Market to Table Cooking Class in Ho Chi Minh City: 4 Dishes

Shop the market, harvest from the farm, cook your lunch

A market-to-table cooking class in Ho Chi Minh City combines a wet market visit, organic farm tour and hands-on instruction to make four dishes, with hotel pickup and a guide in English, French, German or Chinese. You pick ingredients at both stops, learn about Vietnamese produce and nutrition, and eat what you cook. The full day takes eight hours and includes lunch, coffee, tea, water and a certificate with recipes. Children from age 5 are welcome; vegetarian and dietary options are available with advance notice.

The Experience

The day starts with hotel pickup and a visit to a local wet market, where you walk through stalls of fresh seafood, vegetables and fruits still being sold that morning. A guide explains what grows in the region and what makes each ingredient worth buying. You taste fresh fruit straight from the market, then move to an organic farm outside the city where you're welcomed in traditional dress and shown how vegetables, herbs and mushrooms are grown. You pick your own ingredients for cooking—the ones you'll use in a few hours.

Back in the kitchen, you make four dishes hands-on: prawn wraps with coriander, spring rolls, bánh xèo (crispy crepes), papaya salad with grilled meat or seafood, and either stewed chicken or the famous phở, plus banana spring rolls with coconut cream or orange sauce. A professional guide walks you through each step. You're not watching—you're doing the chopping, the cooking, the plating. When lunch is ready, you sit down and eat what your own hands made, in a calm space away from the city's noise.

The class wraps with coffee or tea and a certificate listing the recipes you learned, so you can cook them at home. Hotel drop-off is included at the end of the eight-hour day. Bottled water and snacks are provided throughout.

What’s included

• Hotel pickup and drop-off.
• professional guide in English, French, German or Chinese.
• wet market visit.
• organic farm tour with ingredient picking.
• hands-on instruction for four dishes.
• four-course lunch you prepare.
• coffee and tea.
• bottled water.
• snacks.
• certificate with recipes.
• all activity and facility fees.

Good to know

Wheelchair accessibleInfant seats available

Operated by HCM Cooking Class

Is this one for you?Start at the market to see ingredients being sold, visit the farm where they grow, then cook and eat what you've sourced—a complete journey from soil to plate that reveals how Vietnamese food actually comes together.

Traveler reviews

5.00★★★★★★★★★★

6 verified traveler reviews

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

What kind of dishes do I actually make in this cooking class?

You make four dishes: prawn wraps with coriander and spring rolls, bánh xèo (Vietnamese crispy crepes), papaya salad with grilled meat or seafood, and either stewed chicken or phở, plus banana spring rolls with coconut cream or orange sauce. Every step is hands-on, from prep to plating.

How does the farm visit work—do I just look around or actually pick ingredients?

You pick your own ingredients at the organic farm. A guide shows you how vegetables, herbs and mushrooms are grown and explains what you're selecting, so you understand what goes into your dishes before you cook them.

Is the cooking class suitable for children, and what if someone in my group is vegetarian?

Children from age 5 are welcome. Vegetarian options are available—let the operator know at booking if anyone in your group needs that, or mention any other dietary requirements.

What's included in the eight-hour class, and what do I need to arrange myself?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, a professional guide, bottled water, snacks, the four-course lunch you cook, coffee or tea, and a certificate with recipes are all included. You don't arrange transport or pay separately for entry or meals.