Cai Be Cooking Class & Boat Tour from Ho Chi Minh City

You make the food, then eat it on the water.

A full-day cooking class and boat tour from Ho Chi Minh City to Cai Be in the Mekong Delta, where you learn to prepare Vietnamese dishes, visit a fruit orchard and local market, and cruise the canals by boat and kayak with an English-speaking guide. Hotel pickup from District 1 or 3 is included, and the day runs about nine hours round-trip from the city.

Step-by-step itinerary

Mekong Delta tour and cooking class

• Depart from Ho Chi Minh City
• Travel 2.5 hours to Cai Be
• Learn to make coconut candy and rice paper
• Visit fruit orchard and enjoy honey bee tea
• Shop at local market
• Join cooking class and discover Vietnamese cuisine
• Kayak or row sampan along busy canals
• Travel 2.5 hours back to Ho Chi Minh City

The experience

The morning starts with a drive from Ho Chi Minh City to Cai Be: roughly two and a half hours through the delta. Once there, you step into a cooking class where you learn to make three things: coconut candy, pop-rice and rice paper. These are not demonstrations. You handle the ingredients and the process, working through each one with instruction, then move to the market to shop for what you'll need for the main course. The class teaches you how to prepare Vietnamese cuisine using what you've just bought.

After cooking and eating lunch, the day shifts to the water. You kayak or row a sampan through the busy canals, watching how the delta works: the boats, the orchards, the daily rhythms of life along the water. A stop at a fruit orchard lets you taste honey bee tea and whatever is in season. The boat moves at a pace that lets you see, not just pass through. By late afternoon, the driver takes you back to your hotel in District 1 or 3.

An English-speaking guide is with you the whole time. The day includes one beer or soft drink, fresh fruit, and all the transport: the drive, the boat, the kayak. You don't arrange pickups or timing. The guide handles the route and the schedule. What you bring is an appetite and a willingness to get your hands wet in a kitchen that is not your own.

What’s included

• Cooking class where you make coconut candy, pop-rice and rice paper, then prepare a Vietnamese dish.
• boat and kayak trips through the Mekong Delta canals.
• visit to a fruit orchard with honey bee tea and fresh fruit.
• local market shopping.
• lunch.
• one beer or soft drink.
• English-speaking guide.
• hotel pickup and drop-off from District 1 or 3.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 07:30

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (10 to 80 years) · Youth (5 to 9 years) · Child (2 to 4 years) · Infant (under 2)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 3 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by A Travel Mate And Trading Company Limited

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to cook and eat rather than watch a demonstration: the class puts you in the kitchen, and the boat time afterward lets you see how the delta works. The fixed schedule and included pickup mean you don't arrange transport or timing yourself. The guide builds the day.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (5 to 9 years); Child (2 to 4 years); Infant (under 2).

What do I actually learn to cook in the class?

You make coconut candy, pop-rice and rice paper during the hands-on portion, then prepare a full Vietnamese dish using ingredients you select at the local market. The class teaches you the techniques for the main course, which you eat for lunch.

How long is the drive from Ho Chi Minh City to Cai Be?

The drive takes about two and a half hours each way, so the round-trip travel is five hours total. The full day, including the cooking class, market visit, boat and kayak time, runs about nine hours from pickup to drop-off.

What happens on the boat and kayak part of the tour?

After lunch, you cruise the Mekong Delta canals by boat and row or paddle a sampan through the waterways. You see the orchards, the working boats and the daily life of the delta, and stop at a fruit orchard to taste honey bee tea and fresh seasonal fruit.

Is hotel pickup included, and which areas does it cover?

Yes, pickup and drop-off are included from hotels in District 1 or 3 of Ho Chi Minh City. The guide meets you at your hotel and returns you there at the end of the day.

What's included in the price, and what should I bring money for?

The tour includes the cooking class, all boat and kayak transport, the market visit, fresh fruit, one beer or soft drink, and the English-speaking guide. You'll need to cover personal expenses and gratuities separately.