하노이 가족들과 함께하는 농장투어와 쿠킹클래스(Manh's Farm Tour and Home Cooking)

We used a Grab taxi to get to Manh's house following her directions when registering for the class (thanks to this good Grab experience we used this taxi system extensively in our time in Hanoi, really useful!). To begin the afternoon, we spent a very enjoyable time walking around the market and her farmland, helping to plant and water a few things along the way. Her explanations of what was being grown were really interesting and it was nice to spend time asking questions and hearing about the local way of life. On our way back to her house, we stopped by a community club and played table tennis for a short time with the children from the village (this was not a scheduled part of the afternoon but was a very welcome stop for us). Manh and her family gave us a very warm welcome into their home for the rest of the afternoon where we prepared a lovely meal with her and the help of her husband. Manh sent a menu prior to our meeting, giving us the option of what we wanted to cook. She had all the ingredients ready for us and prepared the chicken in her spotless kitchen. The food was very varied and gave a good intoduction to Vietnamese cuisine. We enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere and being able to chat with Manh and her family whilst preparing the meal which we later shared with her family. It was delicious! At the end of the class, she helped us arrange the Grab taxi to get back to our hotel in Hanoi. After having walked past a few restaurants in Hanoi following our afternoon with Manh, we were so glad to have chosen a different cooking lesson experience where we were not part of a big group. It was a lovely experience with a local family and a much nicer introduction to the Vietnamese way of life. Manh was very responsive to our emails and although her home is about 20 km outside of Hanoi, it was a very easy journey with Grab and not a hassle at all.

For my wife and I this was a trip into the unknown but we chose this cooking class because it would take us outside the city so that we could get a glimpse of semi-rural life and because the choice of menu on offer was so much more varied. We downloaded the "Grab" - as in grab a taxi- app, called a Grab taxi with the assistance of the hotel receptionist and off we went. After a 40 minute or so drive - during which time 'Mandy', our host-to-be, was in touch with the taxi driver we arrived to be greeted by Mandy in a traditional hat, with a bright smile on her face. My wife donned an extra Vietnamese hat and off we went to immerse ourselves in the market and its many, at times, surprising revelations - from vegetables to fruit, to fowl to fish to fresh meat, cooked food, traditional medicine, pipes, chopping boards, brooms and basket ware and two blacksmiths forging tools! The market people know Mandy from the village and were all jovial and friendly, this was just great to see what choice the market had to offer! We then toured the vegetable gardens to marvel at their abundance and proceeded to Mandy's new and lovely house where we helped prepare a great meal of four different dishes we will endeavour to replicate at home! During the time we talked to Mandy about so many things: we could not but be impressed by her person. We then had our wonderful meal, were offered a beer and finished off the experience with a sticky rice bun baked by Mandy's grandmother. We thoroughly enjoyed our outing and felt privileged to have met an impressive young woman like Mandy!

As we often do when we visit an area, we looked for a chance to take a local cooking class. In our search on Cookly and other sites, we came across Ms. Mahn's Farm Tour & Family Cooking Class. Since we also wanted to get out of Hanoi city, we were very interested in Ms. Mahn's class. And we are so glad we made this choice. Booking the class on Cookly was easy as pie. We got our confirmation quickly and then communicated directly with Ms. Mahn to work out the details and make our menu choices. Ms. Mahn also advised on booking an Uber car and stayed in contact with the Uber driver as he made his way out of the city and into the countryside, eliminating our anxiety about getting there without getting lost. Our time with Ms. Mahn (Mandy) turned out to be the single most enjoyable part of our entire stay in Hanoi. Upon meeting Mandy, we instantly knew we had made a new friend. She met us by the roadside with the warmest smile I've seen in a long time. We started our time with Mandy by taking a tour of the local farming community, in which she gave us very knowledgeable explanations about the crops being grown, the farming methods, the history, etc. Everyone she introduced us to along the tour was so warm, friendly and welcoming. Since we were visiting during Tet, we were basically visiting during the most important family time that Vietnamese have. And Mandy made us feel included in this spirit the entire time we were with her. For this, we are most grateful. After the farm tour, Mandy took us to her home, introducing us to her neighbors and family along the way. And when we entered her home, we immediately felt relaxed and welcome. The cooking class Mandy provides is very interactive. We had pre-selected our menu from a nice variety of choices she offers, so she had all the ingredients on hand and ready for us to enjoy. This was especially remarkable since we were there, as I said earlier, during Tet, and the local markets were working on limited schedules. As we were preparing the meal, Mandy gave us instructions and tips and always related what we were doing to how it fits into the normal, daily life of her wonderful family. Her first grade daughter was there also which added more warmth and humor to our stay. All the ingredients were farm fresh, either from the local fields or from Mandy's small herb garden just outside her kitchen. Mandy's genuine love for family and for cooking was in the forefront the full time, which made the food even better. We highly recommend anyone who visits the Hanoi area to take advantage of the marvelous experience Mandy offers. We hope to return to Hanoi again some day and will certainly do this again with Mandy! Enjoy. CB from Beijing