Desserts made with fresh fruits, coconut milk, and plain rice such as chuoi nep nuong (grilled banana wrapped in sticky rice), or xoi sau rieng (durian sticky rice) are well-known desserts from the Mekong Delta. But have you ever heard of combining fruits with a savoury dish?
Many believe rice is largely made up of starch, giving it a relatively dry texture. When paired with juicy fruits, whether sweet or slightly sour, it becomes easier to eat and more balanced in taste. That’s why fruits like watermelon, ripe mango, or banana often appear alongside rice in everyday meals in the Mekong Delta.
Vietnam’s “fruit kingdom”
The Mekong Delta is widely known as Vietnam’s vibrant “fruit kingdom,” thanks to its tropical climate and fertile soil. According to the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, fruit exports reached USD 9.05 billion in 2024–2025 and the region produces around 70% of the country’s total fruit output, with durian, mango, dragon fruit, rambutan, and mangosteen available almost year-round.
Home to well-known orchards in Tien Giang, Ben Tre, and Can Tho, the Mekong Delta also offers agri-tourism experiences such as fruit tasting and floating markets. With fruit so abundant throughout the year, pairing rice with fresh fruit or fruit juice has naturally become part of daily eating habits in the region.
A practical solution from older days
Eating rice with fruit (cơm độn trái cây) has existed for generations in the Mekong Delta. In the past, life was uncertain. Meat and fish were not always available; floods or difficult seasons could easily limit ingredients. Fruit, however, was abundant, cheap, nutritious, and always within reach. Faced with these conditions, people found practical and creative ways to make meals both filling and enjoyable. Adding fruit to rice made perfect sense: it stretched what was available, added nutrition, and made each meal easier and more pleasant to eat.
Local flavor shaped by daily life
With fruits growing in nearly every household, pairing rice with watermelon, mango, banana, or pineapple comes naturally - even alongside savory dishes like fried fish or braised pork. This habit also reflects the region’s distinct preference for sweetness. Southern cuisine traditionally leans sweet, influenced by abundant tropical fruits, coconut water, and the longstanding use of palm sugar.
For agricultural families, efficiency mattered. Fieldwork demanded energy, not elaborate meals. Time was precious, and complicated cooking was often a luxury. Eating rice with whatever fruit was available at home allowed people to refuel quickly before returning to unfinished farm work.
A piece of cool fruit will balance the taste with unique harmony, which best displays the orchard culture (civilisation des vergers) in just a simple meal. In this everyday practice, life in the Mekong Delta reveals a deep connection to nature—one guided by the spirit of sống thuận thiên, or living in harmony with the environment.
A taste that surprises outsiders
From rice with ripe bananas to mashed banana mixed straight into rice, many of these dishes can give first-time visitors pause. Perhaps the most surprising are rice eaten with coconut water or even ice water—combinations so familiar that they have become childhood memories for generations in the Mekong Delta.
These strange dishes reveal the generous, honest and creative character of the people here. For them, “speciality” does not have to be elaborate , just to suit the localities is enough that creates the unique features of Vietnam's Southwest region.