Vegan Cooking Class
Vietnam is my homeland, and I love sharing my country’s delicious cuisine with guests. There is nothing more special about Vietnam than it’s unique dishes and traditioal cuisine! Join me and my family in experiencing Vietnam’s amazing food culture and mouthwateringly authentic Vietnamese vegan food. This is the only tour of it’s kind – we are proud to be the very first vegan Vietnamese cooking class in Hoi An! We hope to immerse you in the sight, smell, and taste of Vietnamese vegan food! You will feel like you are cooking along with us in a traditional Vietnamese family’s kitchen. Our meeting point is Chickpea Eatery in Hoi An Old Town, Vietnam. This is a family-owned and run restaurant that crafts savoury Vietnamese vegan food with a fusion of homemade recipes by the Chickpea family’s mother – Mrs. Mai – and the Chickpea sisters who give our meals a unique twist. If you’re interested, you can customize your cooking class with any dish off of our daily vegan menu! As a vegan family, we love welcoming people to Vietnam with satisfying, compassionate, “peaceful vegan food for a restful mind.” Chickpea Eatery welcomes you into our comfortable home-like environment which is where you will prepare unique and authentic Vietnamese fusion dishes. We will learn how to make four Vietnamese vegan dishes and one traditional dessert: fresh spring rolls, marinated tempeh/tofu, vegan chicken and rice, bánh xèo, and a sweet dessert called che. Together we’ll take a trip to a nearby local market to pick up ingredients for today’s recipes and discuss how to order vegan food from local Vietnamese vendors with your excellent English-speaking guide. Here we will also learn about common herbs and spices used in Vietnamese cuisine, and how to find ingredients and ask for vegan foods at the market. Fresh spring rolls are a staple of every Vietnamese meal, but they can be tricky to get the hang of! Don’t worry – we’ll teach you how to make a perfect vegan spring roll every time. These refreshing rolls will be stuffed with vegan ingredients like carrot, pickled cucumber, tofu, rice noodles, lettuce, and coriander. Tempeh and tofu can be delicious when properly prepared and marinated. We will teach you how to create the perfect marinade for these protein-rich Vietnamese foods that pair well with any meal. Vegan chicken and rice and bánh xèo are two more dishes you’ll learn how to make with us. Bánh xèo is known globally as the distinct yellow Vietnamese pancakes unique to Vietnam. But how do you make them? We’ll teach you! And finally, you will learn how to make a sweet Vietnamese dessert called che. Che can often be found made vegan as it’s based on coconut cream, but there are endless ways to customize this sweet treat – beans, banana, jellies, and more. We’ll teach you how to craft the perfect hot summer dessert. During the class you will learn how vegan cooking is deeply integrated with Vietnamese culture. This cooking class will show you how to bring traditional and delicious Vietnamese foods into your own kitchen and with the skills you’ll learn with us, you will be able to enjoy these dishes again and again. You will savour meat-free and dairy-free versions of popular local Vietnamese dishes and desserts! This cooking class is not just about cooking a few dishes, but teaching you the skills you need to make them again and again in your home, with ingredients you’ll be able to easily find at the local market or supermarket. This is about vegan food for everyday Vietnam, at everyday prices, that stimulates all five senses, and touches on the compassionate and creative nature of Vietnamese people. We hope you will be ready for a big multi-course cooking and tasting session full of food and fun with the Chickpea family! After the cooking class, you will step right out into Hoi An Old Town for an evening immersed in the beauty of our local culture if you choose.
Da Nang Evening Food Tour
Today’s Da Nang is wealthy, modern and a rapidly expanding city – it’s our third largest. You’ll experience a bustling but stable place that is comfortable with itself. Unsurprisingly its where many Vietnamese aspire to live! So its sometimes hard to imagine Da Nang’s long history with origins dating back to the ancient kingdom of Champa. During early Dai Viet times, it was called Cua Han, and Tourane in our French colonial period. With this long and diverse history comes a fiercely proud people with unique culinary traditions, making Da Nang one of the most compelling food destinations anywhere in South East Asia. Xuan Tu’s private 4½ hour evening adventure will immerse you in the sight, smell and taste of Vietnamese food. This Private Tour is NOT about the international food chains that have started to import their blandness into our country, neither is it the higher-end establishments that have popped up to tempt western tastes and western wallets! This is about food for everyday Vietnam, food that stimulates all five senses at everyday prices for local people, and prepared with pride at market food stalls, make-shift street restaurants and in what sometimes appears to be the owner’s front room! We laughed and shared many stories along the way about our different cultures and lifestyles. If you’re looking for a different experience in trying local foods and flavours, this is the tour for you. So many interesting sights and sounds as we walked the streets of DaNang – client TripAdvisor review We meet at your Da Nang hotel at 16.30 for introductions then make our way to Long Coffee Cafe (Long is Dragon in Vietnamese) where we discuss our food itineraries (and any intolerances) with you. Known by locals as the ‘always-crowded cafe‘ and the oldest in Da Nang, it is THE place to start our tour. Then as evening falls we see the amazing kaleidoscope of coloured lights which illuminate Da Nang’s streets and famous bridges as we start our foodie journey. We try at least 10 local delicacies which could include pate breadsticks to various steamed savoury rice cakes, Vietnamese pizza and salads to the rice dumplings originally created for the emperors in the Imperial City of Hue, Vietnamese soup to the spring rolls of Central Vietnam, and finishing this foodie part of our evening by trying the local’s favourite dessert! All depending of course on availability and your personal preferences. Finally, though, our evening will come to a close at around 21.00 when we return you safely to your hotel or give you great recommendations for the rest of your evening in this most vibrant of Asian cities. What’s included: a full 4½ hour private guided tour in English all food taken cold, bottled mineral water moist towellettes Da Nang or Hoi An hotel meet What’s excluded: alcoholic drinks if taken
Hoi An Private Sightseeing & Food Tour
By joining together our successful evening food tour with late afternoon sightseeing we offer a Private Guided Tour for our visitors who may only have limited time in Hoi An, or for those who just want to experience a ‘snapshot’ of this most enchanting town with its foodie culture! Today’s Hoi An is an expanding country town surrounded by paddy fields farmed mainly by women in ‘coolie’ hats growing rice. Verdant fields full of herbs and vegetables worked by water buffalo and the Thu BôÌn river where fishermen use methods unchanged through generations. But Hoi An’s star attraction is its historic Old Town dating mainly from the 15th – 19th centuries, indeed it possessed the largest harbour in S.E. Asia as far back as the 1st century. The Old Town is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site so its not hard to imagine Hoi An’s long history with its beautiful beaches and old port overlooking the East Vietnam Sea – during the period of ‘China trade’ the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) and its Japanese merchants believed the ‘heart of all Asia’ lay beneath Hoi An in the 18th century. This long history has given Hoi An, through its cookery schools and 100+ restaurants, the accolade of ‘premier food destination’ in Vietnam. So Xuan Tu’s private 5 hours late afternoon and evening adventure is designed to immerse you in the history & culture of the Old Town AND the sight, smell and taste of what is probably the healthiest cuisine in the world – genuine food that stimulates all five senses at everyday prices for local people, and prepared with pride at market food stalls, make-shift street restaurants and in what often seems to be the owner’s front room! We meet in your Hoi An hotel at 15.30 where introductions are made and we discuss our itinerary (and any food intolerances) with you. We begin our private food experience with a ‘Banh Mi’ (a baguette by any other name, and already we are seeing those historic influences on our country – here the French Colonial period!), before our sightseeing tour of this historic, charming & complete Vietnamese Old Towns.We include visits to a temple, workshops, old houses with a mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Hindu, Japanese & Portuguese influences, some dating back to 1780 and not forgetting our famous Japanese Bridge built in 1719. Hoi An is a shoppers paradise, especially its well-known tailor and shoe shops! Look out for Hoi An’s famous lanterns which adorn its streets and buildings, they are a good souvenir of your visit here from the lantern shops. The Central Market is a perfect choice to see local food and is a good starting point for our evening foodie journey. It’s been less than a week’s time since we’re back to our home town, much of the beautiful moments are still lingering on our minds! Thanks Xuan Tu for all the great arrangements 🙂 Your team is well-worth to rank #1 in TripAdvisor! – client TripAdvisor review During your Hoi An tour we try some 10 local delicacies depending on availability and your personal preferences. From traditional Vietnamese coffee to central Vietnam’s famous spring rolls and BBQ pork skewers, from steam savoury rice cakes to deep fried seafood wonton, perhaps ending with a favourite street dessert! As you can imagine, probably the best place to see the beautiful kaleidoscope of coloured lights & lanterns that illuminate Hoi An and its riverfront is from the river itself before our evening comes to a close at around 20:00. We ensure you are returned safely to your hotel or give you great recommendations for the rest of your evening in this most atmospheric of Vietnamese old towns. What’s included: a full 5 hour private guided walking tour in English all entry fees & food taken cold, bottled mineral water moist towellettes Hoi An or Da Nang hotel meet What’s excluded: alcoholic drinks if taken
Hoi An Evening Food Tour
Hoi An is an expanding country town surrounded by paddy fields farmed mainly by women in ‘coolie’ hats growing rice, verdant fields full of herbs and vegetables worked by water buffalo, and the Thu Bồn river where fishermen use methods unchanged through generations. But Hoi An’s star attraction is its historic Old Town dating mainly from the 15th – 19th centuries, indeed it possessed the largest harbour in S.E. Asia as far back as the 1st century. The Old Town is recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site so its not hard to imagine Hoi An’s long history with its beautiful beaches and old port overlooking the East Vietnam Sea – during the period of ‘China trade’ the town was called Hai Pho (Seaside Town) and its Japanese merchants believed the ‘heart of all Asia’ lay beneath Hoi An in the 18th century. This long & varied history has today given Hoi An, through its cookery schools and 100+ restaurants, the accolade of the ‘premier food destination’ in Vietnam. So Xuan Tu’s private 3 hours evening adventure is designed to immerse you in the sight, smell and taste of what is probably the healthiest cuisine in the world! Likes and dislikes were taken into account and nothing was too difficult for Lam to organise. We tried around 15 different foods from market stalls, street vendors and restaurants. I would highly recommend this food tour for anyone visiting Hoi An – client TripAdvisor review Our Private Walking Tour is most definitely NOT about the international food chains that have started to import their blandness into our country, neither is it the higher end establishments that have popped up to tempt western tastes and western wallets! This is about food for everyday Vietnam, food that stimulates all five senses at everyday prices for local people, and prepared with pride at market food stalls, make-shift street restaurants and in what sometimes seems to be the owner’s front room! We meet in your Hoi An hotel at 17.00 where introductions are made and we discuss our food itinerary (and any intolerances) with you. Then while evening falls we experience the beautiful kaleidoscope of coloured lanterns that illuminate the town streets as we embark on our foodie journey. Xuan Tu’s private food tours are as much about the culture, people and sights of historic Vietnam through interaction with local Hoianians, as it is the amazing food of our country. We try some 10 local delicacies depending on availability and your personal preferences. From traditional Vietnamese coffee to central Vietnam’s famous spring rolls and BBQ pork skewers, from steam savoury rice cakes to deep fried seafood wonton and perhaps ending with a favourite street dessert! Finally though, our evening will come to a close at around 8.00 when we return you safely to your hotel or give you great recommendations for the rest of your evening in this most atmospheric of Vietnamese towns What’s included: a full 3 hours private guided walking tour in English all food taken cold, bottled mineral water moist towellettes Da Nang or Hoi An hotel meet & greet What’s excluded: alcoholic drinks if taken
Private My Son Sanctuary Tour
My Son Sanctuary is a microcosm of Viet Nam, past & present. Your Xuan Tu Private Tour of this historic site from either Da Nang or Hoi An encompasses much of Vietnamese history; The Champa Kingdom, Hinduism, Chinese Invasion, the rise of the Viet’s, the French colonial period, The Vietnam War, UNESCO recognition of Viet Nam’s culture & history, plus more recent links between our government and countries such as Poland, Germany, Italy and Japan who helped to save many My Son statutes & relics and provided maintenance of the site. My Son is Vietnam’s most extensive Champa Kingdom’s architectural remains, dating from the 4th to 13th centuries – although recent investigation suggests the site may have been active even earlier. The Champa ruled central & southern Vietnam from around the 2nd century until the first conquest by the Dai Viet emperor in 1471 and their final absorption into the Vietnamese state in 1832. My Son went into steady decline until rediscovery by the French in the late 1800’s who for many years restored parts of the complex. After the unification of Vietnam in 1975, conservation work began again in earnest and now the conservation of the property is of a high standard with both national and international teams working on site In addition to its natural decline, Indo-China Wars and WW2 saw damage to the site, but it was 3 days in August 1968 that saw substantial destruction of the site and its jungle surrounds by carpet bombing which reduced the number of upright tower-temples to around 23 and this is the evocative site you see today. Our tour was scheduled by the company for an afternoon departure which was ideal, as by the time we arrived at My Son it was almost deserted and we avoided all the bus loads of tourists from the morning. It was also much cooler to walk around – Client TripAdvisor Review My private half day tour starts at your hotel lobby in Da Nang or Hoi An, and in our modern air conditioned vehicle my professional driver take us to the entrance of this amazing site. Located in a hidden valley the sumptuous jungle setting is overlooked by Cat’s Tooth Mountain (My Son in Vietnamese is ‘beautiful mountain’). We can make comfort stops to freshen-up if required. From the entrance we take a short buggy ride and once in the sanctuary we are treated to a short cultural show of Champa song & dance – thankfully the Champa people still remain in Vietnam, albeit as a minority. We guide you around the site, look especially at the carved brick built structures which appears to have no mortar holding them together! My Son was recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in the late 1990’s so you will see a gradual and on-going restoration to some structures. I am often asked what happened to artefacts, statutes etc found on-site. Many were taken to France during their 100 year colonization of my country, whilst locally others are well preserved in My Son’s own small museum and also displayed in the Museum of Champa Sculpture in Da Nang. Late afternoon and we finally have to leave this beautiful and historic place to retrace our steps back to your hotel in Da nang or Hoi An. What’s included: a full 5 hour half day private guided tour in English all entry fees cold, bottled mineral water moist towelettes use of a modern air conditioned vehicle & my professional driver What’s excluded: meals & drinks etc taken during the tour (bottled water is free of charge)