Saigon the hustling city is the biggest and young city of Vietnam famous for the fast life pace which will show you another aspect of Vietnam other than peaceful Hanoi. Saigon gastronomy is well known with so many street foods. As being a big city, it is not very easy for tourists to find and taste the standing out dishes, therefore the cooking classes in Saigon are highly suggested as a best way to have fun experiences in the making and taste all the beautiful Vietnamese dishes. Here are some recommendations for you to follow and choose for yourself a suitable course to spend a day.
1. Vietnam Cookery Center
Located right in the heart of the city, Vietnam Cookery Center offers a beautiful view to the city and easy to find. The center is one of the few cooking centers for tourists and also teaching professional chefs who come to learn about Vietnamese cooking art, thus, you can be sure that the dishes made by yourself are still truly Vietnamese. The classes include a tour to the local market ( Ben Thanh market) during which the participants are guided by a chef, sample and buy the herbs and ingredients used for their dishes. This is such a good way to see a part of Saigonese daily life.
Vietnam Cookery Center
After the shopping is done, you will be taken by a cab to the center and the cab fee is included in the course fee. The menu you cook is fixed based on the day you take. There is usually an interpreter to make sure everything is understood clearly. The chef will give step by step instructions so that everyone can follow. Do not be hesitate to ask anything because the chefs and the interpreter are very knowledgeable not only in cuisine but also Vietnamese culture, and they are funny and patient too to make sure you have an unforgetable time there. The class ambience is warm and traditional and comfortable with the yellow walls and wooden furniture.
After finishing the class, you will enjoy your dishes, don’t worry because you teacher is good. You will also receive a recipe book and an certificate of attendance as a souvenir gift, however, the experiences and knowledge you receive would be the best gift that you can bring home.
Price : From 42 USD ( 924.000 VND )
Add: 4th floor, 26 Ly Tu Trong street, District 1, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam
Tel : (84-28) 38 27 03 49
2. Saigon Cooking Class
The market tour to Ben Thanh market included in the course or not is upon to your selection, your time and the price is not much higher than the class only. It is a good chance to follow the chef to walk around the vibrant Ben Thanh market and learn about the usual ingredients used in Vietnamese daily meal in 1 hour from 8:45am to 9:45am. Back to the class, you will have your hands on everything under the chef’s instruction to make a delicious 4 course Vietnamese meal. Every participant will have their own material and cook at the same time with the chef and she/he will make sure it is easy and clear you every one to follow step by step. The class say no to all kinds of enhancing flavor powders so that the Vietnamese cooking art can be shown perfectly.
When the class is done, you will enjoy your meal right at the class’s dining space with other participants and don’t be too surprise with what you have made. The cooking class offered by Saigon Cooking Class is available every day of the week apart from Monday, take a note if you consider taking this course. Another notice is that children can also learn cooking with the half price and you should book in advance for better welcome. Aso, Saigon cooking class also offers private cooking class for those who would like to learn Vietnamese cooking techniques with the chef.
3. Ho Chi Minh Cooking Class
Do you know that Vietnamese food is one of the most healthiest cuisine in the world? Ranked #1 of the cooking classes and workshops on Tripadvisor.com, HCM cooking class focus on this aspect of Vietnamese gastronomy by offering the unique cooking course on an organic farm 2 hours away from HCM city.
Ho Chi Minh Cooking Class
This special course lasts for a day and is a good way to stay away from the busy city for a while. Tourists will learn about how Vietnamese use herbs and spices as medicine and go pick them in the farm’s medical garden. All the materials are from the organic farm so that they are all fresh and healthy. There are many interesting activities on the farm like plant mushroom in the Mushroom house, do the job of a Vietnamese farmer or fishing. Even though this is a cooking course but tourists can choose to cook or not due to the other funny activities they can take and just enjoy the great and healthy meal cooked by the professional chef in a peaceful natural environment. The staffs also support you if you want to go to other destinations near the farm like Cu Chi tunnel.
Price: From $55 for Adult and $45 for child
Address: 275 Tinh lo 2,Ap 3, Phuoc Vinh An , Cu Chi, HCMC
Phone: (+84)28379 421 75
4. Chef Vu Cooking Class
Chef Vu cooking class offers 2 cooking courses which are Saigon center 4 hour cooking class (35 USD) and Cu Chi tunnels-cooking class-motorbike full day tour (50USD). The cooking class takes place in the outskirt of the city and near Cu Chi tunnel is quite similar as HCM cooking class above except for the medicine part and you will get picked by the bikers from the bus station for a short trip around the paddy field in the countryside. The price is included almost everything necessary and you only have to pay extra if you’d like to get picked by luxury car.
For the cooking class in Saigon, Chef Vu team still know the way you make your day special. The participants will be picked up by the cyclos to the Ben Thanh market where they learn and buy the ingredients used in the upcoming class. The staff even teach you how to haggle the price which is very usual in local people’s shopping. The class is only 5 minute walk from Ben Thanh market. There, the participants will be instructed by a professional chef to cook Vietnamese dishes, decorate the foods and use the knife like an expert.
5. Bi Saigon Cooking Class
No 185/26 – 185/16 Pham Ngu Lao St, District 1
Tel: +84-8-3836 0678
Bi Saigon Cooking Class
Bi Saigon is actually a pretty little hotel and restro located on a street linking Pham Ngu Lao and Bui Vien. The hotel doesn’t have cooking class daily but they can organize for individual or small group. You will learn how to cook a wide range of Vietnamese dishes in the course. The trip to the grocery store and local market will be involved if you ask for. The rate for the cooking class is 10 dollar cheaper for the residents of the hotel. Located in the center, the hotel and restaurant is said to offer good service at a reasonable price (from 20 USD). You can consider to book a room here and join their cooking class for more interesting experiences.
6. Grain Cooking Studio
Grain was founded by chef Luke Nguyen who has done a series of cooking programs on the Cooking Channel and is well known in Vietnam and Australia for his restaurants. Grain is his passion to introduce Vietnamese cuisine to everyone including Viet people. Grain studio provides everything needed to cook Vietnamese food from knife to the cooking equipment. The space is large, clean, organized and elegant as you can see in the picture. What makes Grain different from other cooking class is that they teach you how to make Vietnamese food at a higher level above the usual cooking class recipes. Are you wondering about the local market tour? Don’t worry, Luke Nguyen says that fresh ingredients are the soul of Vietnamese food. Thus, he sets up a market corner right inside the studio so that learners can still pick for themselves all the necessary materials. The learners are taught by a professional chef and learn the cooking techniques and things about Vietnamese history at the same time. After the class, everybody will enjoy the meal they have made with some wine offered by the studio for the best flavor experience.
GRAIN Cooking Studio
Address: Level 3, 71-75 Hai Ba Trung, Dist.1, HCMC, Vietnam
Operating Hours: 9.00am – 5.00pm Monday to Saturday
Phone: +84 28 3827 4929
7. Mai Home Saigon Curlinary Art Centre
If you are searching for a genuine Vietnamese experience, the cooking class offered by Mai Home Saigon culinary art centre is something you can not miss. Only 1 km away from the Central Market or Ben Thanh marker in other word, the centre is easy to find. After taking the market trip, you will be back to the centre to start learning to cook.
Mai Home Saigon Curlinary Art Centre
Everybody will be busy with cutting and chopping, stirring and tasting. The chef is patient to make sure it is easy to follow step by step. The hygiene is always good, the learners are reminded to wash hands, wear clean hat and apron. A handbook of recipes is given to the learners in the end so that they can be able to cook Vietnamese dishes for their family and friends.
Price: US$ 37.00 per pers
Address: 269bis – Nguyen Trai – Q.1 – HCMC
Tel: (84-8) 3838 6037 – 3837 5443
8. Cycloresto Cooking Class
Cycloresto cooking class is held by Cycloresto restaurant. There are 2 classes in morning and afternoon, each takes about 4 hours. The participant will get picked only in District 1. Like other cooking classes, Cycloresto also has the trip to the colorful local market where tourists can see the local activities and sample the herbs and spices. The market is not touristy so that it is not too noisy and you can ask the chef everything in about 45 minutes. After the market tour, the group will come to the class to prepare everything on their own from washing the vegetables to decorating the finished dishes. You will be rewarded a certificate of recognition as a souvenir. There are also courses for vegetarians for your information.
Tel: +84 984 919 026
Address : 33A Dang Tran Con – Ho Chi Minh City.
9. MOM cooking class
The cooking class takes place in a clean and elegant space. There are courses available for private and small group. The participants will have put your hands deeply in the process, get introduced about all the ingredients and use Vietnamese cooking equipment to make themselves an authentic Vietnamese meal.
MOM cooking class
The menu is fixed for each day so that you can’t choose what you cook but all the dishes are all very beautiful and truly traditional like Fresh spring rolls with pork and prawns served with peanut butter, pomelo salad with pork and prawns with dressing sauce, stir-fried lemongrass beef served with fresh rice noodles and vegetables. The chefs and helpers all speak fluent English so that you can get them thoroughly. If you and your partners are vegetarians, you should contact them first so that they can cater the class for you.
Price: From 37 USD
Add: 39A Cô Bắc | District 1, HCM city 700000, Việt Nam
Phone: +84 94 719 47 12
10. Saigon Family Cooking Class
Add: 12 Nguyen Binh Khiem | Bến Nghé, Dist 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 90 243 14 07
Saigon Family cooking class is a great way to spend your time. Their staffs are so friendly, informative, always smile and make you feel really welcomed. Everyone can speak fluent English so just be comfortable to ask everything. After getting picked, you will be taken to the local market and see ranges of meats, veggies, fishes. It’s a great experience to go to Vietnamese market with a tour guide who is enthusiastic to share you everything. Heading to the class, you will cook the dishes you have selected before under their directions. The dishes are not complex at all but very tasty like spring roll, pancake and some Vietnamese family’s daily dishes like pork in clay pot. The classroom is small but warm and comfortable. There is a balcony where you can enjoy your meal and see the city from the above.
