From childhood treat to tourist favorite: Java plums make a day in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta

It is a season that brings back childhood memories for many in the delta and also helps people in An Giang Province's Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) area make a living.

The Java plum (Syzygium cumini) tree, known as tram in Vietnamese, typically grows naturally along riverbanks, canals, and rice fields. 

When the summer-autumn rice crops start sprouting green shoots, it is also the time when Java plums ripen in abundance. 

A hardy, long-living tree with flexible yet sturdy branches, Java plum is ideal for climbing, adding to the fun for kids who often gather after school to climb the tree and pick the fruit.

The fruit grows in clusters like grapes, with black skin and deep purple flesh.

Its flavor is a mix of sweetness and slight astringency, often enhanced with a dip of chili salt.

Children would pick a bunch, sit among the treetops enjoying the breeze across the paddies, and savor the sweet and juicy plums.

Under the trees, kids spent their childhood playing games. 

As they grow up and move away, many feel a wave of nostalgia whenever the Java plum season comes around.

From childhood treat to tourist favorite

In recent years, ripe Java plums from Bay Nui have gained popularity with tourists visiting An Giang and searching for this wild specialty.

Villagers have seized the opportunity, making use of this natural harvest to earn an additional income.

During the Java plum season, trees growing along provincial roads 941 and 948—which connect the districts of Thoai Son, Tri Ton, and Tinh Bien—are laden with the fruits.

Locals often rise early to harvest them at dawn and sell the fruits by the roadside throughout the day.

Each kilogram of Java plums fetches VND50,000-60,000 (US$1.93-2.31).

Grown wild, the fruit is firm and slightly tart when unripe, making it naturally resistant to pests.

Once fully ripe, it needs no preservatives—another reason it remains a favorite among both locals and visitors.