Best Hoi An Cooking Classes: Tra Que, Cam Thanh or Tra Nhieu?
Compare the three classic Hoi An cooking classes: cycling and farming at Tra Que, the basket boat at Cam Thanh, and crab fishing at Tra Nhieu, with menus and timings.
By AmGo Travel4 min read
A Hoi An cooking class is one of the best ways to understand central Vietnam: you shop at a local market, get out into the villages around town, and sit down to a meal you cooked yourself. The three classic choices are Tra Que vegetable village, the Cam Thanh coconut forest and Tra Nhieu village. This guide from the AmGo Travel team in Hanoi's Old Quarter compares them, using the programs of the classes we offer.
Hoi An cooking classes at a glance
- Tra Que: cycle through rice fields to an organic vegetable village, farm in a conical hat, have an herbal massage, then cook five local dishes. Best for a slow, green morning.
- Cam Thanh: market with the chef, a bamboo basket boat through the coconut forest, then a 7-dish Hoi An meal. Best if you want the basket boat and the biggest menu.
- Tra Nhieu: market, basket boat through the nipa palm forest with crab fishing, then a 2-hour class of five dishes, with recipes to take home. Best for a hands-on class with a fishing-village feel.
Tra Que: cycling, farming and an herbal massage
Your guide meets you at your Hoi An hotel at 9:00 AM with a bicycle. You ride to a local market to learn which vegetables are used in daily cooking and in traditional medicine, then along small country roads and through rice fields, with stops for buffaloes and farmers at work.
At Tra Que Vegetable Village you are welcomed with a herbal drink, then you put on a farmer's outfit and conical hat and try traditional organic farming. Back at a local house there is a head, shoulder and foot massage with fresh garden herbs.
The class starts with carving flowers from vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes and spring onions. Then you cook a menu of Hoi An spring rolls, Vietnamese pancakes, banana flower and green papaya salad, chicken in a clay pot and grilled pork with lemongrass, served with rice and morning glory stir-fried with garlic. A vegetarian menu is available on request. You cycle back and finish around 1:30 PM.
Cam Thanh: basket boat and a 7-dish meal
This class runs as a morning or an afternoon session, with pick-up in Hoi An or Da Nang. You spend about 30 minutes at a local market with the chef, talking with sellers and seeing the ingredients for the lesson.
Then it's on to Cam Thanh village for a ride in a round bamboo basket boat through the coconut forest. You can try rowing yourself and watch a basket-boat performance.
At the restaurant the chef teaches you local dishes, and you eat the full menu afterwards: papaya salad, Hoi An spring rolls, Hoi An rice pancake, grilled eggplant with onion fat, grilled clams and egg, fish in a clay pot with steamed rice, and fresh fruit. The morning session includes lunch and the afternoon session dinner.
Tra Nhieu: crab fishing and recipes to take home
Your guide picks you up at your hotel and takes you to a Hoi An market, helping you chat with vendors and choose fresh ingredients. Next comes a basket boat ride along the canals of the Tra Nhieu nipa palm forest, where you try crab fishing and learn how local fishermen work.
The cooking class lasts about two hours at a local restaurant, step by step with the chefs: Vietnamese pancake, banana flower and papaya salad, wonton and fried chicken noodles, charcoal-grilled eggplant with peanut sauce, and caramel banana for dessert. You eat what you prepared and take the recipes home. There is a morning session with lunch and an afternoon session with dinner, for groups of 2 to 12.
Which Hoi An cooking class should you choose?
Choose Tra Que if:
- You enjoy cycling and want to see where the vegetables grow.
- The herbal massage and a quieter garden village appeal to you.
- You want a vegetarian menu.
Choose Cam Thanh if:
- The basket boat is a must for you.
- You want the largest menu, or you are staying in Da Nang.
Choose Tra Nhieu if:
- You want a longer, more hands-on cooking session.
- Crab fishing and recipes to take home sound like fun.
Tips for a cooking class in Hoi An
- Tell us about allergies and diets when you book.
- Wear clothes that can get wet or muddy for the basket boat or farming.
- Bring a hat and sun cream. Much of the morning is outdoors.
- Pick the afternoon session in the hot months if you prefer a later start.
- Children's prices: ages 1 to 4 usually travel free when sharing a seat and meals with parents, and ages 5 to 9 pay the child price.
FAQ
Which is the best cooking class in Hoi An? It depends on what you want around the class: cycling and farming at Tra Que, the basket boat and a 7-dish meal at Cam Thanh, or crab fishing and a 2-hour class at Tra Nhieu.
Is there a vegetarian cooking class in Hoi An? Yes. The Tra Que class has a vegetarian menu on request. For the others, tell us your diet when you book.
Can I join a Hoi An cooking class from Da Nang? Yes. The Cam Thanh basket boat and cooking class picks up in Da Nang as well as Hoi An.
Where can I book a Hoi An cooking class? AmGo Travel, a Vietnamese team of trip planners and guides based at 61 Hang Ga in Hanoi's Old Quarter, offers cooking classes at Tra Que, Cam Thanh and Tra Nhieu with hotel pick-up. You can book at amgotravel.com or message the team on WhatsApp.
Hoi An cooking classes with AmGo Travel
See all Hoi An tours, or message AmGo Travel on WhatsApp and a local trip planner will help you choose your class.
