Ben Tre province in Vietnam is known as the capital of coconuts. The coconut trees hold a special place in the cultural life and the economic development of the province. Due to the salty water with clay mud that’s fertile and rich, the coconuts growing here have excellent conditions, and the fruit yield is higher than in other regions.

The thick coconut shells contain more organic matter, sweeter coconut water, and coconut meat with more fat. The coconut oil accounts for 65% of content in Ben Tre coconuts. The fruit is used to make a lot of things, from beverages and food to household utensils. 

Hoa Loc is the most famous mango variety originating from the Mekong Delta. The mangoes are elongated and have a bright yellow skin when fully ripe. The texture of the yellow flesh is firm, smooth, and low in fiber, while the aroma is fragrant and the flavor is exceptionally sweet.

These mangoes were first grown in 1930 in Hoa Hung commune, Cai Be district, Tien Giang province (formerly known as Hoa Loc commune, Giao Duc district, Dinh Tuóng province). Hoa Loc mango is mainly eaten fresh out of hand or used in fruit salads.

Phan Thiết is famous for its dragon fruit. Originally, the fruit was grown for ancestral offerings, but soon the Vietnamese realized its economic potential, and nowadays, dragon fruit farms cover thousands of hectares of land. Almost all plantation owners will give visitors a tour of the crops and serve them dragon fruit with a cup of tea.

The recent red dragon fruit is a favorite of many people as it has a nice color and a pure sweet flavor. Many restaurants in the area offer dragon fruit menus filled with different dishes – from appetizers, main dishes, and side dishes to drinks and desserts. 

Dragon fruit from Bình Thuận is well known for its high yield and exceptional quality. The fruit was imported in the 1980s, and it was initially used in various ceremonies. Large-scale cultivation began when it was detected that the fruit thrived in the region.

Nowadays, this dragon fruit is grown for domestic and foreign markets. Most dragon fruit that is cultivated in this region has red skin and white flesh. It is filled with tiny black seeds. The flesh inside the dragon fruit is soft but firm. It has a sweet and subtly tart flavor. 

Elephant apple is the fruit of an evergreen tree that’s native from India and Sri Lanka to Southeast Asia, and then to Vietnam and southwestern China. The fruit is globose in shape and it’s formed as an aggregate of 15 carpels that overlap.

Each carpel contains five seeds that are embedded in a gelatinous pulp. When fully ripe, the fruits have a sour to sweet-sour flavor. The pulp is often used to make beverages, vinegar, and jams. When not fully ripe, the fruits are pickled or used in soups and curries, while the flower’s petals are often used as garnishes for fruit and vegetable salads.

Lo Ren-Vinh Kim is a Vietnamese variety of star apple grown in Tien Giang province. The star apples are large, round in shape, aromatic, refreshingly sweet, and have thin skin, thick flesh, and small seeds. Their season lasts from the 10th to the 2nd lunar month.

The skin of these apples is pinkish in color, and another variety that’s not grown in the area has purple and green skin, it’s bigger, and not so sweet as the Lo Ren-Vinh Kim variety, meaning that the original flavors of the fruit will be lost if grown elsewhere. 

Cái Mơn is a Vietnamese type of durian originating from Chợ Lách, a rural district of Bến Tre province in the Mekong Delta region. This durian has two varieties – Monthong and Ri6. The Monthong variety is oblong with a pointy top.

The flesh is thick, the aroma is faint, while the flavors are sweet and rich, and some people say it’s reminiscent of cow’s milk. The fruit contains relatively few seeds. The Ri6 variety is elliptical in shape with long and sparse spikes.