Hue Private Tour: Cooking Class & Perfume River Cruise

You cook the meal you eat, using ingredients you picked at the market that morning.

A full-day private tour of Hue that combines a Perfume River boat trip, a visit to Thuy Bieu Village and a hands-on cooking class with a local chef. You start with hotel pickup, take a boat to the seven-story Thien Mu pagoda, browse a local market for ingredients, then walk through the village to see ancestral temples, incense-making families and joss paper workshops before preparing and eating lunch you've cooked yourself. The tour includes transport, guide, all activities and meals. It runs about seven hours and finishes back at your hotel.

The experience

The day starts at your hotel with pickup at 8:30am. Your guide and driver take you to Toa Kham wharf, where you board a boat for a cruise along the Perfume River. The boat passes Thien Mu pagoda, the seven-story symbol of Hue, and continues to Thuy Bieu Village, famous for its pomelo fruit and traditional garden houses. On the water, you have time to settle in and watch the landscape shift from the city to the countryside.

Once you arrive at the village, a local market visit comes first. You walk through stalls with your guide, selecting fresh vegetables, herbs and proteins for the cooking class. This is where you decide what goes into your lunch. Then the walking part of the day unfolds: narrow paths between ancestral temples, a stop at an incense-making family where you watch artisans work, a joss paper workshop that explains the Vietnamese custom of ghost money for the deceased, and a paper-painting studio where local artists create countryside scenes. You move at a pace that lets you talk to the families and see how they work, not just pass through.

Back at a restaurant in the village, the chef takes over instruction. You prepare lunch using the ingredients you bought: the chef guides you through each dish, teaching technique as you cook. When it's ready, you eat what you've made, tasting Hue's traditional food on a plate you assembled yourself. After lunch, there's time to soak your feet in medicinal herb water, a traditional therapeutic practice, and receive a massage from a blind massage therapist. Before heading back to the city, the route passes Tiger Arena, the royal site where trained elephants and tigers once fought for the entertainment of the Nguyen Court. You're back at your hotel around 3:30pm.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off in the city center.
• private air-conditioned transport.
• English-speaking guide for the full day.
• boat cruise on the Perfume River with a stop at Thien Mu pagoda.
• entry to all village attractions including the incense-making and joss paper workshops.
• ingredients and instruction for the cooking class.
• lunch you prepare yourself.
• medicinal herb foot soak.
• massage.
• and a pass by Tiger Arena on the return to the city.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:30

Book up to2d before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsNo refund if you cancel.

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortInfant seats availablePublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Asianway Travel

Is this one for you?The day involves steady walking through the village and a full morning on the water, so it suits travelers comfortable with a moderate pace and a few hours of being on their feet. If you want to cook rather than watch cooking happen, or if you'd rather spend a full day in one village than hit multiple sites, this tour builds the day around those priorities.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3): free.

What's involved in the cooking class part of this tour?

You go to a local market with your guide to buy fresh ingredients, then work one-on-one with a local chef at a restaurant in Thuy Bieu Village to prepare a full lunch. The chef instructs you through each dish, and you eat what you've cooked when it's finished.

How much walking is there in Thuy Bieu Village?

The village portion involves a walking or biking tour through the neighborhood to visit ancestral temples, incense-making families, joss paper workshops and a paper-painting studio. The pace is leisurely (you stop to talk with local artisans and see their work) rather than a long hike.

Is the boat trip on the Perfume River a separate activity, or part of the transport?

The boat is both transport and a sightseeing moment. You cruise the Perfume River from the wharf to Thuy Bieu Village, and during the trip you pass Thien Mu pagoda, the iconic seven-story temple that's the symbol of Hue.

What happens after the cooking class and lunch?

After eating, you have time to soak your feet in medicinal herb water, a traditional Vietnamese therapeutic practice, and receive a massage from a blind massage therapist. Then the tour passes Tiger Arena, the former royal arena where trained elephants and tigers fought during the Nguyen dynasty, before returning you to your hotel.

Does the price include everything, or are there extra costs?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, all transport, the guide, bottled water, lunch and every activity (the market visit, cooking class, village walks and massage) are included. Drinks beyond water and gratuities are not.