KOTO Cooking Classes

Experience the Best Cooking Class in Hanoi with KOTO Van Mieu Restaurant

Unwrap Vietnam’s flavourful secrets, enjoy the fresh experience of a market visit, master the art of local cuisine and change a life.

Dive into Vibrant Flavours With Vietnamese Cooking Classes

Transport your senses to the vibrant epicentre of Vietnamese cuisine — Hanoi’s atmospheric streets, where the sizzling sounds of grills and wafting aromas of pho entice your appetite at every turn.​

At KOTO Cooking Classes, you will experience authentic flavours, ingredients, and techniques deep-seated in Hanoi’s culinary identity. Led by talented chefs and former disadvantaged and at-risk youth in our communities, each hands-on session delves deep into long-kept family recipes and artisanal specialties, conjuring the sights, sounds and soulful tastes that have defined Vietnamese food for generations.

Experience the authentic local flavours of KOTO Van Mieu, where your taste buds will experience fresh, local flavours and your cultural understanding will be nourished.

From Bun Cha Noodle Masters to Spring Roll Whisperers at KOTO Cooking Classes

A tantalising range of hands-on courses awaits to unlock the secrets of quintessential regional flavours, catering to cooks of every skill level. Master the intricate art of making spring rolls, from rolling the delicate rice papers just so to julienning vegetables and herbs for the perfect crisp-tender fillings.

Our KOTO Cooking Classes enable you to master the art of spring rolls with sessions dedicated to these, from adding aromatic garnishes to perfecting the perfect crunch. Or opt for veggie-centric offerings, from fresh tofu bursting with spicy lemongrass to banana blossom salad.

Every class at our restaurant emphasises the traditional techniques passed down through generations and spotlights ultra-fresh ingredients sourced from Hanoi’s markets and farms. With knowledgeable local chefs as your guide, you’ll soon graduate from a novice to a true connoisseur of Vietnamese cuisine.

Experience the Cultural Tapestry Beyond the Recipe

A rich cultural tapestry unfolds between sizzling woks and steaming bowls of Bun chả noodles. As you master recipes alongside our friendly chefs, they’ll happily share insight into long-held culinary traditions, local customs, and their personal stories.

At the end of what is considered the best cooking class in Hanoi, you’ll leave with a profound understanding of staple ingredients like fish sauce and rice paper and an appreciation for how local cuisine ties into agriculture, history and family rituals. Van Mieu Restaurant’s mission to empower underprivileged youth comes alive through poignant staff testimonials.​

As raved by past visitors: “the experience was as much a cooking lesson as a portal into Vietnamese life” and “an incredibly rewarding and eye-opening experience — culturally enriching as much as delicious!” Our food preparation intertwines seamlessly with people, tradition, and purpose, creating a mosaic of memories to cherish long after your stay in Hanoi.

Celebrate Your Creations: From Kitchen to Table

The grand finale of KOTO cooking classes is gathering around the communal table to feast upon the local delicacies you laboured over.

The modern yet cosy restaurant fills with chatter and camaraderie as students become fellow diners alongside their talented guides. Over refreshing salads of green papaya salad, fresh fish, crunchy fried spring rolls, and Bun chả noodles, the chefs you befriended in the kitchen become new friends over the table.

Trainees and graduates of our life-changing programs also join the festivities, adding their personal stories. A vibrant cultural exchange emerges — with food as the universal language that bonds you to Hanoi’s people, traditions and vision for the future. It’s the perfect opportunity to raise a toast with new friends, celebrate your creations, and become part of our extended family after an unforgettable sojourn into Vietnam’s culinary and social fabric.

Hanoi’s Flavours: More Than A Memory

KOTO cooking classes gift you with more than fond food memories — you’ll depart Hanoi armed with newfound culinary skills, cultural insights, and cherished keepsake recipes to recreate the flavours of Vietnam long after your trip. More importantly, you become part of a community uplifting the lives of Vietnamese youth through the power of food and hospitality.​

Come experience what past visitors have dubbed “the most rewarding experience ever!” As you master the intricacies of local recipes, you’ll also master the art of giving back. Book a lesson today to stir up change, one delicious bite at a time!

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Did you know KOTO offers cooking classes for 1 person to groups of up to 50 people?

KOTO is passionate about food and training so what better place than KOTO to take a cooking class! You will be supporting a great cause –providing disadvantaged and at-risk youth in Vietnam with hospitality training to transform their lives.​

What will I cook?

We offer 3 different options to choose from. Please note vegetarian and gluten-free substitutes are also available so please discuss your dietary requirements with us at the time of booking. Recipes will be provided so you can re-create your dishes at home for family and friends.

Vietnamese cuisine is internationally regarded for its exquisite flavours and a diversity of dishes. Our cooking classes enable you to prepare three quintessential Vietnamese dishes with the assistance of your cooking class teacher and KOTO trainees whilst learning more about the culture and history of this fascinating country through the cuisine.

We offer cooking classes every day in the morning or afternoon. We just ask you book at least 24 hours in advance!

Morning: 8.30am-12.30 pm (includes a tour to the local market).

Afternoon: 3.30–6.30pm

If you book a morning class, our cooking class teachers will take you on a tour of the local market. Having a tour guide explain the sights, sounds and how to use various unfamiliar ingredients and produce will make the experience far more meaningful.

You will share the dishes you created over lunch or dinner. In addition, a complimentary soft drink or local beer and a tropical fruit plate for dessert will be provided to each participant. Vietnamese tea is provided during the cooking class.​

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Our Cooking Class Teachers

Our cooking class teachers have an internationally-accredited Certificate III in Hospitality (Commercial Cookery) and many have studied or worked abroad so have a good command of English. Celebrating 24 years of transforming lives, our teachers — most of whom are KOTO alumni -

also enjoy sharing their stories as well as the vision and mission of KOTO while you cook.

Our guests enjoy the opportunity to understand more about the culture through the individual stories of our alumni and meeting some of our budding hospitality trainees that come from the length and breadth of Vietnam, including many from rural areas and ethnic minority backgrounds.

Their inspiring stories of hope will stay with you long after you return home.