Saigon Market to Farm Cooking Class with Local Guide

5.00

(6 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

The morning started early—Saigon’s wet market was already buzzing when we arrived. Our guide, Ms. Lan, handed us those classic conical hats and woven baskets. The smell of fresh herbs mixed with a bit of fish sauce in the air. We wandered between stalls stacked with dragon fruit, live crabs clattering in buckets, and piles of greens I’d never seen before. She let us taste slices of star apple and pointed out which mint goes best with spring rolls. I noticed the vendors always have time for a quick chat, even when they’re busy weighing prawns or chopping lemongrass.

After the market, we drove out to their organic farm just outside the city. It’s quieter there—just birds and the sound of water running through irrigation ditches. We picked our own mushrooms and coriander right from the beds (my hands still smelled like basil hours later). Ms. Lan explained how each plant is grown without chemicals and what it does for your health—she even showed us how to spot good papaya by its color and scent.

Back at the open-air kitchen, it was all hands-on: rolling prawn wraps, slicing green papaya for salad, stirring chicken stew over a small gas burner. I messed up my first banh xeo pancake but got it right on the second try (the trick is waiting for those crispy edges). We finished with banana spring rolls dipped in coconut cream—simple but so good after all that work. Everyone sat together at a long wooden table to eat what we’d made, swapping stories about favorite street food spots in Saigon. Before leaving, they gave us recipe cards and a little certificate—nice touch for remembering the day.