Unripe mangosteen price up 57% on new demand as food item

Thao, a fruit seller in HCMC’s District 6, said if not peeled, the fruit sells only for VND80,000.

"It’s selling so well despite the high price. I can only peel a few dozen kilograms of unripe mangosteens a day because it is complicated and time-consuming," she said.

Until a few years ago people only used to buy ripe mangosteens to make desserts, but now they are sought after in the south to add to chicken salads.

Unripe mangosteen being peeled in a shop in HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Kim Ngan

Hong in HCMC’s District 8 said she has recently turned to selling unripe mangosteens because of the huge demand.

Last week, she sold 200 kg, and had to hire additional workers for the job. "We get only one kilogram of flesh from five kilograms of mangosteen. I sell it at VND430,000. But it is always sold out, and in fact I am only able to fulfill two-thirds of my orders."

Hanh Thu, a wholesale distributor in Binh Duong Province, said orders for unripe mangosteen have spiked this year.

Last year she sold only 100-200 kg of peeled and 1,000 kg of unpeeled mangosteens, and this year the number has quintupled, she said.

"Some customers order 200 kg, but I can only supply 80-100 kg because of limited stocks."

Merchants even go to farms to buy large quantities of the fruit.

Thu said unripe mangosteen is popular because of the rise in popularity of the Vietnamese chicken salad with mangosteen.

Vietnamese chicken salad with mangosteen is a new favorite in HCMC. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Thuy

The southeastern specialty, which was only served to tourists visiting orchards, has now become universally popular.

The fruit is grown mainly in Binh Duong’s Thuan An city and Dau Tieng District on about 800 hectares.