A Cookery Class at Moon Garden homestay

If you’re looking for a break from Hanoi, head two hours west to Ky Son, where you can experience life in a sleepy, rural Vietnamese village known for its centuries-old architecture. Peaceful Ky Son is home to Moon Garden House, a homestay with an incredible story behind it. Apparently, the owners bought the farmland and then imported traditional buildings from all over Vietnam, some up to 200 years old, and painstakingly reassembled them on location.

You can stay in these buildings, which are filled with original antiques and photos of the families who once lived in them. It’s like walking through a museum, you really feel like these relics should be behind glass. Moon Garden Hall is the impressive dining room, a former Catholic church which was transported over 200 kilometres from Thai Binh province. The wooden frame simply slots together, there’s not a single pin or nail.

This is where we took our cooking class and it was such a peaceful setting, with a cool breeze blowing through the building. I learnt how to make delicious spring rolls and beef wrapped in leaves, using fresh ingredients from the garden. Afterwards, we got to enjoy a heavenly hand massage and herbal foot bath complete with locally-made lemongrass oil, which made the whole place smell like a spa.