A taste of Saigon's exotic sidewalks

By Quynh Tran   July 23, 2017 | 12:12 am PT
A drive along the city's streets puts all the country's fruity specialties on a plate.
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Pushcarts selling nipa palm and wine palm fruits can be found on many streets such as Dien Bien Phu, Ba Thang Hai, Nguyen Van Linh and Hanoi Highway.

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Grapes from the central province of Ninh Thuan on sale on Hanoi Highway at the city's eastern gate. The price sign can be tricky as “15” means VND15,000 ($0.7) for only HALF a kilo.

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Dua sap, a special kind of coconut with thick flesh and juice from the delta’s Tra Vinh Province, can be found on Phan Van Tri Street. “I buy them directly from farmers,” said the seller, who was charging VND130,000 ($5.7) per kilo, around 13 times the price of a normal coconut.

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Green lotus seeds, a nutrituous snack from the delta’s Dong Thap Province, are available on Le Van Tho and Quang Trung in Go Vap District. The whole fruit will cost you VND50,000 a kilogram, but you can always ask for a bag with separate seeds.

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Buyers pick corn along Tan Son Street in Tan Binh District. The seller said she bought them from Tien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta.

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Sau, the fruit of the Indochina dragonplum tree which is a specialty in Hanoi, has made its way to Saigon's streets. They can be used as a souring agent or to make candied treat like the Japanese umeboshi. 

 
 
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