Food Tours · Tour

Hanoi Cooking Class in a Garden Villa with a Storyteller

Two garden villas side by side, each with 250 square metres a floor, which is a very different room from a kitchen counter in the Old Quarter. The people teaching are described as cultural storytellers rather than chefs, and they are trained by the former head chef and training director of the Sofitel Metropole, so the standard behind the cooking is a hotel one. What you get alongside the recipes is context: the traditions, the stories, and conversation with people who live here. The class covers what Hanoi is known for: fried spring rolls, bun cha, pho ga and pho bo, banh xeo, and Vietnamese egg coffee. Transfers to and from the Old Quarter and the French Quarter are included if you choose that option, and the setup is deliberately low-waste, with stainless steel boxes and no plastic bags. Four hours, up to fifteen people, in English, air-conditioned. Herbal tea on arrival, a full Vietnamese lunch or dinner depending on the session, seasonal fruit afterwards, and a tasting of the house fruit wine. There are extras that are unusual at the price: luggage storage for up to three days, a digital guidebook of where to eat, a digital certificate on request, and twenty per cent off the operator's other experiences. Part of what you pay goes to community and environmental programmes. Vegetarian menus and other dietary requirements with notice. The venue is wheelchair accessible throughout.