Cycling, farming, cooking, and eating in Vietnam

During our time in Hoi An I found a a cooking class and farm visit tour being advertised. Usually I would do quite a bit of research before booking a tour, ensuring that it will be worthwhile. This time I just booked it on a whim, and was not disappointed!

Just as we were told, our guide picked us up from our hotel in the morning at the agreed time. From there we went to the local market and learned all about the incredible ingredients used in Vietnamese cooking – from fresh herbs, to varieties of spices, ginger, lemongrass, peanuts, fresh fish, and so much more.

From here we hopped on our bicycles and cycled over to a local vegetable farm where herbs and vegetable are grown in the traditional organic way, as they have been for decades.  We learned about the farming techniques, and even had a chance to try some of these methods ourselves. Not only was this informative, but it was an opportunity to interact with the locals who were also happy to hand over a shovel and have us help dig!

Next stop was the farm kitchen were all would come together and we would prepare some typical Vietnamese dishes.  Our guide, who was also our cooking instructor (a woman of many talents!), showed us how to make 3 typical dishes, all using ingredients we had bought at the market or seen at the farm. The first was a typical spring roll of Hoi An, the next was a spiced fish wrapped in banana leaf, and the final one was a typical rice pancake served with herbs.

After stuffing our faces with the amazing food we prepared, we were treated to a short foot massage that was also included in the tour. From there, we headed back to town on our bicycles, led by our guide. I don’t think a food and cooking tour could have been more complete: learning the farming process, visiting the food market preparing the food, and then having us cycle to aid the digestion, it was perfect!

This tour was one of the many options of cooking and food tours. Vietnam is known for their cuisine, if you are new to it, it might be a bit overwhelming figuring out what dishes you would enjoy. There are many tours that specialize in visiting the local food vendors accompanied by a local guide where you can sample and learn about many different dishes. This would be a perfect way to start off a trip in Vietnam and help you to order meals you know you will enjoy along the way!