Ngoc Cooking Class at Xuanmai Garden Resort

I had the most amazing experience at this cooking class. Ngoc was such a kind and patient person and I could not recommend her class enough. I cooked a green curry, bbq chicken and coconut donuts - all were delicious. All dishes were explained and demonstrated well and even advice was given for replacements of some food for when I return home and cook. This is a MUST if you are visiting Pakse!

Cooking class with Ngoc is an absolutely must-do! It's a refreshing and lovely experience, with the chance to learn a lot of different Laotian, Thai and Vietnamese dishes. She's super kind and helpful, very easy to follow with all the receipts. Also, her kitchen in the garden is just magic. We had a great time all together. Downright incredible!

I booked this cooking class while in Pakse, Laos, with my traveling companion. We both wanted to do a cooking class in Laos prior to leaving the country. I’m very glad I waited until Pakse to book, as Ngoc’s cooking class really delivered. First, Ngoc herself is a very kind and patient instructor, detailing the needed steps and providing good background on the dishes themselves. Second, the setting for the cooking is fantastic; outdoors in the garden area of the resort grounds. There is plenty of space, nice stoves, and sturdy equipment, including sharp knives, which was welcome, as I’ve done a couple other cooking classes in other countries with some blunt knives. Lastly, and most importantly, the food is delicious and very fun to cook. We made three Lao dishes and one Vietnamese. I especially enjoyed making the papaya salad, as you learn how to peel the fruit, cut into it, and then grate it. Ngoc also provides the recipes for what you choose to cook to take home. For the amount of food cooked and the quality I found this not only a great experience but a great bargain at the price. Very highly recommended.

A highlight of our trip to Laos. The cooking class with Ngoc was the best we have done in all of SE Asia! We chose 4 dishes from the menu (it includes Laotian, Vietnamese and Thai dishes), we picked Yellow Curry, Fried Spring Roll, Pad Thai and Coconut Donuts. We prepared the ingredients and cooked over a coal stove for each dish and enjoyed the food fresh before going on to prepare the next dish. We did everything at a relaxed pace under the watchful and helpful eye of Ngoc. We were given the ingredient list with space to add notes of preparation for us to take home, can’t wait to cook this for my family when I get home. Truly couldn’t recommend enough!

A very responsive and kind host! The entire class can be personalized and she can help with transfers. I would recommend doing this in PakSe for anyone: solo travelers, couples or groups. Gives a good insight into some Laotian ingredients and food!

This is a MUST do in Pakse. It was really enjoyable and a lot of good food. What I really liked was how calm and what a good teacher Ngoc was. The environment was also great. You get to pick the food you cook. I'd recomend a salad and a dessert like mango sticky rice because I can eat a lot and even I was beyond stuffed.

Had a great time at Ngoc's cooking class. She is very kind, patient and also funny. We cooked 4 dishes and got picked up at our hostel for $29 dollar. We could choose the dishes we wanted to cook on advance and the Laap Chicken was out favorite and all the ingredients were very fresh! Highly recommend coming here ♡

A definite highlight of my time in Laos! I arrived on the sleeper bus in the morning and it was very quick to arrange a cooking class for the same afternoon via WhatsApp. Ngoc is so sweet and explains everything very clearly. I ended up having a private class and was able to make 3 dishes (tofu laap, yellow curry and mango sticky rice). It was no problem to make any dish vegetarian. There was no rush and I could enjoy the dishes in the peaceful garden. Thank you Ngoc for a wonderful afternoon!