Hoi An: Grandma's Home Cooking Class & Boat to Village

You're in a wooden boat heading toward rice paddies, and lunch is waiting in someone's garden

You take a 35-minute boat across Hoi An's river delta to a family home, spend the morning learning to cook banh xeo and four other regional dishes from Grandma, eat what you've made in her garden, and return by boat with a recipes book. The whole day runs 9:30am to 3pm, groups stay under twelve, and water and lunch are included.

Step-by-step itinerary

Cooking class and cultural immersion

• Embark by boat to family village
• Enjoy fresh Vietnamese fruit juice
• Learn about countryside life and meet Grandma
• Begin cooking lesson at family home
• Prepare rice paper for fried eggroll
• Cook Banh Xeo and grilled pork brochettes
• Make green papaya salad and local fish dish
• Enjoy meal in grandmother’s garden
• Eat pumpkin soup and black sesame pudding
• Return to Hoi An by boat

The experience

The boat leaves Hoi An at 9:30am and takes about 35 minutes to reach the village across the river delta. You're moving past water that's still early-morning quiet, past the kind of landscape most visitors never see from a tour bus. When you arrive, there's fresh fruit juice waiting. Something cold and local, the kind of drink that tastes different when you're standing in someone's courtyard instead of a café. That's when you meet Grandma, and the cooking class actually begins.

The kitchen is in the family home, and you're learning banh xeo (those small, crispy rice flour crepes that are a Hoi An specialty) from someone who's been making them for decades. You'll also prepare grilled marinated pork, green papaya salad, and fish cooked the local way. If you eat vegetarian, there's eggplant, mushroom and tofu clay pot instead. The recipes go into a book you take home, but the real learning happens in your hands: how the rice paper gets made, how the sauce comes together, the small adjustments that separate good from the kind of food you remember. There are no more than twelve people in the class, so you're not standing in a crowd watching someone else cook.

Once everything is ready, you eat in the garden. Pumpkin soup comes first, then the dishes you made, then xí mà: black sesame pudding, which sounds simple until you taste it. The boat back to Hoi An leaves in the early afternoon, and you're carrying the recipes, the taste of it still in your mouth, and the odd feeling that you just had lunch at someone's house instead of on a tour.

What’s included

Your day includes the boat trip to and from the village, a welcome drink of fresh fruit juice, the cooking class in Grandma's home, lunch in the garden with all the dishes you've prepared plus pumpkin soup and black sesame pudding, bottled water throughout, and a recipes book to take home.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:30

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Youth (7 to 12 years) · Child (under 7): free

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.Operator's directions: “The meeting point is at the agency Heaven & Earth Bicycle Tour, you will find signs on the right side of the street.”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Infant seats availablePublic transport nearby

Operated by Heaven & Earth Bicycle Tours

Is this one for you?Right for anyone who wants to cook something real in a real home instead of a cooking school, and who has a half-day free in Hoi An: the boat schedule and small group size are what make the whole thing feel like you're actually visiting, not touring.

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Top questions

What languages is the guide in?

Live guide in English and French.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (7 to 12 years); Child (under 7): 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 24h before the start.

How long is the boat ride to the village?

About 35 minutes each way across the river delta from Hoi An.

What dishes do you learn to cook?

Banh xeo (rice flour crepes), grilled marinated pork, green papaya salad, and fish prepared locally. Vegetarian options include eggplant, mushroom and tofu clay pot.

Is lunch included?

Yes. You eat the dishes you've cooked in the garden, plus pumpkin soup and xí mà (black sesame pudding). A welcome drink is served when you arrive.

What time does the class start and end?

Departure is 9:30am, return to Hoi An is 3:00pm.

How many people are in each class?

Maximum 12 people per group.

Do you get the recipes?

Yes, a recipes book is included so you can make the dishes at home.

Is there a vegetarian option?

Yes, vegetarian menus are available on request.

What's included in the price?

Boat trip, bottled water, welcome drink, lunch, and a recipes book.