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Hoi An Cooking Class & Market Tour with Vietnamese Dishes

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/35

Duration3h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · KO +2

PickupAt your hotel

Hands-on Hoi An cooking class with market walk and chef tips

You’ll wander Hoi An’s lively market with a local guide, tasting tropical fruits and learning how to pick the freshest ingredients for classic Vietnamese dishes. Back in the kitchen, you’ll cook hands-on—rolling spring rolls, sizzling banh xeo—and share laughs (and maybe karaoke) before sitting down together to enjoy your meal. It’s warm, personal, sometimes messy—in all the best ways.

Step-by-step itinerary

Welcome at Gioan cooking class
Visit local market with instructor
Learn to select fresh ingredients
Taste tropical fruits at market
Hands-on cooking of favorite dishes
Chef explains cooking steps
Enjoy karaoke during cooking
Savor your own Vietnamese dishes

The Experience

We stepped off the street and right into the swirl of Hoi An’s market — I could smell fresh herbs before I even saw them. Our guide, Linh, grinned as she handed me a tiny sprig of something that smelled like peppery basil (I still don’t know the name). She pointed out piles of noodles, fish glistening on ice, and some fruit I’d never seen before. There was a moment when a vendor sliced open a dragonfruit for us to taste — the juice sticky on my fingers, sweet but not too much. I tried to ask about one of the herbs in Vietnamese; Linh laughed gently at my accent, but I think she appreciated the effort.

After about half an hour wandering and tasting, we walked back to the cooking school tucked in a quiet lane. The kitchen felt like someone’s home — fans humming overhead, sunlight slipping through bamboo blinds. We washed our hands and got right into it: chopping lemongrass for chicken, rolling rice paper for fresh spring rolls. The chef showed us how to dip rice paper just enough so it doesn’t tear (I messed up my first one, but nobody minded). At one point there was spontaneous karaoke — apparently tradition here? — and somehow I found myself singing along while stirring broth for pho. It was silly and warm and honestly made it feel less like a class and more like hanging out with friends.

Sitting down to eat what we’d made — banh xeo pancakes still sizzling from the pan, dipping sauces fragrant with lime and fish sauce — felt different than any restaurant meal. Linh explained how each dish fits into daily life here in Vietnam, which made every bite mean more. There was this quiet moment when everyone just paused to taste their own food; I remember thinking how wild it is that you can travel halfway across the world and end up feeling right at someone’s kitchen table. So yeah, if you’re curious about a real Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An, this is probably the closest you’ll get without actually moving in.

What’s included

Your day includes pickup from your location in Hoi An, a guided walk through the local market with tastings of tropical fruits and introductions to key ingredients, hands-on instruction from experienced chefs as you prepare several classic Vietnamese dishes (like pho, banh xeo pancakes, spring rolls), plus either lunch or dinner where you get to eat everything you’ve cooked together before heading home satisfied.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleAccessible transportInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Gioan Cooking Class