Large, eye-catching signs advertising “30k VND/kg fallen durians, edible guaranteed” can be spotted at various spots, luring curious passersby to stop and inquire about the unusual offering.
Trương Hải Yến, a customer who purchased two durians from a stall on Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street in Bình Thạnh District, shared that she was intrigued by the extremely low price. After tasting the fruit on-site, she noted that while the durians were sweet and fragrant, they had large seeds and thin, mushy flesh.
Observations at these stalls reveal that the 30,000 VND durians are often set aside in a corner, with most of them cracked and held together with rubber bands to prevent the shells from falling apart. These durians are visually unappealing, with a flattened appearance, few segments, and a weight of just over 1 kilogram per fruit.
Durians sold at 30,000 VND per fruit on the streets of Ho Chi Minh City
Many customers browse the selection but ultimately walk away, realizing that the bargain durians are not as affordable as they seem. With only a few edible segments per fruit and a high risk of spoilage due to cracked shells, some even have to discard the fruit entirely. In contrast, intact and plump durians are displayed separately and sold at a higher price of around 50,000 VND per kilogram.
Đỗ Văn Minh, a durian wholesaler in District 6, Ho Chi Minh City, attributes the recent price drop to the peak harvest season in the Central Highlands region, particularly in Đắk Lắk province, which has the largest durian-planting area. As a result, the market is flooded with durians, driving down prices.
Currently, high-quality durians are priced at 60,000-80,000 VND per kilogram, while second-grade durians range from 45,000-42,000 VND, and third-grade ones fetch 35,000-40,000 VND. The lowest-grade durians, often sold on sidewalks, are significantly cheaper at 15,000-20,000 VND per kilogram.
Buyers are advised to inspect durians carefully when purchasing the low-cost fruit.
Just a few months ago, retail durian prices soared to 150,000-200,000 VND per kilogram due to reduced supply as many orchards in the Mekong Delta region chose to grow off-season durians instead of the main crop.
The current durian cultivation area stands at approximately 151,000 hectares, with the Central Highlands accounting for nearly half of that figure at 75,500 hectares (including 33,000 hectares in Đắk Lắk province, a 10,000-hectare increase from 2022). The Southeast region has 25,000 hectares dedicated to durian cultivation, while the Mekong Delta region has around 42,000 hectares.
A durian stall on the sidewalk of Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh Street, Ho Chi Minh City.
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