you get time to photograph the rural scenes before heading back.

The cooking class runs for about two hours in a restaurant kitchen. You make four dishes: grilled sesame rice crackers, banana flower and papaya salad with shrimp, chicken cao lầu noodle, and crispy Vietnamese pancake. The chef, Mr Tâm, demonstrates each one and then you cook it yourself. You eat what you make for lunch, and you leave with written recipes so you can recreate the dishes at home. Vegetarian and dietary requirements can be arranged in advance.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and all transportation.
• basket boat ride and crab fishing in the coconut village.
• market visit with the chef to select ingredients.
• two-hour cooking class making four dishes.
• lunch of the food you cook.
• written recipes to take home.
• English-speaking guide.
• bottle of water.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Hoi An Eco Tours Discovery

Is this one for you?You do the cooking yourself rather than watching a demonstration, which means the class suits anyone who wants to learn by making, not observing. The small group size and the market-to-table flow—shopping, fishing, then cooking what you caught—work well if you want the full picture of where the food comes from, not just the kitchen part.

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Top questions

What time does the cooking class start and how long does it run?

The class runs either morning (8:45 a.m. to 1 p.m.) or afternoon (1:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.), and the cooking portion takes about two hours after the market visit and basket boat fishing.

What dishes do I actually cook in the class?

You make four dishes: grilled sesame rice crackers on charcoal, banana flower and papaya salad with shrimp, chicken cao lầu noodle, and crispy Vietnamese pancake. You also learn to prepare grilled eggplant with peanut sauce and caramel banana.

Do I really catch the crab myself, or is this just a demonstration?

You catch the crab yourself in the basket boat on the canal. The fishermen teach you the traditional method, and you do the fishing while paddling through the Nipa palm coconut forest.

Is lunch included, and what if I'm vegetarian?

Lunch is included—you eat the four dishes you cook in class. Vegetarian and other dietary requirements can be arranged if you let the operator know when you book.

How do I get to the market and the cooking class?

Hotel pickup is included; a guide will collect you at your accommodation or at Bebe Tailor (the meeting point) and handle all transportation to the market, basket boat, and restaurant kitchen.

Can children join the cooking class?

Children from age 4 are welcome. The class is hands-on, so younger children can participate in the cooking, and infants can ride in a pram or stroller during the market and boat portions.