Immersive Cooking Class & Wet Market Tour by Local Chef +Cookbook
Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Come home from your Vietnam trip with more than a bag of souvenirs—come home with authentic Vietnamese cooking skills and insight into the culinary traditions of this beautiful country. Starting at the iconic Ben Thanh market, you’ll select fresh ingredients before sitting down to your own cooking station, where you’ll then follow a chef across four iconic dishes, learning skills and techniques. At the end, celebrate by tasting your creations.
- Visit the iconic Cho Benh Thanh, or Ben Thanh market, choosing local ingredients
- Follow a professional chef from your own cooking station
- Try your hand at creating four iconic Vietnamese dishes, like goi cuon (spring rolls)
- Walk away with skills, memories, and a Vietnamese cookbook w/ 25+ recipes
Sample Menu
Starter
Goi Ga
Traditional Poached Chicken & Viet Coriander Salad Served with Sweet and Tangy Anchovy Vinaigrette
Starter
Bo Bia
Jicama & Sweet Sausage Hand-Rolls Served with a Light Peanut-Hoisin Sauce
Main
Ca Kho To
Braised Clay Pot Fish & Pork Belly Caramel Reduction
Dessert
Che Dau Xanh Banh Lot
Vietnamese Style Sweet Parfait with Cendol & Coconut Cream Drizzle
Starter
Goi Cuon
Prawn and Pork Belly Spring Rolls Served with Light Peanut Hoisin Sauce
Starter
Banh Xeo
Vietnamese Sizzling Crepe Stuffed with Prawn & Tender Pork Belly
Main
Pho Ga
Traditional Viet Noodle Soup with Poached Free Range Chicken
Dessert
Creme Caramel
Topped with Vietnamese Style Espresso & Crushed Ice
What's Included
- Alcoholic BeveragesComplementary Cocktail
- DinnerEnjoy a convivial sit-down meal of all your culinary creations during the our course.
- Elegant Vietnamese Cookbook w/ 25+ Recipes!
- Gratuity Included
- Transportation from the Wet Market Tour
- Vegetarian Options Available Upon Request
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- Cửa Tây Chợ Bến Thành21, 23 Phan Chu Trinh, Phường Bến Thành, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam
The wet market tour will begin from Cua Tay (West Gate, Gate 5) of Ben Thanh Market. Our guide will be awaiting your arrival. Transportation will be provided to our kitchen where chefs will guide you through a traditional four course meal. PLEASE note there are NO returns to original departure point
End point
- 131/3 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Phường Phạm Ngũ Lão, Quận 1, Hồ Chí Minh 711106, Vietnam
Please note that the culinary experience will end at our kitchen and dining facilities (131/3 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai). This location is DIFFERENT than the meeting point (Ben Thanh Market).
Itinerary
1
Ben Thanh Market
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
131/3 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai
2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 20 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 379 reviews
Jacqueline_M, May 2026
Meeting at the Markets was a great start. Shown the best fruit seller, tea and coffee seller (and told about the different types for sale), spices stall (introduced to the spices in pho) and then the wet market and vegetables sellers. A short transfer to the cooking school where we made Banh Xeo, spring rolls and Pho. Amazing, highly recommend, would do class again. Teachers very good. Loved the experience
Effa, Apr 2026
Went with my 14 year old. We enjoyed it so much. You learn the different herbs, how they’re cooked. The market trip was ok. Tried a few things and saw the wet market.
Steven_T, Mar 2026
Fun time. Learned some, ate well, and got a cookbook to take home. The tour of the wet market was interesting as well.
David_C, Mar 2026
The experience was great! The chef was very experience. The cooking book they gave us is beautiful. I would do it again.
Michael_S, Mar 2026
Overall good experience. Quality of the food / ingredients was good. I would have liked to do more actual chopping & cooking. Most of the prep work was already done when we arrived. Class was a little too large at about 20 people. Market visit was just ok as most of her good vendors were closed (it was early afternoon when we were there - the morning cooking class would have seen more action at the market).
bob_p, Mar 2026
This is a fun morning activity with a pleasant guide/instructor. Learned to make 3 dishes and had a trip through the market.
Douglas_K, Feb 2026
Good but I felt a few too many people in class. Guide 15 min late at market. Had to eat again when we arrived at venue. Possibly needed more people assisting. Food was great.
proshopper94404, Feb 2026
We had a great experience with this cooking class. Levi was an awesome guide through the market sharing his insights, and we had the chance to taste and smell some unique fruits, veg, spices and coffee. He was a good teacher as well, as he showed us how to make 3 unique dishes, and we got to eat it!!!! Bring your appetite, you make a lot of food! So fun, I would definitely recommend it. Thanks Levi for a great experience!
Shannon_T, Feb 2026
This was a wonderful experience and the food was fabulous. I would like to note that the description said that an “alcoholic beverage complementary cocktail”would be included, but it was not. There was a nice sugarcane drink included. The only alcohol was a beer that some of us had with our meal, thinking that was complementary, and then we were surprised to be charged for it at the end. It was a small charge, so we didn’t complain, but that should be more clear. Also, we were provided transportation to the cooking class from the market, but we had to get our own transportation back. Despite this, we still loved the experience, but just make sure you are aware that you’ll need your own transportation back.
Kathy_O, Feb 2026
I feel a little bad rating only 3/5 but we had a class in Chiang Mai that was so so so good that it’s hard to compare! This class was good, food was good, instructor was good, facilities were good. But it was very matter of fact, there was no personality or fun to be had. Dishes were cooked were good, not great. There were 3 of us in our group and 8 all together. This was the opinion of our group of 3 although I didn’t see the others having a great time either.
Lenny_H, Jan 2026
After cooking your own three dishes, be prepared to enjoy your dishes, in addition to dessert and ice water to rinse it down. The class was vibrant with lots of tourists wanting to learn how to cook dishes of Vietnam. It included a good amount of direct student participation in cooking. Thanks to Chef Amy, who picked us up, gave us a general tour of Ben Thanh Market, and taught us the cooking class with her wonderful assistant.
Nancy_W, Dec 2025
Tour and cooking class was so much fun! Learned a lot about the market and can’t wait to try the recipe at home!
Julia_F, Nov 2025
Very enjoyable morning. Our family of 6 all found the class informative and the food delicious. We would recommend this tour.
Charlie_R, Oct 2025
This was a great cooking experience! We made 3 dishes and got a cook book at the end with all the recipes. An was very funny and a great teacher!
Stephen_B, Aug 2025
It is an awesome event with lovely and informative staff. The wet market tour was magnificent and the chef was adorable.
Alexis_J, Aug 2025
Such a cool experience! My chef husband loved the teachings and humor An had throughout the entire time. We definitely appreciate how she explained the different veggies & meat at the market. We made Fresh Spring Rolls, Pho Ga and Beef Dancing in Fire. So delicious! Definitely recommend to anyone willing to learn!
Luke_A, Jul 2025
Fantastic experience!!! Must book cooking class!!! The Chef is very friendly and knowledgable and caters to all experience levels. The local market tour before hand was also very interesting.
Stephen_B, Apr 2025
Beware if you arrive by cruise ship. It is 1 1/2 hour drive from the port to the meeting point!!
Despite my multiple emails 2-3 days before the tour requesting pick up information, we did not receive the specific details until 7:30 am on the day of the tour which started at 9 am!!!!. We were told to find a taxi to the meeting point.
We decided to skip the tour. I would Viator to refund at least a portion of the tour cost due to the lack of timely communication on getting to the meeting point.
Christine_H, Apr 2025
An interesting time going through the markets but the cooking class was the highlight. Sarah was patient and informative. Her step by step instructions easy to follow. I would definitely do this class again
Aaron_T, Feb 2025
Anh was a great host, guide and teacher! Started with a District 1 market tour. The learning kitchen was fun! Created three dishes from scratch and had a lot of fun doing it!!! Well done. Highly recommend.
Dave_T, Jan 2025
It was a very cute room kitchen. Everything was laid out nicely, and the best part is interacting with the chef & other newbies in learning the recipe.
Elizabeth_O, Jan 2025
Really well set up and fun. The chef had a great sense of humor and teased us in a loving way as we tried to make Vietnamese dishes. The market tour was pretty interesting, although in the afternoon you will not see the butchers, as they are only open in the morning. Not for people who dislike walking through tiny walkways in markets. There were 7 people in our class, from lots of different countries. The cookbook looks really well made.
Sayeda_L, Jan 2025
This cooking class was good, but I’m not sure I would highly recommend to others or go again. It started off on a weird vibe as our guide and chef was trying to ring and text me (more than once) at 13:53 as if we were late, when the booking clearly stated a start time of 14:00. We arrived at 13:55, and others from the tour also hadn’t joined yet whom he was also trying to call. We found that he wasn’t that warm or friendly, and we didn’t feel overly engaged or relaxed. The food we made was nice, although most of it was already prepped. We made a very simple salad, grilled pork belly & meatballs and a basic pho. You don’t need much skill at all which makes it a good option for beginners. The recipe booklet to take home was awesome. The room we were cooking in was extremely hot as the aircon didn’t seem to be working, which took away from the enjoyment. We understand we are in Vietnam where it’s hot, but this combined with the multiple burners in the room meant it was extremely uncomfortable and hotter than outside. There was water on the tables but we had to ask for ice to cool us down. A good experience but wasn’t ranked highly on our trip.
Danielle_G, Jan 2025
Our particular booking of this class was overly full so it was difficult to make the dishes in the expected time frame but our Chef persevered and we made and ate delicious food. He even went out of his way to adjust his recipes to be allergy friendly for my daughter. I hope in the future they book less students per class but we definitely enjoyed this experience!
VictorWei_W, Jan 2025
Titus has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and a cheerful, funny wit that makes the cooking session enjoyable in every way! Definitely recommended.
Do note that the cooking booklet is actually quite nicely made, in both content and design, so it definitely gets a place in your bookshelf both as a memory and as a mini cookbook.
Diala_B, Dec 2024
We loved the tour of the markets before the class learning about local Vietnamese ingredients.
An and her team were really lovely. From the moment we got to the class we felt like we were in someone’s home kitchen, talking, laughing and learning to cook delicious meals and eating them together. We took our 8 year old to the class with us and An made sure he was involved and also learning to cook the delicious meals. We all had individual stations so we could cook each dish ourselves which was great for learning. We then attended a coffee class at the school which was also a lot of fun and great experience. I would definitely recommend this class!
Bridget_J, Dec 2024
Hi,
Really unhappy with an experience I had today. It was over £50 for a cooking class in Vietnam. We were promised a cocktail on arrival, which was never given. The "market tour" wasn't actually a tour, but the seller taking us to market shops owned by their friends who pressured you into purchasing items waaaaay above market value. The first 20 mins of the cooking class was one person making a sauce for all the people, so we sat there bored. The girl next to me actually started watching YouTube. The whole thing felt very disorganised, no one was really checking what you were doing so felt like you were just cooking on your own. Only 3 meals, 1 of which was a salad, so involved no cooking. The first meal also involved very little cooking. Value of the meal did not warrant over 50 quid. To top it all off, was told the experience ended at the place it started (a market i walked to and we got a taxi to the cooking school). We had to pay for our own taxi back even though the description implied we'd be taken back to the market, which was near my hotel. Really annoyed I've paid for this to be honest.
Please can you look into this ASAP, as value for money not at all given.
Thanks,
Bridget
Russell_F, Nov 2024
Great cooking class. Chief had excellent English. We received a nice Vietnamese cookbook as a gift. I recommend the class.
gunntony, Nov 2024
Well worth it
Insight into wet marked with all fresh plants & herbs
8 persons attended the cooking class
Each step was explained for you to follow
Starter main soup and desert
Brenda_H, Nov 2024
Had a lovely afternoon with An, started with a quick tour of the market then went on to her kitchen. We made 3 dishes in total and A served up her homemade yogurt for dessert, all of the dishes were delicious. Also met a lovely bunch of fellow travellers.
From $49.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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