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O
ne of the most unique ways of experiencing the
rich culinary heritage of Vietnam is to sign up for
a cooking course. In the past few years, dozens of
options have popped up in Vietnam, capitalising on
the booming tourist industry.
Most of the large hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi
offer upmarket classes at western prices. In Hoi An, Danang
and Hue, many restaurants and resorts also offer some sort of
course. Besides these, there are many local and international
cooking centers and family cooking classes offering short or
long term courses. With little planning, you can arrange a
class any day of the week and your budget can help in decid-
ing your best option.
Some cooking classes and walking tours can also be
combined with a Vietnamese lesson, which will equip guests
to bargain and shop at the market for themselves. Such
classes are an invaluable introduction to the Vietnamese
language which holidaymakers will find useful in their time
in Vietnam - time that will be made infinitely more rewarding
if they can exchange a few simple sentences with the people
they meet.
The cooking courses or tours are a fun and relaxing way
to help you discover the local culture, lifestyle and specialties
of Vietnam, as well as to meet other travellers and hear about
their adventures.
The tours are an experience in themselves, wandering
through vibrant streets to the local colourful markets to shop
for ingredients before cooking up a storm and feasting on a
banquet of your own creation.
At the local markets, you can soak up the atmosphere –
the sights, sounds and aromas - and explore an array of Viet-
namese ingredients which are used in the local delicacies. The
chefs often explain more about the local products and help
you to choose some ingredients for the cooking class later.
The cooking classes generally teach you how to cook
such authentic dishes as
nem
or
cha gio
(spring rolls);
bun cha
(grilled pork meat with rice noodles); and banana
flower salad.
Cooking up a storm
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suggests some popular Vietnamese cooking centers where you can
learn how to cook typical Vietnamese dishes with experienced chefs