Hoi An Cooking Class with Basket Boat Ride: Learn 4 Dishes
Cook four Vietnamese dishes, then paddle a basket boat through the coconut forest.
A small-group cooking class in Hoi An where you visit a local market to handpick ingredients, take a scenic boat ride on the Thu Bon River to the Bay Mau coconut forest, ride in a basket boat with local fishermen, and then learn to prepare Green Mango Salad, Steamed Rice Paper Rolls, Beef Pho, and Stir-fried Chicken with Lemongrass and Chili. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included. Classes run mornings (08:30–12:30) or afternoons (13:00–17:00), and you finish with a light dessert and food decoration skills. Tell the operator about any dietary needs when you book.
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off in an air-conditioned vehicle.
- a live English-speaking guide.
- entry to the local market with ingredient selection.
- the boat ride on the Thu Bon River and basket boat experience in the Bay Mau coconut forest.
- a herbal foot soak and massage.
- hands-on instruction in cooking four Vietnamese dishes.
- food decoration skills.
- a light dessert of seasonal fruit or yogurt.
- and all activities and ingredients.
Times
- Every day 08:30 13:00
Before you book
Operated by SABIRAMA COOKING TOUR RESTAURANT
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The experience
The day starts with pickup from your hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle, then heads to the local market in Hoi An where you walk the stalls with your guide and choose the fresh ingredients you'll cook with later. This is not a tour of the market. You're there to shop, to see what's in season, and to understand what goes into the dishes you're about to make. From there, you head to the Thu Bon River for a scenic boat ride down to the Bay Mau coconut forest, where you board a traditional basket boat and paddle through the water with local fishermen. It's a working landscape, not a scenic stop: you're moving through it the way people who live there do.
Back on shore, you get a herbal foot soak and massage before the cooking begins. The class itself is hands-on: you learn to make Green Mango Salad (grating the mango, sautéing shrimp and pork, building the Vietnamese sweet and sour dressing), Steamed Rice Paper Rolls (making the wet rice paper from scratch before rolling), Stir-fried Chicken with Lemongrass and Chili (marinating and cooking with fresh lemongrass and turmeric), and Beef Pho (learning how to build the broth and marinate the beef). You also pick up food decoration skills. The class wraps with a light dessert of seasonal fruit or yogurt, and you eat everything you've cooked.
The whole experience runs four hours. A live English-speaking guide is with you throughout. Hotel pickup and drop-off are included, as is the air-conditioned transport between stops. Small-group size keeps the instruction personal, and children from age one are welcome.
Is this one for you?Book the morning class if you want the market at its fullest and the afternoon free. The afternoon class suits a later start or a full morning elsewhere in Hoi An. Hotel pickup means you don't need a car or a taxi negotiation, and the guide handles the market navigation and ingredient choices, so you walk in ready to cook rather than to shop.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Youth (10 to 17 years); Child (5 to 9 years); Infant (1 to 4 years): free.
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What four dishes do I actually learn to cook in this class?
You make Green Mango Salad with shrimp and pork (grating and sautéing the mango), Steamed Rice Paper Rolls (learning to make the wet rice paper first), Stir-fried Chicken with Lemongrass and Chili (with fresh lemongrass and turmeric), and Beef Pho (building the broth and marinating the beef). You also learn food decoration skills and finish with a seasonal fruit or yogurt dessert.
Do I pick the ingredients myself, or are they already there?
You visit the local market in Hoi An with your guide and handpick the fresh ingredients yourself. This happens before the cooking class, so you see what's available and choose what goes into your dishes.
What is the basket boat ride like?
The basket boat is a traditional round wooden boat used by local fishermen on the Thu Bon River. You ride in one and paddle through the Bay Mau coconut forest with the fishermen themselves. It's a working experience, not a tourist performance.
What time does the class start and end?
Morning classes run from 08:30 to 12:30, and afternoon classes run from 13:00 to 17:00. Both are four hours long, including the market visit, boat ride, herbal foot soak, and cooking instruction.
Is hotel pickup included?
Yes, hotel pickup and drop-off in Hoi An are included, along with an air-conditioned vehicle for all transport between the market, the river, and the cooking venue.
Hoi An Cooking Class with Basket Boat Ride: Learn 4 Dishes
4h · EN
from US$ 41 per person
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