Taking a Vietnamese cooking class in Hanoi

Food is one of the reasons Vietnam is one of my favorite countries, so taking a cooking class in Hanoi was almost required. Learn more about Vietnamese cooking classes and where to find them in Hanoi in this post.

Cooking classes in Hanoi – tasting the variety

One of the reasons I was most excited for my Vietnam visit was for the food. And by the food, I mean the pho. As it got closer, a friend advised that I keep my mind open to more than pho. What? Girl, please. But every time I wanted to order [7 bowls of] pho for dinner, her Facebook comment nagged my shoulder and sent me elsewhere.

And she was right. The food in Vietnam is unreal. I figured the best excuse to eat more of it would be to take a cooking class, and maybe learn a little something along the way. After all, ordering street food through a language barrier is fun and all, but it rarely answers the question, “what’s in this?”

Learn more about visiting Vietnam here. And here’s a post if you’re looking for a Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An.

Picking a cooking class in Hanoi

Where to start? Cooking classes are offered just about everywhere in Vietnam, but I was looking to make sure I really enjoyed it and booked mine through Tinggly Experiences, who took care of all of the details. [if you don’t know this company – they are about gifting experiences instead of stuff] Bonus, in this class, I would be picked up and dropped off and, had it all to myself. Which, after several days of group tours, I was so ready for.

These are also popular options for cooking classes to book on GetYourGuide, where you can choose if it has a market or farm tour included.

The experience of a cooking class in Hanoi

Chef Mai and her husband picked me up from the hostel and we headed off to the market for a review on the ingredients and to pick up the last of the provisions. As with most markets in Asia, it was bursting with colors, sounds and smells, but as a nice contrast, not with travelers. In fact, I didn’t see another one. Two points to the authenticity of the experience.

At Mai’s home, she showed me how she prepped ingredients and we went through all of the dishes. She showed me how to cut and chop, I showed her how to Snapchat. It was a mutual learning experience.

She had already done all the prep to make the class go smoothly and focus on the learning and the tasting. We made traditional dishes like Banana Flower Salad (made with a sour star fruit that is DELICIOUS). Keep on scrolling to see the ingredients and pictures, but be warned, I wouldn’t do it on an empty stomach.

Vietnamese recipes from my Hanoi cooking class

So which was my favorite? It definitely was NOT the Vietnamese vodka. But the lemongrass chicken could have been bottomless and I would still be in Vietnam. What are your favorite Vietnamese dishes?

Lovingly,
Jess

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Note: This cooking course was gifted by Tinggly and for that, my stomach and taste buds will be forever grateful.

jess

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Founder of How Dare She, Jessica is on a mission to visit every country in the world, and bring you along with through photos, video and stories. 6 continents and 104 countries in. She has a BA in journalism and Master's in innovation and change, but her real skill is plugging in a USB in 2 or less tries (most of the time). She believes daring isn't about being fearless, but choosing to opt in, in spite of fear. She dares to see, taste, experience and meet the world as she goes.