Hanoi Cooking Class with Market Visit & 5 Local Dishes

The cooking school in Hanoi's Old Quarter

The class takes place in a cooking school in the eastern part of Hanoi's Old Quarter, a short walk from Hoan Kiem Lake and the busy streets around Hang Be and Ma May. Each guest works at a personal station with burners, knives and bowls, while the chef instructor demonstrates every step at the front. Classes are kept to a friendly size, so there is time for questions about technique, ingredients and how to find substitutes when you cook again in your own kitchen.

Four start times through the day let you choose a morning class that ends with lunch or an afternoon or evening class that ends with dinner. The school is easy to reach on foot from most Old Quarter hotels; look for the large sign at the entrance. For many visitors, a Hanoi cooking class with market visit is the most memorable way to understand Vietnamese food.

A local wet market, shopping like a Hanoian

Hanoians still buy most of their fresh food at small neighbourhood wet markets rather than supermarkets, often early in the morning. Your instructor leads you through the stalls: piles of herbs such as Vietnamese coriander, perilla and Thai basil, fresh rice noodles and rice paper, live fish and seafood, cuts of pork and beef, tropical fruit and bottles of fish sauce. You learn how to judge freshness and why herbs play such a large part in northern cooking.

The instructor selects and buys the ingredients for your dishes as you watch, explaining what each is for. The market visit lasts around 30 minutes and is one of the best parts of the class for photos and for understanding everyday life in the city. Expect busy, wet floors, so wear closed shoes.

Pho and bun cha, Hanoi's two great dishes

Pho was born in northern Vietnam in the early 20th century, and Hanoi's version is defined by its clear, aromatic broth. In the class you learn how to build the flavour with charred ginger and onion, star anise, cinnamon and cardamom, how to prepare the flat rice noodles and how to slice the meat thin so it cooks in the hot broth. Learning to cook pho is the reason many guests book this class.

Bun cha is the capital's favourite lunch: seasoned pork patties and slices of pork belly grilled until smoky, served in a sweet and tangy fish-sauce broth with rice vermicelli and fresh herbs. You mix and shape the meat, grill it and balance the dipping broth, learning the local ratio of fish sauce, sugar, vinegar and water that is the base of so many Vietnamese sauces.

Fried spring rolls, papaya salad, egg coffee and the shared meal

Nem ran, the crispy fried spring rolls of the north, are filled with minced pork, glass noodles, wood ear mushroom, carrot and herbs, wrapped in rice paper and fried until golden. You practise the rolling technique, then make a green papaya salad with herbs, peanuts and a sour-sweet dressing, a fresh contrast to the fried and grilled dishes. To finish, you whip egg yolk with sugar and condensed milk into the velvety foam of Hanoi's famous egg coffee.

At the end of the class you sit down together to eat the five dishes you cooked, served with tea and seasonal fruit. You receive a cookbook with all the recipes and a certificate. If you would like to learn banh xeo pancakes, rib noodle soup, beef rolls, chicken salad and banana ice cream instead, choose the second menu on this page.