Hoa Tuc Cooking Class

I've lived in Vietnam before, and after taking this lesson, I finally understood why Vietnamese food is so delicious! I was fascinated by dishes made with fresh lemongrass and other ingredients. The lesson studio is very clean and lovely. It's also conveniently located next to the Park Hyatt hotel. I went to the market with the instructor and bought rice flour. I was surprised to learn that the flour blend varies depending on the dish. We went to the market around 8 AM, but it gets hot, so if you're not confident about the heat, it might be better to just join the lesson directly. The lesson is taught in English. I gave it 4 stars for cost-effectiveness because I felt it was a bit pricey compared to the average cost of Vietnamese food. However, considering I had the instructor for over three hours, went to the market, and got to cook and eat three different dishes plus a dessert, I believe it was an invaluable experience. I highly recommend it, especially to people from Japan!

To find this location, there will be signage on the outside and one of the workers from across will likely ask if you're here for the cooking class. You will then be guided inside a shop that sells kitchen supplies, snacks and other souvenirs. Go towards the end past the register and walk up the flight of steps. Yen the cooking instructor will warmly greet you upon arrival. For the class, we ended up making 3 dishes from scratch (springrolls, salad [with prawns and pork belly] & betel leaves with beef and noodles. Dessert is also included at the end, but due to time constraints, you will not get a chance to make this. For non meat eaters, there was also a vegetarian option as well (meats are substituted with tofu), and there was also a vegan friendly fish sauce. Yen was an amazing instructor, she was patient, friendly, explained the history behind each ingredient, and ensured each step wasn't rushed. This class is more geared towards beginners-intermediates (and honestly anyone who has a keen interest in Vietnamese food). After cooking and eating each of your dishes, Yen gave each of us a recipe book + souvenir to keep. I can safely say these recipes are beginner friendly and simplified, making them easy to make at home. Great experience overall, 10/10.

omg! the unforgettable experience I have in Ho chi minh. Thank you to chef Phung who teach us how to cook and give us information for our recipes. Food and experience is really great. Went solo here and chef is really accommodating and cool as well. More students to come. I’ll be back with my future partner and family manifesting. 😍😍😍🙏🏼

We took a market tour and a cooking class. There was an incident where participants did not show up nearly an hour after the meeting time, but I was left with a good impression of how flexible they were in responding to emergencies. During the market tour, the participants answered each of our questions sincerely, and we had the valuable experience of procuring ingredients alongside the locals. In the cooking class, we made two appetizers and a main dish using fresh ingredients purchased at the morning market. Although I participated alone, I was able to spend a fun and fulfilling time interacting with other participants. All of the staff members are kind, liven up the atmosphere, and are fluent in English, so you can feel safe participating even if you are alone. There are plans that include just the cooking class, but I personally recommend the market tour + cooking class plan! If you are unsure, please try participating!

This was my third time participating, and as always, the staff were wonderful; this time, they were kind and attentive. The market explanation was also very clear. It was educational and fun to learn about local foods. The cooking lesson was in a fantastic kitchen, and they carefully explained how to use the stove. It was a delightful time with delicious food and reassuring staff service.

I found out that the restaurant where I had a delicious meal on my previous trip to Vietnam offered a cooking class tour, so I arranged it. In the morning, I took a Grab (self-arranged) from the hotel to the meeting point at the market. From 8:00 AM, Chef Phu and the other participants (a father and son from Taiwan, a cheerful couple from the Philippines, and two of us cooking enthusiasts from Japan) listened to Chef Phu's friendly and cheerful explanations while touring dried goods, grains, fresh fish, vegetables, fruits, and chè. We moved to the kitchen in a taxi arranged by the chef. We learned while relaxing, with considerations to avoid fatigue, such as sitting down to cut vegetables in a system where we cooked and ate three dishes. The quantity was so generous that we didn't need lunch, and the taste was excellent. There were so many dishes I wanted to recreate after returning home. Finally, while enjoying a dessert of white balls in ginger syrup prepared by the chef, we joined the classmates even though we only spoke simple English, asked the chef questions, and had a wonderful four hours. A local Vietnamese madam who hadn't participated in the market tour joined us from the kitchen. Everyone was interested and asked about the seasoning because they were using very good fish sauce in the lesson. I was convinced that "Hoa Tuc" is an attractive restaurant even for locals. I heard that they make different dishes on different days of the week, so I would like to change the day and participate again when I visit Vietnam. The lesson, a cute recipe book, and photos with everyone became souvenirs for myself.

In addition to this, I have participated in cooking classes in Thailand and Korea, but this is the best one so far. The instructor, Lilia, was very interesting and showed me around the market, so I was able to spend the tour meaningfully. It is also a market, and it is a rainy area, so be careful as your feet will get wet. After moving to the restaurant where the cooking class was held, the air conditioning was on and it was comfortable. Also, we were able to make three recipes, but we made one and ate one, and made one and ate it immediately, so we could eat the freshly made food and it was easy to understand the taste. We were very satisfied with the recipe notebook and a little surprise souvenir. Also, since there were only five of us, it was very helpful that they taught us carefully and in a way that we could understand. Very satisfied! !

THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY HCMC TOUR! I never thought my heart.. and my stomach would be this happy after my Vietnam trip! I traveled with my dad and brother, so I made the itinerary as "family-friendly" as possible. We enjoyed our short vacation at Saigon, and this cooking class was the main event! Hoa Tuc and the teacher who accommodated us for this fun activity warmly welcomed us in their kitchen. It was nice experiencing all these first-hand! We went to a local market, and our tour guide who was also our cooking teacher, shared to us a lot of information about the HCMC culture, traditions, and cuisine. She introduced to us important ingredients that are present in almost every Vietnamese dish. I've got to see, smell, and taste them. Her way of teaching us made me feel that cooking these dishes is simple and easy, and can be done at home. After cooking, we were given recipe booklet and coaster as remembrance of the tour/class. It was a fun, informative, and amazing experience! Cảm ơn!

A fantastic experience! I did the market tour as well, and it was great having a guide so I could relax and take some videos and photos of the market stalls. Our guide and chef was My, and she was very informative. She showed us lots of produce that are unique to Vietnam and SE Asia, and gave us tips on how to order local food. During class she gave clear instructions and taught in a really fun way! We used some unique tools as well. The dishes we made were lesser known ones and very delicious!

It was great to be able to make three dishes for this price. The instructor spoke English that was easy to understand, so I had no problems at all. We made one dish, ate it, and then moved on to the next menu item. While we were eating, they prepared the next ingredients and tools for us. The instructor was also very knowledgeable about the participants' home countries and would occasionally engage us in conversation. I skipped the market tour, but the cooking class alone was very satisfying. Not only do you get to cook, but you also get to experience traditional Vietnamese cooking utensils. The venue is on the second floor of the souvenir shop. You are not forced to buy anything from the souvenir shop. There are many cute items for sale, so it's fun just to browse. I heard that the menu changes depending on the day you participate, so I'd love to join again! You also receive the recipes for what you made, so you can cook them after returning home. They quickly answer questions like 'What should I do if I can't find certain ingredients?', making for a very welcoming and homey atmosphere.