Flo, a young man from Germany, was invited by his Vietnamese companion to register for a cooking tour in Trau Cave area in Dam Khe in Ninh Hai commune in Hoa Lu district in Ninh Binh province.

This destination is located in the Tam Coc – Bich Dong tourism complex recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site, about 100 kilometers from Hanoi. The place attracts many foreign tourists who come to experience activities related to the agricultural culture and local people's lives.

Flo was told there were many classes where attendees could learn how to make many dishes, including ‘cha la lot’ (grilled pork/beef wrapped in betel leaves), ‘banh cuon’ (steamed rolled rice pancake) and ‘banh ran’ (deep-fried glutinous rice ball). Finally, he decided to learn how to make spring rolls.

During the 2-hour class, the German man listened attentively to the chef's introduction about ingredients to make north-style spring rolls, and carefully observed the process of preparing this dish.

It was the first time Flo had wrapped spring rolls, but he did it very well and was very clever with his hands. He just needed several minutes to wrap up small spring rolls. After that, he learned how to fry the spring rolls so that the crust is crispy and the rolls look yellow brown.

The other foreign travelers in the class were all enthusiastic about making spring rolls.

“I really love Vietnamese food, so I registered to attend the class to better understand the local culture and cuisine, and to know how to make such delicacies,” said Cantero Jim from Spain.

A representative of the travel firm that provides a cooking tour at Trau Cave told VietNamNet that each class lasts two hours with a limited numbers of learners.

“We have one cook for every class who gives guidance to six travelers. Clients can choose to learn how to make one of the dishes that we provide, namely banh cuon, banh ran and banh xeo (crispy Vietnamese pancake),” he said, adding that nem and cha la lot are two dishes chosen by most foreign tourists.

During the time at class, travelers can prepare the ingredients themselves, from picking up betel leaves and fennel and listening to tour guides to learning about how Vietnamese people use spices when processing food.

The fee is $20 (VND500,000) per person. The classes are open year round.

Thao Trinh