Authentic Cooking Class in Hanoi with a Vietnamese Grandmother

Overview

Available languages

Vietnamese

English

3 hours

Mobile ticket

Enjoy a small group meal and cooking demonstration in a local Hanoi home in the heart of the Old Quarter. Experience authentic Vietnamese life and cuisine with your warm and wonderful hosts as you cook together and dine on family recipes passed down through generations. Truly an off-the-eaten path experience you won't want to miss.

Additional Info

Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller

Public transportation options are available nearby

If any travelers in your party have any dietary requests or allergies, please advise at time of booking - vegetarian options are available.

Hong’s street becomes a walking street after 7:00pm every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. On these days there are often musical performances in the street that last from 8:00-10:00pm and can be seen from her window and balcony.

Please note, this experience is in a real home, not a cooking studio. While there will be some hands-on preparation, each individual will not have their own cooking station. This experience is meant to be a visit into a local home to meet a local person and share culture and cuisine together.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

What‘s Included

Optional walking market tour with an Old Quarter resident Hang

Local beer

Authentic Vietnamese Cooking Class and Meal with a Lovely Local Hang

What To Expect

Step into a welcoming Hanoian home in the heart of the Old Quarter and learn to cook like a local with Hang and her mother, grandmother to three lovely kids. In this hands-on Vietnamese cooking class, you’ll prepare beloved family recipes passed down through generations. Start with a fresh, herb-filled salad, then choose between crispy spring rolls or chả cá lã vọng, Hanoi’s iconic turmeric-marinated fish, grilled and served sizzling with dill, herbs, and rice noodles for a bold, unforgettable flavor. As you cook, sip on homemade tropical teas infused with ginger, lemongrass, or lychee, and pick up time-honored techniques and stories from Hang’s family kitchen. This intimate 2.5-3 hour cooking class and meal experience offers an authentic, heartwarming window into Hanoian cultural and culinary traditions with warm and fun locals. Enjoy a 1-hour guided walking tour through a local Hanoian market with Hang and discover and sample Vietnamese fruit, herbs and other regional produce. Watch as locals bargain with vendors at this lively Hanoian market before returning to Hang's home to begin your cooking class.

Sample Menu

starter

Vietnamese salad

Green papaya or other seasonal vegetable tossed with fresh herbs and a tangy-sweet fish sauce

main

Chả cá Lã Vọng

Hanoi’s iconic grilled turmeric fish, served sizzling with fresh dill, herbs, and rice noodles

dessert

Seasonal fresh fruit and coffee

Options

Cooking class and dinner

Market + cooking + dinner

Market + cooking + lunch

Cooking class and lunch

Reviews

5.00

11 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Fun and delicious!
Jenny d,
Aug 10, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00
This was an exceptionally wonderful experience. Hang is absolutely delightful. The trip through the market was fun and interesting. She gave us each a basket to carry and filled it up with lots of fresh ingredients, while stopping to explain if we had questions. When my daughter said she loved passion fruit, Hang added some to our basket, and took them home to make us a drink with them. She explained every step of each recipe that we prepared in her immaculate home kitchen, as well as sharing family anecdotes. Her daughter came in to help at the end. We sat down to a delicious meal! Highly recommend this!
Delicious food!
286lucah,
Mar 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Great experience! The dishes we cooked together were delicious and the teacher was very nice and informative! I also recommend doing the market tour
Fab family experience
maria b,
Mar 30, 2024
- Review from Viator
5.00
Brilliant experience, really wonderful to spend time in a Vietnamese home and then more about family life and culture, as well as get some great Cooking tits. A highlight of our time in Hanoi.
Cha ca grilled fish noodles
foof527,
Apr 27, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
I eat a lot of Vietnamese food so I had high expectations for this class, my friends and I loved it! One friend is vegetarian and Hong was able to come up with a great vegetarian substitute to include him. Would definitely recommend this experience if you are a food aficionado.
Great food great experience
davidcriches,
Feb 7, 2023
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
It is always a great way to experience a city and it’s culture when you are able to go into someone’s home and learn to cool with them This is a great event hosted by a lovely mother and daughter, the food was the tastiest we have eaten in vietnam
Great night
charlottesO9224AF,
Jul 13, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Myself, husband, brother and his partner visited Hang in her home a few nights ago to learn to cook Vietnamese food. Their home is in the old quarter steps away from beer corner very easy to find. We felt very welcome by all of Hangs family. We sat down to refreshing Vietnamese drinks and Hang explained to us how they were made. We then started preparing our meal. We made spring rolls, salad, grilled fish. It was all very hands on and fun to learn. We then sat down to a beer and dinner. It was delicious, I especially loved the grilled fish. Hangs mum helped us cook the food also she was very knowledgeable. It was great to meet them all, we had a great night. We look forward to trying to cook the foods again.
Amazing experience and lovely hospitality
PIWNJNCC,
May 25, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
On the morning of my last day in Hanoi (while on a business trip), I visited Hang in her home in the Old Quarter. We walked to the nearby market and she generously answered my many questions. I saw some silkworms that I was curious about and she kindly bought some for us to cook. Back at her house, we prepared many delicious dishes and talked about a wide variety of topics. She's incredibly warm and kind and great to talk with. This class is a great way to get a new perspective on Vietnam and to meet wonderful people!
I highly recommend this course
robbo1111,
Jan 28, 2019
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
Thank you so much Maia for a wonderful cooking class. It started with a tour of the local market before returning to Maia's home for a cooking class. My 11 and 9 year old sons got right into the food preparation. It was particularly nice to feel like you made a real connection with life in Vietnam - which is hard to do sometimes as a tourist. We all felt it was a highlight of our trip. Thank you again, Maia!
Dinner with new friends
Susan L,
Nov 11, 2018
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
We had a lovely evening with Hang and Hong in their home in the Old Quarter. We were treated like friends at a dinner party while learning to make 3 local dishes. We so enjoyed learning about them and their family and seeing the Old Quarter from a new perspective. Great experience!
Friendly, educational, delicious and authentic
Jonathan K,
Sep 16, 2018
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00
My girlfriend and I visited Maia's home in Hanoi while on vacation in SE Asia. We were looking for a hands-on introduction to Vietnamese food and found exactly what we were wanted in this experience. Maia was a delight to spend an evening with, knowledgeable about her craft, and very hospitable. Would recommend to anyone looking to learn about authentic Vietnamese food in an intimate setting.