Hanoi is our favorite city we’ve ever visited in terms of culinary prowess. We wanted to find the best Hanoi cooking class to learn as much as we could about local Vietnamese cuisine and improve our skills in the kitchen back home. Given that we had only 3 days in Hanoi, we didn’t want to waste even an hour on a subpar experience.
Since cooking classes have become so popular with travelers, there are a plethora of options to choose from, but we wanted to find the best class in Hanoi. After scouring reviews, I ended up selecting a class at Rose Kitchen and booked it instantly through Viator. Click here for the full class details.
Classes are $45 USD per person, which is a bit steep when traveling in Northern Vietnam, but we figured it was worth it.
I 100% maintain that cooking classes are the perfect addition to your itinerary anywhere in the world. Whether you’re learning to make homemade pasta in Rome or perfect tacos in Mexico City, participating in a cooking class connects you to a place in a way that other experiences simply cannot.
Even if you consider yourself someone who isn’t a good cook (including those who “can’t even boil water”), you’ll likely learn a few useful skills. But more realistically, no chef is going to leave you behind; they will guide you through each step. So definitely don’t feel intimidated if cooking isn’t your forte—you’ll still have a great time and end up with delicious homemade food.
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Hanoi Cooking Classes: What to Expect
From my research, I learned that most Vietnamese cooking classes in Hanoi follow a similar format. Participants usually get picked up from their hotel in the Old Quarter and then meet their chef and fellow participants. Everyone then goes to a nearby market to gather ingredients for the dishes before heading to the cooking school. At the school, the chef demonstrates how to prepare each menu item and then involves everyone hands-on. Once cooking is finished, everyone enjoys the meal together. The whole experience lasts 5-6 hours.
How to Get to Your Hanoi Cooking Class
Most tours in the area include a pick-up from your hotel in the Old Quarter. One thing we found is that punctuality is crucial to the hosts of most tour guides. This is partly because their bus or van is likely stopping traffic while waiting for you to board, but also because it’s a cultural norm. Make sure you’re in your lobby and prepared for pick-up at the designated time so you don’t hold up the entire group and take away time at the market or, worse yet, time enjoying the meal.
Local Market Tour
Once we arrived at the market, we met two chefs who divided us into groups of six. Being in a small group was excellent, especially in the hectic market, as I could hear everything our chef was saying. It was great in the class too because we all received 1:1 attention and had individual tasks, so no one was ever just sitting on the sidelines.
Our chef was hilarious—sarcastic, witty, and great at getting the group laughing. She had us choose between cooking Chicken Phở or Bún Chả. Bún Chả won out in the end, so we set out into the market.
The market had a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable stands, as well as fresh meat stands. If you’re squeamish, this is where you keep your eyes forward or on the chef. We picked up the sausage we needed as well as the cooked rice vermicelli noodles. We also grabbed a banana flower, fresh herbs, rice crackers, and a couple of other necessities, all while the chef explained the cultural importance of the items. Apparently, banana flowers are good for a woman’s fertility, so take that information as you will.
Rose Kitchen: Hanoi Cooking Class
Once we arrived at the French-style villa, we washed our hands and got to work. Each of us had our own workstation with our own knives, cutting boards, and towels. Since we were making a multiple-course meal, the school had done the prep work on some of the items, mostly chopping and measuring, which was a relief because otherwise, it would have taken another hour, at which point our stomachs would have been grumbling.
The first dish we prepared was Banana Flower Salad (Nộm Hoa Chuối), a popular Vietnamese dish we hadn’t tried elsewhere on our trip. The salad features thinly sliced banana flowers (or as thin as the Australians in our group could manage), mixed with shredded carrots, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs. It’s coated in a vinaigrette dressing that we also prepared.
Next, we made Vietnamese Grilled Pork With Rice Vermicelli Noodles (Bún Chả). Bún Chả gained fame after President Obama’s appearance on Anthony Bourdain’s TV show, where they dined at a local eatery in Hanoi. We had tried this on our Hanoi street food tour and were excited to learn how to make it.
To prepare Bún Chả, we marinated pork belly and ground pork shoulder for the meatballs. Once marinated, we formed the meatballs and got the pork belly ready to grill over a charcoal grill in the courtyard. There was a bit of a learning curve to monitoring the meat so the fatty juices didn’t drip too much into the hot coals.
Finally, we prepared Vietnamese Fried Spring Rolls (Nem Rán). Although these seem simple enough, there was a lot of chopping involved and a learning curve to assembling the ingredients. The rice paper used to form the rolls is stiff and brittle, so you have to use water to make it pliable, but not so much that it falls apart. The Australians had a much better performance with the banana flowers.
We had fried spring rolls on our day trip from Hanoi to Ninh Binh the previous day and were curious to see if we could tell the difference between the ones we made and those served by the restaurant. Spoiler alert: the ones we made were even better because they were freshly cooked.
When we traveled from Hanoi to Halong Bay, our cruise advertised cooking demonstrations as part of the itinerary. We ended up making fresh spring rolls, which were good but hardly the Vietnamese cooking class we were looking for.
The rolls were cooked in a large oil-filled wok while the meat for the Bún Chả cooked simultaneously. Our chef Mike’s playlist was fantastic and kept the mood high even as we all started to salivate at the thought of eating the food. We enjoyed some local berry liquor in tiny glasses while we waited (probably just the right amount given how strong it was).
Once everything was ready, we all sat down to enjoy our feast. I had been loving Vietnamese food throughout our trip, but the satisfaction of having made it myself made the food taste even sweeter.
And speaking of sweet, no Hanoi cooking class would be complete without making the famous Vietnamese Egg Coffee (Café Trứng). This wasn’t a super hands-on final step because the mixer did most of the work combining the egg yolks and sweetened condensed milk, which was perfect since our bellies were full—like post-Thanksgiving belly full.
What really makes this the best Hanoi cooking class is the full Vietnamese recipe book they send digitally at the end of the class. Not only do you get the recipes for the dishes you made, but you also receive easy-to-follow instructions for dozens more recipes so you can keep cooking when you return home.
If you’re traveling from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, you’ll find that the cuisine can be very different in the two cities, so make sure you try everything you can in both places.
How to book this Hanoi cooking class?
You can book this cooking class here!
Who is this cooking class good for?
Everyone! This cooking class is perfect for families, couples, and solo travelers alike. The relaxed atmosphere at the villa makes it a great experience for solo female travelers too (check out my full post on why Vietnam is a safe destination for solo female travelers!).
Is this Hanoi cooking class good for vegetarians?
Yes, this class is suitable for vegetarians. Just let them know in advance when you confirm your pick-up time.
Is it good for gluten-free folks?
Absolutely! We had two people in our group who couldn’t eat gluten. None of the ingredients contained gluten, as most starch items were rice-based. The chef also checked the oyster sauce, fish sauce, and soy sauce to ensure there were no traces of gluten, and translated the labels for them.
In a nutshell, Rose Kitchen’s cooking class in Hanoi is a total winner for anyone eager to dive into traditional Vietnamese cuisine. We chose this class with limited time in Hanoi and enjoyed every moment— from market tours to grilling succulent pork and rolling crispy spring rolls.
If you’re into cooking, eating, or just having a great time, this class is for you. Plus, you’ll leave with a full recipe book to keep the Vietnamese flavors alive long after your trip. Ready to cook up a storm? Click here to book your spot at Rose Kitchen and add some delicious memories to your travel itinerary. Trust me, your taste buds will thank you!
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