Minh Quan Cooking Class
Temporarily closed. The restaurant is flooded after heavy rain, so we cannot cook there right now. We expect to reopen within a few days, depending on the weather.
Minh Quan, also known as Pet Garden, is a quiet green spot by the water, a few minutes from Tam Coc village. You cook outside in the garden with the water in front of you and the limestone mountains behind it. Late in the afternoon the sun drops in behind those mountains, which is a good reason to book the later hours.
The class runs about an hour and it is properly hands-on. Your host cooks with you rather than at you: you roll, chop, fry and taste as you go, and then you sit down and eat what you made while it is still hot.
You pick your menu when you book, so nothing is a surprise. Fresh spring rolls with lemongrass tofu, bún chả with grilled pork and fresh noodles, phở bò with stir-fried duck, or fried fish with chicken. One menu is fully vegetarian. Every one of them ends with a Vietnamese coffee, and you choose: coconut coffee, cold and thick and close to a dessert, or salted coffee, which sounds like a mistake and turns out to be the thing you order for the rest of your trip.
Because it only takes an hour and runs any day between 11:00 and 17:00, it fits into a day you have already planned. Boat through Trang An in the morning, cook here after lunch, still make it up the Mua Cave steps for sunset. It is also the obvious thing to do when the rain comes in and the bikes and the viewpoints are off the table.
Groups stay small, usually two or three people. If you are the only booking in your hour, it is a private class and it costs you nothing extra. Tell us about allergies or anything you do not eat when you book, and we pass it on. Children are welcome too, and rolling the spring rolls is the job they usually take over.
Menus and prices
You pick your menu in the booking form.
- Spring rolls & tofu (vegetarian)380,000₫~$15
Spring rolls · Tofu with lemongrass · Vietnamese salad · Coconut coffee or salted coffee
- Spring rolls & tofu, with pork490,000₫~$19
Spring rolls with pork · Tofu with lemongrass · Vietnamese salad · Coconut coffee or salted coffee
- Bún chả, grilled pork490,000₫~$19
Bún chả, grilled pork with fresh noodles · Vietnamese salad · Coconut coffee or salted coffee
- Phở bò & duck490,000₫~$19
Phở bò, beef noodle soup · Stir-fried duck with pineapple · Vietnamese salad · Coconut coffee or salted coffee
- Fish & chicken590,000₫~$23
Fried fish with tomato · Chicken with lemongrass · Vietnamese salad · Coconut coffee or salted coffee
Menus are a guide: dishes and ingredients can differ a little with the season and with what is fresh and available at the market that day.
Price is per person. Drinks are not included. The price includes everything: you pay when you book and nothing on the day.
Good to know
- ✓Five menus to choose from, including a fully vegetarian one
- ✓Ends with a coconut coffee or a salted coffee, your choice
- ✓About an hour, so it fits around the rest of your day
- ✓Any day, any hour between 11:00 and 17:00
- ✓Small groups, often just you and your party
- ✓A quiet garden by the water, minutes from Tam Coc village
- ✓Children are welcome and aged 6 and under join for free; they love rolling the spring rolls
What guests say about Minh Quan Cooking Class
- ★★★★★Reut· verified booking · September 2026
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazing cooking experience! We had a wonderful time at this cooking class! Our instructor was professional, patient and incredibly attentive. Even though we were a large group, he made sure to give personal attention to everyone and explained everything clearly and professionally. The ingredients were fresh and high quality, and the final result was simply perfect — everything we cooked was absolutely delicious! 😍 A fun, authentic and memorable experience that we highly recommend to anyone visiting the area. Definitely worth doing! ❤️
Every review here comes from a guest who booked through us, asked the day after their class. We publish the good and the bad; we only remove spam.
Where it is
Khe Trong, Ninh Hai, Hoa Lu, Ninh Binh
Getting there: Minh Quan is in Khe Trong, a few minutes from Tam Coc village. It is an easy ride by bicycle, taxi or Grab. Show your driver the map link above and they will bring you right to the door.