The Fruit That Was Once Overlooked Now Commands a Premium Price in the City

 The expensive fruit mentioned here is custard apple. While it is a familiar fruit that used to be quite uncommon, with prices much cheaper than its chewier cousin, it has recently become a sought-after delicacy, selling for twice or thrice the price of the chewy variety and still being sold out. There were times when custard apples were sold at a premium price of more than 250,000 VND per kg and people were still placing orders.

According to Vietnamnet, Ms. Pham An Nhien from Hanoi received a message from a fruit shop informing her that the VIP-sized custard apples were available at 250,000 VND per kg. She bought three boxes containing a total of 27 apples for nearly 2.3 million VND, with free delivery.

Ms. Nhien did not hesitate to spend a large sum of money on the large-sized custard apples, sharing that they have a fragrant ripened aroma, a soft texture, and a sweet and refreshing taste that melts in the mouth. However, this variety of custard apple is quite difficult to find, especially the VIP ones.

When asked about the reason for preferring custard apples over the chewy variety, Ms. Thao from Hanoi shared that she likes custard apples for their fragrance, sweet taste, and the way they melt in her mouth. However, due to their high price, she only treats herself to a kilogram or two occasionally.

In the market nowadays, custard apples are mainly sold by shops that source them from Thuỷ Nguyên (Hai Phong), Đông Triều (Quảng Ninh), Chi Lăng (Lạng Sơn), and Hà Giang. The price of custard apples typically ranges from 75,000 to 150,000 VND per kg depending on their size, while the VIP size with 3-4 apples per kg can cost from 200,000 to 250,000 VND per kg.

According to traders in the market, the price of custard apples is three times higher than that of the chewy variety. Some customers even commented that custard apples are more expensive than durian, the “king of fruits”. However, Ms. Van shared that the number of custard apple orchards is limited, and the harvesting season is quite short, which contributes to their high price.

In fact, for almost a decade, custard apples have become a hot commodity in the market, sought after by many buyers, which has kept their prices high. Particularly, in August of last year, at the Chi Lang agricultural products market in Lang Son province, several “selected” custard apples grown locally were successfully auctioned off for a total of over 780 million VND. Among them, a custard apple was sold for 100 million VND.

Currently, custard apples are attracting customers in the market. According to traders, the supply of custard apples is limited, while the demand from customers is high.

Custard apples are a specialty fruit grown in many localities such as Chi Lang (Lang Son), Dong Trieu (Quang Ninh), Thuỷ Nguyên (Hai Phong), and Ha Giang…

The custard apple trees also bring high incomes to many households, as they always fetch a high price and are well-received by the market in recent years.

Surprisingly, in 2023, at the Chi Lang agricultural products market in Lang Son, the organizers successfully auctioned off several custard apples at extremely high prices. Among them, two chewy custard apples from Chi Lang were sold for 200 million and 220 million VND each. Additionally, an auction was held for a custard apple, which sold for an incredible 100 million VND – a record-breaking price.