Chef Vu Cooking Class Plus Market Trip in Saigon Center (Pick up by Cyclo)
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Chef Vu Cooking Class Plus Market Trip in Saigon Center (Pick up by Cyclo)
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- 4 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Offered in: English
Overview
There’s no better way to learn about Vietnamese cuisine than a cooking class. And Cyclo Resto’s cooking course doesn’t just include a feast of fantastic food but a shopping trip to Ben Thanh Market, where you'll immerse yourself in local culture and cuisine. Choose from different menus for the class, then savor the results followed by an egg coffee for dessert.
- Enjoy a hands-on class in Vietnamese food from the chefs at Cyclo Resto
- Learn about Vietnamese ingredients as you shop at Ben Thanh Market
- Feast on various dishes plus egg coffee for dessert
- Enjoy personalized attention in a small group limited to 15 people
Sample Menu
Dessert
Egg coffee
Main
Pancake
Starter
Fried Spring rolls
Main
Chicken noodles soup
Main
Papaya salad
What's Included
Meeting and Pickup
What To Expect
Additional Info
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 478 reviews
Jeff_N, Jan 2026
Our family had a wonderful time learning how to cook with Chef Vu! The excursion started out with a fun cyclo ride to Ben Thanh market. At our designated pickup time, we found four drivers (one for each of us) already waiting for us outside our hotel. They took us around the city center, sharing tidbits of history with us as they pointed out the major sights, including the Opera House, the Notre Dame church, and historic Post Office. Here I should note that we do speak the language, so the experience was extra personal, as the drivers went into great detail about their city, which they clearly love.
When we arrived at Ben Thanh market, we were met by Chef Vu's assistant Nhi, who took us shopping for ingredients. It was fun to learn about the fresh vegetables we'd be using. Then we made our way to Cyclo Restaurant, where we met Chef Vu, who taught us how to make a full menu of delicious Vietnamese dishes. He even taught us some cool knife skills, which I've been putting to good use. He was very enthusiastic and kind, a true joy to work with!
Afterwards, the entire group sat down to enjoy the wonderful meal we had made together. Our family had such a great time and will remember this trip for many years to come!
Ben_B, Oct 2025
This was a great activity for the family. Starting with the cyclo which is a brilliant way to see Ho Chi Minh and then the market and coming class. Chef Vu and Van are excellent hosts with really great English. Would definitely recommend with a family and the food we made was fantastic.
Brian_J, Jun 2025
Awesome experience! Chef Vu was so knowledgeable and friendly - we actually learned a lot! Nice touch is they pick you up from your hotel on cyclops…
Highly recommend!
Shravani_G, Apr 2025
Chef Vu’s class was fun. Learnt some interesting techniques and food. Especially enjoyed the pork ribs, the other items we learnt were also so much fun and interesting. Also learnt knife skills and learnt some food decoration skills
Tania_J, Nov 2024
Wanting to know more about how to cook my fav Vietnamese dishes, we had high hopes for this cooking class. We were lucky enough to be the only ones booked on this tour so we got a one on one class. Chef Vu was explained the main flavours of Vietnamese food and was an excellent teacher. This class did not disappoint and is a must if you are looking to learn more about Vietnamese cuisine! Going to the Ben Thanh market to buy ingredients for our dishes and the 30 minute cyclo ride around HCM City were bonuses. Highly recommend.
Jane_S, Oct 2024
My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our cooking experience with Chef Vu. We learnt so much, with knife techniques and simple.cooking processes that produce beautiful meals.
Michelle_G, Jul 2024
It was a truly amazing experience. This was a very hands-on experience, and the chef was great to work with. In addition to providing clear instructions, he was extremely kind. They also provide you with all the recipes. My son and I really enjoyed the class and the delicious food
Joyce_C, May 2024
Really well thought out and organized cooking class. Everything prepared for maximum time use and opportunity to do all the “fun” cooking parts. Chef was interactive and easy to follow.
Kiarna_N, May 2024
Overall a great experience, got to eat what we made, got a cyclo through the city and got copies of the recipes so we can cook them at home. We had a small group (myself and my travel companion with only one other person) which meant we had a personal experience.
The few cons are that there is the assumption you can cook and have cooked with oil and fire - we were quite hesitant to create the fire in the pan as we are used to electric stoves and it was expected for us to try it despite our hesitancy - same with deep frying, Chef Vu helped if we were struggling a lot but unsure how this would go in a bigger class size.
The cycle drivers expected a tip and looked unhappy until we gave them more than what we had originally given them (we were happy to tip and would have without being asked but felt a bit uncomfortable considering we were tipping well).
It was cool to see the market in the morning when the food stalls were open (and fresh) but our tour guide has limited English so it was hard to ask questions and answer what we wanted to cook but we understand we’re coming to a non English speaking country so weren’t too fussed.
Overall a great experience but just some things to be prepared for
Loren_T, May 2024
Chef Vu makes the whole learning experience very fun. Getting the Cyclo ride, going through the market, learning to cook the menu, and then eating what you made......what's not to like? We are from the States but the others in the class were from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan.
Smithz, Jan 2024
Being able to sit down with everyone and eat all the amazing dishes we made. Chef Vu was so inspiring and made it all look so easy, keen to try making them all at home from the recipes he gave everyone.
Bj_F, Oct 2023
We enjoyed this cooking class immensely. Chef is very enthusiastic and it is fun to cook and learn with him.
Donna_P, May 2023
This was a fantastic cooking class. It didn’t disappoint from the moment we got picked up from our hotel to the end of the class. We went to the local market to buy the ingredients for our dishes. The chef explained all of our ingredients and he was very entertaining throughout the morning. My sister and I had so much fun and can’t wait to cook the dishes we made for our families when we get back home. This has been one of our highlights in Vietnam. I would highly recommend. Definitely value for money.
Melissa_T, May 2023
Chef Vu was great! Extremely knowledgeable and he demonstrated how to make a number of transitional dishes, including my favourite, Morning Glory. The cooking class ended with a feast for lunch and a traditional egg coffee (delicious!). Chef Vu even emailed us all the recipes we cooked. My friend and I had a great time!
Penny_T, Apr 2023
Though we didn’t get to do the cyclo pickup someone did come and get us to walk us to market to meet guide to pick up some ingredients for class. He was very educating telling us about different vegetables fruits and meats. Chef was very knowledgeable and patient. He had helpers to assist if needed. We all had our own chopping block and burner. And his knives we sharp which helped the chopping process.
Daniela_H, Mar 2023
We had a great time and learned a lot about Vietnamese cookIt was delicious and Chef Vu does a great job :)
Janette_P, Mar 2023
a fun activity with friends! learned new dishes which we will be attempting at home. very well organized
Jim_B, Feb 2023
This was better than expected! The food market guided tour was great to pick up our ingredients and Chef Vu was brilliant. We were in Vietnam for almost 3 weeks and the best spring rolls we had on the trip were the ones we cooked with Chef Vu. Very professionally managed.
ISABELLE_S, Feb 2023
Thank you very much for this super Master kitchen class! It was amazing. thanks Ms Vie to help us to make it even better.
Judy_S, Nov 2022
Already did this on tripadvisor. Cyclo drivers should be a bit more fluent in English. People who took the class with us were as interesting as Vi, owner, who was terrific.
Response from Host, Dec 2022
Dear friends, Thank you very much for your review with valued comments. We are actually delighted to know that you have got great experience at our place. We hope to serve you and your friends again in the future. Heartful regards, peace&love!
Cassandra_T, Sep 2022
It was a very good class! Chef Le was very informative, skilled, and funny. The pumpkin flower was my favorite dish. Overall highly recommended!
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Dear Cassandra Truong, Thank you very much for your review with valued comments. We are actually delighted to know that you have got great experience at our place. We hope to serve you and your friends again in the future. Heartful regards, peace&love!
Morry_G, Sep 2022
This is a MUST DO. We learned how to balance flavours… I will take what I learned home with me for sure. He breaks it down to make it so easy. A bonus was some quick and easy plating techniques. Instagram here I come! ROFL. You won’t be disappointed
Response from Host, Oct 2022
Dear Morry, Thank you very much for your review with valued comments. We are actually delighted to know that you have got great experience at our place. We hope to serve you and your friends again in the future. Heartful regards, peace&love!
Sue_O, Feb 2020
Starting with a fun cyclo tour of Saigon, we meet the group at the market where we bought the ingredients for our cooking class. The chef was excellent, entertaining and knowledgeable & the lunch we cooked was delicious. Would definitely recommend this tour.
Taffy070, Dec 2019
Great experience from the pick up on a Cyclo, buying some of the ingredients in the market in Vietnamese !!!
The chef was very good in his instructions as well also recieved the recipes via email quickly.
Recommended
Shawn_W, Jun 2018
We didn't really enjoy the cyclo part of the trip. It was a little uncomfortable to be driven around the busy city in an adult-sized stroller by an older man among the crazy HCMC traffic.
Visiting the Ben Than market was a bit underwhelming for us. It just wasn't all that exciting to watch the guide buy some ingredients. Another reason for the two stars is because Chef Vu wasn't even the chef cooking with us on the tour. Not that Veo was bad, the name of the excursion is just a bit misleading. And finally, the food quality was a bit of a let down. We had street food that we much preferred to the food we cooked here.
Explore Similar Things to Do
Attractions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Saigon River (Song Sai Gon) Tours & Tickets
- Saigon Opera House (Opéra de Saïgon) Tours & Tickets
- Can Gio Mangrove Biosphere Reserve Tours & Tickets
- Ho Chi Minh City Cruise Ports Tours & Tickets
- Cu Chi Tunnels Tours & Tickets
- Suoi Tien Theme Park Tours & Tickets
- Saigon Central Post Office Tours & Tickets
- Cao Dai Temple (Toa Thanh Tay Ninh) Tours & Tickets
- Cholon (Saigon Chinatown) Tours & Tickets
- Reunification Palace (Independence Palace) Tours & Tickets
- Paris Square (Cong Truong Cong Xa Paris) Tours & Tickets
- Thien Hau Temple (Chua Ba Thien Hau) Tours & Tickets
- Quan Am Pagoda (Chua Quan Am) Tours & Tickets
- Binh Tay Market (Cho Binh Tay) Tours & Tickets
- Ben Thanh Market (Cho Ben Thanh) Tours & Tickets
- Mekong River Tours & Tickets
- Jade Emperor Pagoda Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Cu Chi Tunnels Tours & Tickets
- Mekong Delta Tours & Tickets
- War Remnants Museum (Bao Tang Chung Tich Chien Tranh) Tours & Tickets
- Saigon Opera House (Opéra de Saïgon) Tours & Tickets
- Saigon River (Song Sai Gon) Tours & Tickets
- Ho Chi Minh City Cruise Ports Tours & Tickets
- Ben Thanh Market (Cho Ben Thanh) Tours & Tickets