VIETNAM – Ho Chi Minh City – Experience Vietnamese Cuisine Cooking Class

Description

Guests engage with Vietnam’s culinary history by joining this hands-on cooking class activity in Ho Chi Minh City. Giving guests a chance to shop for some ingredients at the local market, this tour offers a chance to observe the local life and discover uniquely Vietnamese cooking techniques. The whole process, from ingredient selection to preparation, is clearly explained by the experienced chef, and can be replicated easily by participants. After class, the challenge will be bringing the recipes back home and adapting the flavors with ingredients from home! Guests get to enjoy eating their creations as well as a delicious dessert.

Meals included: Lunch
Note: The cooking class is closed on Monday

Hands on cooking class (Without Market tour)

During this immersive cooking class, the chef show guests how to prepare their dish, sharing expert cooking techniques, and explaining everything clearly, step by step. This experience offers a much deeper insight into Vietnamese culinary culture by cooking its most famous dishes oneself. After this hands-on experience, guests can try their own food and enjoy a local dessert, as well.

Meals included: Lunch

Can be combined with

Thematic Leisure

• Ho Chi Minh City – “À Ố” circus show at the Opera House
• Ho Chi Minh City – Urban Tales Cho Lon.

Selling points

• To have a great hands-on cooking class with a local chef
• To have a good way to understand more about Vietnamese food culture and taste local dishes
• To interact with the local.
• Easy to include in any day of sightseeing in Ho Chi Minh City.
• For families with several generations

Level Of The Excursion

The Impact Of This Excursion

Social/cultural Impact

Economic Impact

Additional Information

Environmental impact: This tour is a low carbon footprint experience because it requires a short transfer to the local market where the activity starts but the overall tour minimizes as much as possible the carbon footprint since all visits are done by walking

Support for local communities: The activity starts at a local market, where travelers will get to learn about the daily life of the locals and contribute directly to the local farmers selling their products and also for the local host.

Cultural engagement: The tour provides participants an opportunity to engage in direct contact with the locals and learn about their traditions, values and daily life.

This cooking class offers an opportunity to embrace responsible and sustainable tourism. By engaging with local markets and farmers, travelers not only immerse themselves in authentic cultural experiences but also contribute to the well-being of local communities. The tour’s commitment to minimizing carbon footprints and practicing eco-friendly principles ensures that participants can explore the vibrant essence of Vietnam while preserving its natural beauty and traditions.

Time And Transportation

Duration

• Cooking Class at Grain Studio (usually arrange without market tour because they have their own pantry inside)

Duration: 3 hours – Closed on Sunday

• For other three options, all cooking classes usually do have cooking class with market tour and without market tour. We highly recommend clients to do the cooking class with market tour.
• Hoa Tuc cooking class:

Cooking Class with Market:
Duration: 4 hours ( start at 08:45 at gate 5 of Ben Thanh Market.)
Cooking Class without Market:
Duration: 3 hours (Morning class starts at 10:00 or afternoon class starts at 14:00 at the cooking class).

• Mai Home cooking class:

Duration: 3 hours ( Morning class with market tour
Duration: 3.5 hours without market tour

• M.O.M cooking class

Duration: 4.5 hours with market tour

Min pax

1

Max pax

70

How to sell it

For all cooking classes

• An authentic cooking class, during which guests cook and taste their own food
• A good combination between time spent in the market, time spent cooking and time spent eating
• Flexible starting time in order to combine it with Good Morning Saigon
• Great activity for family.
• A special venue and very Vietnamese cuisine (Hoa Tuc cooking class)
• Easy begining to cook (Cooking class at Grain studio)
• A kind of activity at the local house (Mai Home cooking class)

Why this activity

• To have more options for culinary tour
• Sales were in need of a really clean cooking class
• It’s not only about cooking, there is also an interesting visit to a local market to have an idea about local life, pick up fresh ingredients.
• Have an option for Incentives in the South with Hoa Tuc cooking class or cooking class at Grain Studio

Good to combine with

• Regular sightseeing in Ho Chi Minh City after cooking class.
• Visit of the Cu Chi tunnel in the afternoon.
• Relaxing day if clients have a good hotel so they have only half-day activity.

Do not combine with

• Any other activity related to Food (like Food tour or Vespa tour) unless the clients requested it.
• Clients should not visit Ben Thanh market the days before or after the cooking class.

Market suggestion

Competitor comparison

• Other DMCs especially Exotissimo, Destination Asia, Buffalo.

Pros

Hoa Tuc Cooking Class

• Central location, close to the Opera House, Caravelle, Park Hyatt.
• Its decoration is simple and the yellow lights make it warm, clean, spacious and airy. The venue looks cozy, clean rest-rooms.
• The venue for cooking class is on the first floor normally and the restaurant is on the ground floor.
• Access is possible for disable guests but please note there will be no air-con.
• The menu has 3 dishes, average time spent on each is 1 hour. Clients cook and try their own food.
• Market tour lasts 30-40 minutes in theory but there will be shortened the market time when they have someone late.(Join-In)
• Ingredients bought in Ben Thanh market will be used in the class.
• Very fresh food.
• Experience chef with great English.
• Ice tea is included.

Cooking class at Grain Studio

• The equippmets look new and clean
• There is overhead mirror where the instructor stands so we can easily follow up what’s happening
• Very clear instructions, we easily follow up and the assistants always give their assistance right away clients cannot catch up. Have time to take pictures for our own made food and have enough time to enjoy the food and chat with the participants

Mai Home cooking class

• Easy to access the place
• Enough space for group
• Toilet are available – 8 toilets
• Chef can speak English and French

M.O.M cooking class:

• The market is really local and not touristic.
• Give many information about vegetable that we usually use in Vietnam, and their usuage as well. We can smell it.
• After going around to buy some ingredients, we walk into the small alley, we can see the local who is living here, daily activity.
• Welcome drink is made from ginger, lemongrass, lemon juice and brown sugar, it’s nice.

Cons

Hoa Tuc cooking class

• Surrounding area is messy and there is a construction next door. Coach/Van/Car can access the site but they don’t have parking place.
• The menu is fixed all year round, limited dishes that clients want to learn so that sales should be careful when picking up menu for repeated clients.
• The market is really touristic.
• During high season, the place looks really busy with several cooking classes at the same time, but in different rooms.

Cooking class at Grain Studio

• The equippmets look new and clean
• There is overhead mirror where the instructor stands so we can easily follow up what’s happening
• Very clear instructions, we easily follow up and the assistants always give their assistance right away clients cannot catch up. Have time to take pictures for our own made food and have enough time to enjoy the food and chat with the participants

Mai Home cooking class

• No parking area
• No possibillity for other language except English and French
• Super messy sometimes if they have many groups at the same time.
• The market tour is not interesting as the instructor just names ingredients, vegetable, very little information.

M.O.M cooking class

• It’s a bit difficult to have big group to go to market, so they devide about 3-4 pax a group, for easy-going with the local shops.
• There is only 1 toilet is upstair, not really convenient for clients going up and down to wash their hands
• The market is along the street so there also have vehicles, so we need to be more careful.
• Some shops are very busy and sometimes, suppliers did not received the cooperation from the local seller. We need to buy something at their shops.
• There is no cooker hood inside the venue so that is the reason why they open the door when clients grill pork
• The equippment is a little old but clean
• The team is not a strong team because the assistants are not concentrated, sometimes the instructor remind them to get something for the class

Information

Hoa Tuc cooking class

• There are Join-In and Private options, with or without market tour.
• Rate of cooking class without market tour is lower than its with market tour.
• On Monday, there is only private option available
• Child policy at Hoa Tuc cooking class: >= 7 years old; however, they can be flexible for 5-6 years old case by case if requested.
• For private class, the starting time can be flexible adjusted, needs to be checked with Reservations in advance
• Meeting point is Ben Thanh Market ( West Gate, with market  tour) or directly at Hoa Tuc cooking class (without market)

Cooking class at Grain Studio

• There are Join-In and Private options, with or without market tour.
• Rate of cooking class without market tour is lower than its with market tour.
• Cooking class at Grain Studio is closed on Sunday
• Require minimum of 4pax for private option
• Child policy should be checked case by case
• Meeting point at Grain cooking class

Mai Home cooking class

• There are Join-In and Private options, with or without market tour. Rate of cooking class without market tour is lower than its with market tour
• For private class, the starting time can be flexible adjusted, needs to be checked with Reservations in advance
• Child policy at the should be checked case by case
• Meeting point is at Ben Thanh Market ( West Gate, with market tour) or direct at Mai Home (without market)

M.O.M Home cooking class

• There are Join-In and Private options, with or without market tour. Rate of cooking class without market tour is lower than its with market tour
• For private class, the starting time can be flexible adjusted, needs to be checked with Reservations in advance
• Child policy at the should be checked case by case
• Meeting point is direct at M.O.M cooking class ( with or without market tour)

Alerts

• Should advise vegetarians or travelers’ food allergies one day prior for being well-prepared for all classes
• If it’s for 70 pax, the travelers will be on the ground floor without Aircon at Hoa Tuc cooking class only
• We only recommend to arrange cooking class at Hoa Tuc (ground floor without aircon) and at Grain studio for disable person

Important information

• In general, the afternoon cooking class does not always include market (depending on the supplier, we cannot guarantee it) and is not as good as the morning class; therefore, we strongly advise to only sell the cooking class in the morning, afternoon cooking class with this supplier should only be the last option.

Price range

From USD 40 to USD 80

Quotation guideline

• Cooking class
• Transfer from hotel/cooking class to cooking class/hotel

Inclusion

• The English Speaking Chef.
• Meal ( 3 dishes, 1 dessert).
• Ice Tea

Exclusion

• Transfer from hotels to Ben Thanh market and the cooking class.
• Bottle of water
• Guide

Possible Extra

• Organize the transfer by vintage car, Jeep or Vespas

Remark

• We strongly advise to keep our car for the transfer between Ben Thanh market and the cooking class
• Mai Home is the option for low budget clients/ French who want to do the cooking class in Ho Chi Minh City
• Grain cooking class is by far the good option for Australian/UK/US market with more budget.
• Hoa Tuc cooking class is the best choice to balance everything.
• Hoa Tuc, Grain and Mai Home do market tour at Ben Thanh market, M.O.M visits local street market at Co Giang, Co Bac street.
• Hoa Tuc, Grain, M.O.M only have English Speaking Chef but Mai Home can arrange French Speaking Chef and please check the availability in advance.

Important notes

Private class with market tour:

• Meeting point is gate number 5 – West Gate of Ben Thanh market.( Hoa Tuc and Mai Home cooking class)
• Meeting point is at the cooking class for only M.O.M with market tour

Private class without market tour:

• Meeting point is direct at the cooking class ( Hoa Tuc, Grain studio, Mai Home, M.O.M)

Special Guide notes

• Guide should call the chef a few minutes before they arrive at the gate.

Different Choice

• The Vietnam Cookery Center (lower rates, Ben Thanh market tour is optional)

Contact

SAIGON COOKING CLASS BY HOA TUC

Add: 74/7 Hai Ba Trung, Dist.1, HCMC

Tel: (028) 3 825 84 85

Mobile: +84 932 109 515 Ms Tham – Main contact for Reservation and Rate

Email: contact@saigoncookingclass.com

Tel: 0902970720 Ms Ilda –  Owner of Sai Gon Cooking Class by Hoa Tuc

Email: i.briosca@saigoncookingclass.com

Website: www.saigoncookingclass.com

MAI HOME – THE SAIGON CULINARY ART CENTER

Add: 269 Bis Nguyen Trai street, Nguyen Cu Trinh Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city

Email: sgncookeryart@gmail.com

English

Hands on cooking class (With Market tour)

During this immersive cooking class, start by visiting the local market in Ho Chi Minh City and purchase some special ingredients needed for your cooking class. Accompanied by experts, you will come to understand more about Vietnamese culinary culture and observe how the locals love to visit the market in the early morning every day for their meals – and a bit of gossip! After a quick trip from the market to the cooking class, the chef will show you how to prepare your dish, sharing expert cooking techniques, and explaining everything clearly, step by step. After this great, hands-on experience, you can try your own food, as well as a delicious dessert.

Meals included: Lunch
Note: The cooking class is closed on Monday

Hands on cooking class (Without Market tour)

During this immersive cooking class, the chef will show you how to prepare your dish, sharing expert cooking techniques, and explaining everything clearly, step by step. This experience will give you a much deeper insight into Vietnamese culinary culture by cooking its most famous dishes yourself. After this hands-on experience, be sure to try your own food and enjoy some dessert, as well!

Meals included: Lunch

French

Cours pratique de cuisine (avec passage au marché)

Pour cette expérience culinaire en pleine immersion, vous commencerez par visiter le marché local d’Ho Chi Minh Ville où vous achèterez les ingrédients dont vous aurez besoin pour le cours. Des experts vous en apprendront davantage sur la culture culinaire vietnamienne et vous observerez les locaux qui adorent flâner au marché de bon matin pour faire leurs emplettes chaque jour…et se raconter les derniers potins ! Après un petit trajet, vous arriverez à l’emplacement du cours de cuisine où le chef vous apprendra à préparer votre plat pas à pas en partageant avec vous des techniques et des conseils de pro, tout en vous expliquant tout très clairement. Après cette formidable expérience pratique, vous pourrez savourer votre propre plat ainsi qu’un délicieux dessert.

Repas inclus : déjeuner
Remarque : il n’y a pas cours de cuisine le lundi

Cours pratique de cuisine (sans passage au marché)

Pour cette expérience culinaire en pleine immersion, le chef vous apprendra à préparer votre plat pas à pas en partageant avec vous des techniques et des conseils de pro, tout en vous expliquant tout très clairement. Cette expérience vous offrira une meilleure connaissance de la culture culinaire vietnamienne en apprenant à préparer vous-mêmes ses plats les plus connus. Après cette formidable expérience pratique, vous pourrez savourer votre propre plat ainsi qu’un délicieux dessert.

Repas inclus : déjeuner

Spanish

Clase de cocina práctica (con visita al mercado)

Para esta experiencia culinaria de inmersión, comenzará visitando el mercado local de Ciudad Ho Chi Minh, donde comprará los ingredientes que necesitará para la clase. Aprenderá más sobre la cultura culinaria vietnamita de la mano de expertos y observará a los lugareños, a quienes les encanta pasear por el mercado a primera hora de la mañana para hacer sus compras diarias… ¡y cotillear! Tras un breve trayecto en coche, llegará al lugar de la clase de cocina, donde el chef le enseñará a preparar su plato paso a paso, compartiendo con usted técnicas y consejos profesionales, a la vez que le explica todo con mucha claridad. Después de esta gran experiencia práctica, disfrutará de su propio plato y de un delicioso postre.

Comidas incluidas: almuerzo

Nota: el lunes no hay clase de cocina

Curso práctico de cocina (sin visita al mercado)

En esta experiencia culinaria de inmersión, el chef le enseñará a preparar su plato paso a paso, compartiendo técnicas y consejos profesionales, a la vez que lo explica todo con mucha claridad. Esta experiencia le permitirá conocer mejor la cultura culinaria vietnamita al aprender a preparar usted mismo sus platos más famosos. Después de esta gran experiencia práctica, disfrutará de su propio plato y de un delicioso postre.

Comidas incluidas: almuerzo

Italian

Mettetevi alla prova con una lezione di cucina (con tour del mercato)

Durante questa lezione di cucina coinvolgente, iniziate visitando il mercato locale a Ho Chi Minh  e acquistate alcuni ingredienti speciali necessari per il vostro corso. Accompagnati da esperti, capirete di più sulla cultura culinaria vietnamita e osserverete come i locali amano visitare il mercato ogni mattina presto per i loro pasti e per un po ‘di pettegolezzi! Dopo un breve viaggio dal mercato alla lezione di cucina, lo chef vi mostrerà come preparare il vostro piatto, condividere tecniche avanzate di cottura e spiegare chiaramente tutto, passo dopo passo. Dopo questa fantastica esperienza, potete provare il vostro cibo e un delizioso dessert.

Pasti inclusi: pranzo

Nota: il corso di cucina è disponibile tutti i giorni tranne il lunedì

Mettetevi alla prova con una lezione di cucina (senza tour del mercato)

Durante questa lezione di cucina coinvolgente, lo chef vi mostrerà come preparare il vostro piatto, condividere tecniche avanzate di cottura e spiegare chiaramente tutto, passo dopo passo. Questa esperienza in cui cucinerete da soli i piatti più famosi, vi darà una visione molto più profonda della cultura culinaria vietnamita. Dopo questa esperienza pratica, assicuratevi di provare il vostro cibo e di godervi un po’ di dessert!

Pasti inclusi: pranzo

German

Praktischer Kochkurs (mit Marktbesuch)

Bei diesem umfassenden Kochkurs starten Sie mit einem Besuch des lokalen Marktes in Ho-Chi-Minh-Stadt und kaufen einige besondere Zutaten ein, die Sie für den Kurs benötigen. Dank der Begleitung durch Experten werden Sie die vietnamesische Kochkultur besser verstehen und beobachten, wie die Einheimischen es lieben, den Markt immer früh morgens zur Vorbereitung ihrer Mahlzeiten zu besuchen – und ein bisschen auch zum Tratschen! Nach einer kurzen Fahrt vom Markt zum Kochkurs wird Ihnen der Koch zeigen, wie Sie Ihr Gericht zubereiten; dabei teilt er sein Expertenwissen zu Kochtechniken mit Ihnen und erklärt alles genau Schritt für Schritt. Nach diesem großartigen, praktischen Erlebnis, können Sie versuchen, Ihr eigenes Essen sowie auch ein köstliches Dessert zuzubereiten.

Mahlzeiten inklusive: Mittagessen
Hinweis: Der Kochkurs findet montags nicht statt.

Praktischer Kochkurs (ohne Marktbesuch)

Bei diesem umfassenden Kochkurs wird Ihnen der Koch zeigen, wie Sie Ihr Gericht zubereiten; dabei teilt er sein Expertenwissen zu Kochtechniken mit Ihnen und erklärt alles genau Schritt für Schritt. Diese Erfahrung wird Ihnen, indem Sie das berühmteste aller vietnamesischen Gerichte selbst zubereiten, einen sehr viel tieferen Einblick in die Kochkultur Vietnams geben. Nach diesem praktischen Erlebnis, sollten Sie Ihr eigenes Essen wirklich probieren und auch etwas Dessert genießen.

Mahlzeiten inklusive: Mittagessen

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