Lovin’ Hoi An

Luxury and Learning

by Sandra Scott

I visited Vietnam ten years ago and the images of the beautiful scenery and friendly people have stayed with me. Many things have changed in the past ten years. Tourism has grown by leaps and bounds but the country is still beautiful and the people still friendly.

On my current trip I decided to visit the central coastal region. On my last trip I learned that Vietnam is a country not a war. On this trip I learned that China Beach is now a beach destination that will soon be the Cancun of Vietnam. One hotel, Nam Hai, is setting the standard in Vietnam for luxury accommodations. I could truthfully say that Nam Hai has 43 swimming pools because 40 of their 100 villas have their own pool, but everyone at Nam Hai gets a villa. All the villas are of celebrity quality. My villa, one without a pool, had a patio edged with lounging banquettes that looked out to the South China Sea. Inside, the couch offered the same view through the French doors, as did the king-sized bed on a raised dais.

Decisions, decisions. Should I soak in my lacquer ware tub or shower alfresco in my private garden or step into a traditional shower? Solution - I will tried all of them. Each evening I had cocktails at the bar and listened to the piano player croon my favorite songs. When I returned to my room it was a vision from the Arabian nights. The sleeping area was swathed in sheer curtains accented with candles and romantic music filled the air.

Nam Hai has a free shuttle to the historic city of Hoi An. The city is great for exploring, shopping, dining – and learning how to cook. On my first trip to Vietnam I developed a love for Vietnamese food. There are many places that offered Vietnamese cooking lessons but the Red Bridge Cooking School receives rave reviews - now I know why.

A group of 20 wannabe chefs met at the Hai Café at 8:15 in the morning and got acquainted over a cup of ginger tea. With Het as the guide for my group of six, we walked to the morning market where she showed us all the ingredients we would use in our recipes. She pointed out that ginger and turmeric may look alike but the turmeric is orange on the inside. She introduced us to fruits and vegetables I had never seen before such as banana flowers, dragon fruit, and bitter melon. As professional as an infomercial reporter, she showed us how to use some very unique, essential, and inexpensive Vietnamese cooking utensils, which of course, I just had to buy.

After the market tour, we boarded a boat for the 25-minute ride on the Hoi An River to the cooking school. The ride was worth the price. I loved watching the fishermen cast their nets and seeing life along the river. We arrived at a small town and walked to the cooking school. I was impressed with the pastel-colored homes that looked freshly painted. At the school, Het continued our education by explaining the various herbs growing in the school’s garden that are used in Vietnamese cooking.

The cooking part of the lesson took place in an open-air pavilion next to the river. We were given clipboards, the recipes, and a pen to take notes. Chef Thanh pointed to the mirror strategically placed above his table, “Vietnamese TV. You can see everything. If you pay good attention you will make a good lunch. If not you have do it again – but at home!”

We watched as Chef Thanh deftly sliced the papaya, mango, lotus root, banana flower, carrots, cucumber, and onions for the Seafood Salad while telling us what can be substituted if we can not get the traditional ingredients. He added the sliced shallots, shrimp, squid, crushed ginger, and black pepper. In the end everything was tossed together. “Ok, Now you try! Go to your cooking stations.”

Each cooking station had a gas hotplate with all the ingredients and utensils laid out for us. The lesson continued in that manner. Chef Thanh demonstrated, then we cooked. We made Vietnamese Eggplant in Clay Pot. “Back to your seats. Watching a clay pot is very boring.”

The hardest thing of all to master was the art of making Fresh Rice Paper. I love Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls, but I doubt I will ever be able to make the rice paper from scratch. It isn’t just preparing the rice batter that is the problem it is the actually cooking. A scoop of batter is placed on a piece of thin white cotton above a pot of boiling water, then covered. The trick is to know exactly when the rice paper is ready. Only a few of us ended up with a perfect one! The kitchen helpers made sure we all had a perfect one even if they had to make it for us. I filled mine with the veggie and shrimp mix but could not roll it so it looked professional. Takes practice for sure!

The Hoi An Pancakes were much easier. It was back to our frying pans at our cooking stations. We started with two capfuls of oil, “Vietnamese teaspoon,” Chef Thanh quipped. “It is hot enough when you can smell it. If it smokes it is too hot and you will be a human pancake!”

The last lesson dealt with food decorations. I will need more practice for this, too. Try as I might I had trouble slicing the cucumber thin enough to curl into a Vietnamese Fan. When one would break because it was too thick, Thanh said, “Eat your mistakes!” I ate quite a few!

We watched, we cooked, we sampled, and then, to my amazement we went to the dining area and had Vietnamese Eggplant in Clay Pot, which I had forgotten all about! It was finally ready but by that time we were all quite full!

It was a wonderful morning. Sated and relaxed I enjoy the boat ride back to Hoi An, then returned “home” to Nam Hai. I developed a new appreciation for the Vietnamese items on Nam Hai’s menu and for all Vietnamese food. There’s a lot to love in Hoi An – exceptional accommodations and wonderful food all in a beautiful, historic setting.

If you go: www.ghmhotels.com and www.visithoian.com.