With Vietnamese food popular the world over, a resort on Vietnam’s southern coastline has cooked up a culinary journey that delves into centuries-long traditions, bringing new meaning to the humble bowl of phở.

Alma Resort on Vietnam’s Cam Ranh peninsula has joined forces with boutique travel agency Zazen Travel to launch ‘A Journey Through Culture and Cuisine’, a cultural immersion experience anchored by an interactive cooking class. 

The adventure begins with participants rummaging through colourful and lively Cam Duc Market to experience the local way of life, and learn about fresh, local ingredients to be used in the cooking class.

The small, intimate group then visits a unique cobblestone temple in Cam Lam, the only one of its kind in Vietnam and possibly the world. Through perseverance and faith, the temple has taken monk Thich Tam Phuoc 24 years to build and counting. 

The journey also entails a stop at a mango garden to learn about the importance of mango cultivation and harvesting to the area, accompanied by a cup of mango tea.

The budding chefs then return to Alma to learn recipes that have been handed down the generations. Together they cook quintessential Vietnamese dishes including bò lá lốt (ground beef wrapped in betel leaves), chả giò tươi (fresh spring rolls) and phở (Vietnamese soup with bone broth, rice noodles and meat). 

Guests then indulge their creations together for lunch and take home a recipe book and an apron, along with new memories.

“As they say: ‘You have to taste a culture to understand it’. You can’t get a much more authentic experience in Vietnam than sharing a meal, cooked from scratch,” said Alma’s managing director Herbert Laubichler-Pichler. “We hope our guests will return home with not only a remarkable repertoire of authentic dishes with which to impress their dinner guests but also new friends for life.”