Hoi An: Vietnamese Cooking Class in Heritage Restaurant

Hoi An hands-on cooking class in 180-year-old restaurant

You’ll cook classic Vietnamese dishes side-by-side with Chef Hai Nguyen in Hoi An’s historic old town restaurant. Learn hands-on techniques for rolling, grilling, and simmering local specialties before sitting down to share your meal together. Expect laughter, real stories behind each dish, and flavors you’ll remember long after you leave.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An

• Arrive at heritage-listed cooking school
• Learn about Vietnamese ingredients and culture
• Choose from five-course menu options
• Prepare dishes with Head Chef Hai Nguyen
• Enjoy sit-down meal of prepared dishes
• Receive digital recipe book

The Experience

We stepped off the street into this old yellow building in Hoi An, and I swear you could smell the cinnamon and star anise before we even started. Our chef, Hai Nguyen, was already waiting—he has this way of making you feel like you’re just friends hanging out in his kitchen instead of students. There were only six of us, which felt right. The place creaked a little when we laughed (which happened a lot), but it felt warm, not run-down. It’s wild to think this spot’s been standing here for almost two centuries.

I picked the Essentials menu because honestly, I’d never tried banana blossom salad before. Hai showed us how to roll fresh veggies tight in rice paper—mine looked wonky but tasted bright and crunchy anyway. He explained why mint matters more than you’d think in Vietnamese food, and then let us taste the difference ourselves. The broth for pho simmered on the stove with that deep spice smell filling the room—I kept sneaking extra sips when no one was looking. At one point Hai told a story about his grandmother’s soup and got this faraway look—I liked that.

After grilling snapper wrapped in banana leaf (I burned my thumb but just a little), we all sat down together at this long wooden table with chipped edges. Dinner felt less like a class and more like some family meal where nobody’s checking their phone. Mango sticky rice came last—sweet and coconutty, with someone joking about Malibu sauce being “dangerous.” I still think about that first bite sometimes when I walk past fruit stalls now. They emailed us all the recipes after; mine are already splattered with sauce stains at home.

Top questions

Is the Hoi An cooking class suitable for beginners?

Yes, all skill levels are welcome and the chef guides everyone step by step.

What dishes are included in the Essentials menu?

The menu features fresh vegetable rolls, pho bo soup, banana blossom salad with chicken, BBQ snapper in banana leaf, and mango sticky rice.

Where is the cooking class held?

The class takes place inside a 180-year-old heritage-listed building in Hoi An's ancient town center.

Do I get recipes after the class?

Yes, a digital recipe book will be emailed to you after your class.

Is dinner included?

Yes, you eat everything you prepare during the sit-down meal at the end of class.

Are there vegetarian or other menu options?

Yes, several five-course menus are available including vegetarian options; check their website for details.

Can I visit a local market as part of this experience?

A local market visit is available as an optional add-on to your booking.

What’s included

Your day includes all ingredients for five traditional Vietnamese dishes prepared side-by-side with Chef Hai Nguyen inside Hoi An’s heritage restaurant classroom. After cooking together you’ll enjoy dinner featuring everything you made yourself—and they’ll email you a digital recipe book so you can try it again at home.