Mekong Delta Cooking Class: Small Group Eco Tour
Rice mill, nipa canals, tropical fruit garden, and a countryside cooking class in one morning
A small-group eco tour from Ho Chi Minh City into the Mekong Delta where you join a hands-on cooking class, cruise by private long-tail boat through narrow canals, visit a rice mill and sticky-rice wine workshop, and taste fresh fruit in an organic garden. The tour runs nine to ten hours with hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, and lunch cooked by you in a riverside setting.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Mekong Delta and local culture
- Pick-up at hotel or meet point
- Visit Ben Luc Market and buy fishing bait
- Visit rice mill and sticky-rice wine workshop
- Cruise along tranquil waterways by private boat
- Boat through narrow canals and countryside walk
- Visit coconut and fruit garden, taste fresh fruit
- Join cooking class and enjoy home-style lunch
- Rowboat ride through nipa canals
- Cruise back to Go Dung Pier
- Drive back to Ho Chi Minh City and drop-off
What’s included
- Air-conditioned transfer from your hotel in District 1 or a meeting point.
- English-speaking guide for the full day.
- bottled water, fresh fruit, and local snacks throughout.
- private motorboat and sampan for all boat sections.
- hands-on cooking class with a home-style lunch you prepare and eat together.
Times
- Every day 07:30
Last departure this season: 31 Dec
Another time? ›Before you book
Operated by TNK Travel
Prices and times updated today
Traveler reviews
The experience
The day starts with pickup at your hotel in District 1 or at a meeting point, then heads south into the delta's working landscape. You'll stop at Ben Luc Market to see how locals buy produce and prepare bait for fishing, then move into the countryside proper: a rice mill and sticky-rice wine workshop where you watch the traditional process and understand how these crafts still anchor delta life. The guide explains what you're seeing as you go, and there's room to ask questions without the pace of a larger group.
Once on the water, you cruise the Mekong by private long-tail boat, then row a sampan into the shaded nipa canals where the current slows and the noise of the city falls away. A short walk takes you through rural scenery to a coconut and fruit garden where the owners show you how they cultivate organically and let you taste what's in season. This is where the cooking class begins: you work in a riverside garden kitchen, learning to prepare a home-style lunch with ingredients from the market and the garden itself. You eat what you've made, sitting in the space where it was cooked.
The return includes another rowboat ride through the narrow canals before the motorboat takes you back to Go Dung Pier and the drive back to Ho Chi Minh City. The whole arc (market, mill, river, garden, kitchen, water) is built around how delta people actually work and eat, not around checking off sights.
Is this one for you?Hotel pickup in District 1 means you don't arrange your own transport to the delta, and the small-group size keeps the pace unhurried and the interactions genuine. Choose this if you want to cook and learn rather than watch, and if you'd rather spend the morning in a garden kitchen and on the water than moving between multiple stops.
Compare the 12 alternatives
Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 9 years); Infant (1 to 3 years): 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 24 h before the start.
What do I actually cook in the countryside cooking class?
The cooking class teaches you to prepare a home-style lunch using ingredients from Ben Luc Market and the riverside fruit garden you visit earlier in the day. You work in a garden kitchen and eat the meal you've made together.
How does the boat part of the day work?
You cruise the Mekong River by private long-tail motorboat, then row a sampan through narrow nipa canals where the water is shallow and shaded. The rowboat ride is a short, easy section. The motorboat handles the longer stretches.
What is the Ben Luc Market like, and what do I do there?
Ben Luc Market is where local vendors sell produce, fish, and goods for everyday delta life. You explore the market to see what people buy and prepare bait for fishing, getting a sense of the rhythms and commerce of the delta before heading into the quieter countryside.
Is this tour suitable for someone who's never cooked before?
Yes. The cooking class is hands-on instruction, not a demonstration. The guide and the local hosts teach you as you work, and the focus is on learning traditional delta cooking, not on culinary skill.
How long is the whole day, and when does it end?
The tour runs nine to ten hours from pickup at your hotel. You're dropped back at your hotel or the meeting point in Ho Chi Minh City by late afternoon.
Mekong Delta Cooking Class: Small Group Eco Tour
9h–10h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 55 per person
Next, you choose your date and number of travelers and see the final price.