EXOTIC VIETNAMESE FRUITS

Speaking of tropical fruits that you should eat when traveling to Vietnam. This charming destination, especially in the southern part of the country where you can try many different types of fruits of different colors and flavors all year round.  Here is a special list of 11 Vietnamese fruits that are loved not only by local people but also by foreign tourists that have been to Vietnam and share their ideas about this tasty tropical fruits. All fruits can be easily found in supermarkets, street markets and grocery stores all around Vietnam. There are also many street vendors who push carts to sell the fruit in the corners of almost any streets.

# 1 Mango (Xoài)

# 2 Mangosteen (Măng cụt)

Purple Mangosteen (or Garcinia mangostana) is considered as the queen of the tropical fruits. The flesh is white and somehow watery when is melting in the mouth and has a sweet taste, a little ‘sour at times but mostly soft and creamy. A good mangosteen is the one with more flesh and less seeds. The mangosteen seasons often lasts from May to September. Vietnamese believe to buy the mangosteen is like winning the lottery – because it is difficult to choose a good mangosteen. But there are some suggestions: green cap, fresh, without any cracks. Also, when you hold it upside down, you can see the part resembling the flower, the number of “flower petals” corresponds to the number of sections in each mangosteen or in the other hand you know how many sections you only look at its bottom. So go to the market and get it now!

# 3 Melastella fruit (Vú sữa)

The melastella (or cainetta) signifies the breast milk in Vietnamese culture because of biano juice and milk when squeezing the fruit. In Vietnam, the most famous type of melastel is the one from Lo Ren Vinh Kim (Lò Rèn Vĩnh Kim), district of Chau Thanh in Tien Giang province. This Vietnam fruit is round with a green and thinner skin, the flesh has a special taste: juicy, refreshing and fragrant. Until today, Vietnam is the only country that exports the melastella tropical frui to Europe, especially England and also to Canada as well as to Cambodia, the Philippines, India and Thailand.

The interesting fact about the melastella is that this tropical Vietnamese fruit is one of the low-calorie you can find, 100g provides only 31 calories, which is lower than any other fruit in Vietnam, or lets say to the tropical fruits. The nutrient of melastella can protect against diabetes or some forms of cancer and also it is useful for weight loss.

# 4 Durian (Sầu riêng)

# 5 Rambutan (Chôm chôm)

This fruit resembles the hedgehog, however, the green spines are really soft and easy to remove. The best rambutan in Vietnam is called Chom chom nhan (Chôm chôm nhãn) – it is smaller, (the size of a golf ball) and has less thorns than the normal rambutant. But it has the sweetest, most juicy flavor with light sweetness and it is easy to remove the seed from the pulp. And, pay attention not to eat the bitter seed that is hidden inside the pulp. This is the most consumed Vietnamese tropical fruit in the summer, also, the season for rambutant lasts from April to June.

To get the most benefit from the rambutant’s flavor and its nutritional value, it is better to eat this fruit when it’s raw. You can use rambutans peeled in the fruit salad, it is the ideal substitute for lychee. Also, the rambutan juice with a little cinnamon or vanilla is well worth to try.

# 6 Dragon fruit (Thanh long)

The dragon fruit with its a pink skin and green scales. The flesh of this Vietnam’s tasty fruit is red and or white and its soft and very juicy, with no fragrance. The little black seeds look like sesame which is edible and its good for digestion. The best dragon fruit is grown in the Binh Thuan province and the season for dragon fruit last from May to August. Read more about Dragon Fruit

# 7 Langsat (Bòn bon)

Langsat is one of the least known fruits in Vietnam. The langsat is small, translucent and is perfectly sweet and juicy when pill it off. The flesh is very soft and remembers to eliminate the seeds before eating. The langsat can be a little sticky because it contains the latex. You must be careful not to splash the latex on your clothes.

# 8 Litchi (Vải)

Summer is the lychee season. Although this fruit is mainly grown in the north of Vietnam, you can easily find it throughout country. The fruit is very juicy, sweet and easy to eat. But the litchi cannot be stored for longer than a day or two and its best to keep it in the fridge.

# 9 Custard-apple (Na or Mãng cầu)

One of the frequently eaten fruit in Vietnam that is very popular for its health benefit, when it is ripe, its peel becomes soft and easy to be taken off. Then you can directly bite the sweet and creamy white pulp. Remember to spit the black seeds. The best time to enjoy this popular Vietnamese fruit is autumn (around August to late September). To speed up the ripening process, keep the custard-apple on a paper bag.

# 10 Sapodilla (Hồng xiêm)

Sapodilla is another very popular tropical fruit of Vietnam. The fruit is brown, round or slightly oblong and with a very thin skin. The pulp is sweet and delicate, and is reminiscent of caramel, pear and honey. The fruits have two to five seeds that are black, hard and long.

The fruit is famous for its aroma and is used for sorbets, cocktails, jams and ice cream, as well as in the preparation of cakes, syrups and sauces; fermented gives flavor to wine and vinegar. In Indonesia, young sprouts are also eaten raw or cooked with rice. However, the scientific name of sapodilla is Manilkara zapota which is a long-lived, evergreen tree native to southern Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean.

# 11 Jackfruit (Mít)

flavor is completely different. The sweet taste of the fruit can cause addiction, but remember not to eat too much because it can also cause digestive disorder. In Vietnam fruit list, there are several types of jackfruit, but the most popular is the crispy and dry jackfruit, as opposed to a type that is very sticky and fresh. The taste is a mixture of apple and pineapple, with an aftertaste of vanilla.

In Hue and in the center of Vietnam, jackfruit is use in salad, which will be mixed with shrimps and some fish sauce, and it is served with rice paper wraps.

Hue salad: “young” jackfruit, shrimps and aromatic herbs, served with rice paper wraps