One of the great delights when visiting any tropical country like Vietnam is that you get to try and taste different exotic fruits. As usual, travelers will stay with the common fruits, but exploring some of the more unusual Vietnamese fruits would be adventurous.
More than half of the Vietnamese fruit comes from the Mekong Delta, hence the distinctive tropical characteristics. Fruits from colder climates are usually harvested from Da Lat and other mountainous areas in the Central and Northern regions. Since fruits in Vietnam are abundant and relatively cheap, the Vietnamese are very creative in enjoying nature’s delicacy. Some prefer enjoying the fresh taste as it is, some like to dip the sour or unripe ones in chilly and salt or salt and pepper. Aside from healthy smoothies and juices, Vietnamese fruits can also be made into savory main dishes, tea, jam, or even alcohol!
When you visit Vietnam, here are the Vietnamese fruits you should try
Vietnamese Fruits with Seeds and Pips
Rambutan
Often grown together in a bundle, the exterior colors of the rambutans vary from red, yellow, or yellow-orange. As a native fruit to tropical countries, the outer spines of the rambutans are often referred to as “messy hair.” Its flesh maybe sticks a bit in the seed, some not. It is white, thick and has a good fragrance, and a little sour. In addition, a ripened rambutan season often lasts from June to August to harvest. This is one of the Vietnamese fruits you should try when in Vietnam.
Sweetsop/Custard Apple
Originated from the Americas, the custard apple is grown in many tropical countries. The bumpy green skin covers the white flesh and hard black pips. The taste is sweet and floral, promising a unique and satisfying mouthfeel. As a delicious fruit with a market price of around VND 60,000/kg, it is a good source of vitamins C and B.
Soursop
Soursop is not only known as a tropical fruit with a sweet and sour taste but also as a nutrient containing a variety of valuable medicines. Therefore, it boosts the immune system and helps prevent cancer.
Mangosteen
Mangosteen is regarded as one of the most delicious fruits in the world. As a “superfruit,” it offers a vast array of health benefits due to its richness of nutrients and antioxidants. The soft and sweet center has a sweet and acidic flavor that is beautifully wrapped in the outer purple skin. We recommend trying this fruit on your trip to Vietnam.
Longan
Despite the shiny, soft, round brown peel, longan has a fresh and fleshy pulp. The pulp is succulent, pure sweet, and has a special aroma. Every year, the farmers pick all ripened longans in July and August. This is one of the sweet tropical fruits to try.
Lychee
Lychee is one of the most popular fruits in Vietnam, particularly at the beginning of summer. Its skin is dark red and easy to peel by hand. The juicy white center has a lot of vitamin C and natural sweetness; it can be served raw or as a cool beverage by adding sugar syrup with other fruits like mango or dragon fruit.
Persimmon
The culinary uses of persimmons are abundant; they can be eaten fresh, dried, raw, or cooked. This fruit’s flesh ranges from firm to soft, but the texture is unique. With a golden yellow color and smooth outer skin, the persimmon has health-promoting benefits. Try to spot one of these in the local markets on your trip to Vietnam.
Jackfruit
Jackfruit is one of the most popular fruits in Vietnam. Despite the spiky crust and the large shape, the sweet taste and the amazing smell often attract people who have a sweet tooth. Inside, there are lots of fleshy yellow knots covering all the seeds of the fruit when peeled. However, its latex is sticky, so remember to use a towel or glove to separate the outer part of the fruit and remove the knots. Moreover, jackfruits also abound many kinds of nutrition for health and preventing diseases. If you want to enjoy tropical fruits in Vietnam, you shouldn’t skip this fruit.
Durian
Known as the “stinky fruit,” the durian has a remarkable characteristic of tasting like heaven but smelling like hell. As a popular fruit in Vietnam, it is sweet, and the aroma is distinctive and often repulsive. The hard and spiny outer skin makes the durian instantly recognizable. For about VND 100,000/kg, durian is one of the Vietnamese fruits you should try when you are in Vietnam.
Avocado
One of the most versatile fruits available, avocados are best suited to Vietnam’s tropical climate. They are grown mostly in the Central and southern provinces, like Da Lat. At around VND 40,000/kg, the eating choices are endless. Avocados are a good source of antioxidants, potassium, and unsaturated fats.
Sapodilla
This truly delicious fruit is rarely seen in Western countries. It is shaped like an egg with a thin outer brown skin. Grown primarily in the North of Vietnam, this distinctive fruit tastes like a blend of apple, peach, and banana. You can find this fruit all year round at the local markets for VND 30,000 – 40,000/kg.
Guava
Guava is famous in many parts of the world for its refreshing juice. But in Vietnam, you can enjoy raw guava by cutting it into small, long pieces and serving it with salt and pepper. Many people in Vietnam also eat the skin and the seed of guava. The white peach center has a slight fragrance and sour sweetness that goes well with the salty taste. It is one of the most popular fruits in Vietnam and can be enjoyed as a healthy snack.
Papaya
When ripened, papaya’s flesh is light yellow. The center of the fruit contains many black or brown seeds. Scoop out all the seeds, and you should be able to enjoy them fresh as desserts. Papaya is so popular because of its soft pulp, and it provides essential nutrients for kids’ and adults’ diets. Furthermore, in Vietnam, green papaya can be used as a vegetable to make stew soup, pickles, and the delicious goi du du.
If you’re interested, here’s How to Grow Your Own Papaya.
Java Apple
Java apple is another refreshing summer choice. You may find two common types of java apples in Vietnam’s markets: red/pink skin and green skin (the latter usually have a smaller size but taste sweeter). The java apple can be made into jam or added to drinks, but like other fruits in Vietnam, it is mostly eaten raw with salt and pepper.
Tamarind
This sour and sweet fruit is commonly used as a spice in Vietnamese cooking to make a sour-tasting soup and a special dipping sauce for grilled dishes and fresh fruits. Its soft flesh can also be used to make Worcestershire sauce, jam, drink, or sprinkle with sugar to make candy.
Star Fruit
The fruit has five segments, so when cutting it, you may find it a bit like a five-pointed star. Its skin is thin, soft, and shiny and turns dark yellow when it ripens. The inside will turn from white and green to yellow when it ripens and tastes a little sour. They are mostly used with cucumber as an ingredient in a fresh roll like the spring roll. When in Vietnam, don’t forget to try these Vietnamese foods.
Star Apple/Caimito/Milk fruit
Star apple, or milk fruit, gets its name from its juicy, sweet, soft, and white center, like milk. It is grown in many places in the Mekong Delta, such as Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Vinh Long. You can enjoy it raw as a dessert by cutting it in half and scooping out the flesh with a spoon. From October to December, the market is flooded with star apples. This is one of the most popular fruits in Vietnam.
Mango
Vietnam’s tropical climate is best to grow mangoes. With many mangoes available, they are abundant from February to May in the South and May to September in the North. Prices range between VND 20,000 – 55,000/kg during the peak periods and out of season.
Watermelon
In tropical areas, watermelons are known as juicy fruits with a thick green outer and fleshy red pulp inside. In Vietnam, there are seedless watermelons and yellow watermelons (the inside is yellow) as well. They can be made into a fresh, yummy smoothie for summer or simple desserts in Vietnamese daily meals. You can also find a pair of watermelons on the altar in a Vietnamese family during the Tet holiday.
Orange
Have you seen an orange that is not orange? The skin color of orange in Vietnam when it is ripe stays green or light green. There are also two types of them: “cam xoan” and “cam sanh”. “cam xoan” is usually sectioned and cannot be juiced. The best time to enjoy them is at the beginning of the summer. Its inside is light yellow like champagne and tastes a little sweet. On the other hand, “cam sanh” has more juice, a darker color, and a more sour taste. The juice is high in vitamin C and is used as a cold remedy drink. You can easily find them at any local market in Vietnam at the end and the beginning of the year.
Tangerine
Tangerines in Vietnam are light green, a bit sour, and larger than those from China. Their skin is easily peeled off and could be dried in the sun to make a mosquito repellent. The inside of a tangerine has around 10 juicy sections with a thin film covering each section. They are soft and feel a bit like small jelly. The fruit can be served raw or used to make delicious jams. Tangerines in Vietnam taste best from September to March.
Grape
There are two kinds of grapes: red and white. One way to distinguish the two types is the flavor; the red is a bit honeyed, and the white is sour. Some like peeling the outer skin, but you can eat the grape directly without taking the skin out. Depending on your favorite style, the grape can be processed into a luscious smoothie or eaten fresh.
Oriental Pear
Oriental pear or Asian pear is different than European pear for its high water content, crispiness, and grainy texture. Its skin usually has a yellow color with small dark spots. When peeled off the skin and removed from the core, the white pulp can be served raw. It is also used when marinating meat as a sweetener.
Ambarella
Ambarella has a hairy hard core inside; after removing this core, you can enjoy it raw or with salt and pepper/chili mix. The crunchy, sour, and a bit sweet center will go really well with a bit of saltiness and heat in the sauce and mix. Sometimes, at the end of the year, it can also be soaked in sugar and salt water to make a refreshing pickle. Fresh ambarella leaves are often paired together with other herbs to enhance the flavors of Vietnamese food.
Langsat
Langsat is a small, round-shaped fruit with velvet-felt yellow skin that can be easily peeled by hand. You should peel the langsat from the bottom (the opposite side of its stem) and enjoy the juicy, sweet, and sour flesh inside. The inside has around four to five sections; each section has seeds sticking to the flesh, which sometimes can make the flesh a little bitter. The best time to have langsat is at the beginning of summer.
Barbados Cherry
Barbados cherries are bright red on the outside and light orange on the inside. Their taste is sour, which goes well with salt and pepper/chili mix. They are grown and harvested all year round, so you can enjoy them fresh or put them in your cocktail at any time.
Peach
When ripe, the outside of a peach is thin, pink-orange in color, and velvety in feel. The inside is light orange, a bit firmer, and sourer than those from China. Peaches can be peeled and served raw, put in a drink like tea, or soaked in sugar water to make candied peaches. They are best enjoyed in the summer with a refreshing beverage.
Vietnamese Fruits without Seeds or Pips or with Edible Ones
Coconut
The coconut is a tropical fruit with more water than its flesh inside. Cutting its hard green outer, you will have a pouring, delicious, fresh drink before getting to enjoy the softly sweet, tasteful meat. It is one of the best fruits in Vietnam to enjoy during the hot summer. Besides, they are sold in almost all Vietnamese local markets and only cost you about VND 10,000 – 15,000/fruit. All of the parts of the fruit have a variety of uses in cooking, such as stewing meat with juice instead of water, braised pork (thit kho trung), making a smoothie, and sweetening soup. Ben Tre is a “coconut paradise” with the traditional special treat, coconut candy, there was even a time when a religion was established based on this fruit specialty of the area, the relics of which you can still visit when in Ben Tre.
Nipa Palm/Mangrove Palm
Nipa palm often wildly grows copiously along the banks of many rivers in the Mekong Delta areas. The flesh inside is white with a greasy and syrupy taste. Every bunch of nipa palms in the shape of a spiky ball you see is a combination of small nipa palms with the size of an egg. After taking the nipa palm from its bunch, we use a knife to separate it into two and take a spoon to enjoy the flesh inside. You can also make a refreshing drink by adding sugar syrup into iced water and put a peeled nipa palm in that mix. Other parts of the tree are also used in many ways, such as its leaves, which are used to build the roof of houses in the countryside or to make a leaf-woven basket.
Dragon Fruit
The dragon fruit is a species of the cactus and is grown primarily in the Southern region of Vietnam and particularly in Phan Thiet. Producers use halogen lights to hasten and enhance the growing process to expose the plants for 24 hours. As a sweet, tasty, and refreshing fruit, this is widely popular and available in Vietnam for VND 30,000/kg. This is one of the Vietnamese fruits you should try when in Vietnam.
Banana
Like in many parts of the world, bananas are popular in Vietnam’s daily diet. However, a diversity of bananas can only be found in tropical countries like Vietnam. They are all different in size, color, and taste, but all are delicious and healthy. With its distinctive scent, soft pulp, and high nutrients, bananas are an excellent choice of fruit for people of any age group.
Pomelo
This sweet and juicy fruit is good on its own or in a fruit salad. Like all citrus fruits, it is a good source of Vitamin C and, if eaten regularly, is thought to reduce blood pressure. With a market price of VND 70,000/kg, try this Vietnamese fruit chilled or at room temperature.
Pomegranate
With its round red-orange outer, this fruit looks like an onion, but bigger. Its flavor is a bit sour, and the fruit combines with lots of fleshy segments covering little seeds inside. Moreover, if you eat it raw or make a drink from this nutritious fruit, your skin may benefit from its antioxidants.
Buddha’s Hand/Fingered Citron
Buddha’s hand is a kind of citron with a unique shape that looks like many fingers are closing in. When ripe at the end of summer, fingered citron has a strong, fresh fragrance and yellow skin. Unlike most fruits and citron, the fingered citron is usually not eaten raw in Vietnam. It is mostly used to make scented alcohol or jam and to serve as an offering to the Buddha.
Vietnamese Fruits in Daily Life
You can easily find Vietnamese fruits for a fairly low price at local markets, as well as supermarkets and fruit shops, or better yet, go straight to where these fruits originally come from at the Fruits Orchards in the Mekong Delta.
Summary of the Vietnamese Fruits You Should Try When in Vietnam
The diversity of tropical fruits in Southeast Asian countries like Vietnam is an exciting experience that you should not miss when visiting the local markets. Along with the friendly locals, historical sites, and thousands of years of culture, you may find these fruits in Vietnam, which are another remarkable memory in your journey to the East.