Authentic Vietnamese cuisine in Ho Chi Minh City

Meet Son

Son is a tour guide, wedding planner, and lover of traditional cultures and cuisines. His tourism adventure started in 2016, when he ran his own homestay from his hometown - Mekong Delta. Since then he has thoroughly enjoyed hosting travelers from all over the world, and introducing them to his Vietnamese heritage and culture. Son is also a very passionate home chef, who enjoys plating and styling his food, before serving it to his guests, friends and family. He started to cook at the age of 7 and has learned to cook traditional dishes from his mother, grandmother and aunty. Starting out as a tiny kitchen helper, who cut all the ingredients, to head chef in his home kitchen! Being a Traveling Spoon host will help Son share his passion for food and cooking, and will also help him connect with like-minded people from around the world.

What to expect

Please note menu might vary. If there are particular dishes you are interested in trying, please include your request in the booking form.

In-home meal (1 - 9 guests) Through this experience you will get a sneak-peak into a local’s everyday life, learn about Vietnamese culture and culinary traditions, all while sharing stories and an authentic meal together! Join Son at his apartment, that overlooks the city, for an authentic Vietnamese meal experience. He will serve dishes using his family recipes, while sharing stories about his life and city. Join him at the table to share a meal that includes dishes such as Vietnamese rice porridge with chicken salad or noodle spring roll served with a dipping sauce. You will end your meal with a dessert, such as green been sweet soup.

Cooking experience (1 - 9 guests) Learn to cook two dishes in your 2-hour hands-on cooking class with Son. Firstly, learn to make a Vietnamese fish sauce dipping (nuoc mam cham) – you will use a recipe passed down from Son’s mother, her secret recipe, that ensures the dipping sauce remains unfermented for a long time. Then learn to make Vietnamese noodle spring rolls and a sweet tangy sauce (bún chả giò) – this again, is a special recipe that originates from Son’s hometown. Or then you can learn to cook Vietnamese rice porridge with chicken salad (chao goi ga) – the beloved chicken duo that claims the center at Son’s dinner table! After cooking, join Son at the table and share the meal you helped prepare.

Market visit (1 - 9 guests) Meet Son at his apartment and then you will drive together to Pham The Hien wet market. It’s a buzzing indoor and outdoor market, you will come across vendors selling fresh produce, clothing, household items and street food. Walk through this local market with Son, while learning about the ingredients, their source and how it is used in Vietnamese cooking. You will also get to interact with Son's favorite vendors while buying ingredients for your cooking class. After an hour, return to Son’s apartment to cook and eat an authentic Vietnamese meal together.