Warning about Chinese fruits 'disguised' as Vietnamese goods

With cheap prices and beautiful appearance, many Chinese fruits are disguised as Vietnamese products and sold all over the streets and traditional markets in Saigon.

1. Seedless green grapes

Recently, green seedless grapes labeled Ninh Thuan have been sold in many markets and streets of Ho Chi Minh City for 50,000 - 60,000 VND per kilogram. Traders said they imported the product from Thu Duc Wholesale Market and sold hundreds of kilograms to the market every day.

While retailers claim that seedless green grapes originate from Ninh Thuan, the owner of Ba Moi grape farm in Ninh Thuan claims that Ninh Thuan currently only sells red grapes. As for green grapes, the entire region has been out of stock for nearly two months now. Therefore, the grapes sold on the market are not Ninh Thuan products at all.

He also added that in Vietnam, his company has also experimented with growing many varieties of seedless grapes, but because the soil conditions are not suitable, 100% of the products are seeded grapes. Seedless green grapes are mainly Chinese goods.

2. Purple plum

For over a month now, plums labeled as Hanoi have been big, sweet, and delicious, priced at only 35,000 VND per kilogram, sold in large quantities on the streets and traditional markets of Ho Chi Minh City.

“Every day I sell about 50kg of this type of fruit. The flesh is thick, sweet, and rarely spoils so it can be kept for a long time. The price is cheap and suitable for consumers’ budgets. This big, juicy plum is only in season from June to August,” said Ms. Hoa, a trader at Hoa Binh market.

Although vendors on carts and markets claim that the round, deep purple-red, large-fruited plums are from Hanoi, according to the leader of the Cultivation Department of the Hanoi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the locality does not grow this type of tree, which is only suitable for the climate in the northern mountainous provinces such as Lao Cai, Lang Son... However, agricultural and forestry officials in these provinces also confirm that they do not grow purple plums.

In Ho Chi Minh City, a representative of Thu Duc Wholesale Agricultural Market said that many types of plums are coming to the market. Besides the plums from Lao Cai and Lang Son, most of the other plum varieties are of Chinese origin and are sold at quite cheap prices. The reason why traders put up the label of Northern specialties is to make it easier to sell.

3. Golden pear

In Vietnam, pears are often grown in the provinces of Lang Son, Ha Giang, Thai Nguyen, usually flowering in spring and harvested in autumn. However, the quantity of goods is not much, so traders have imported more goods from China.

Ms. Hanh, a vendor at Hoa Binh market (District 5) said that Vietnamese pears are not plentiful and the appearance is not nice, so she had to choose Chinese pears to avoid damage. The selling price per kilogram is 25,000 VND. Every day she buys about 40 kg of Chinese pears, but by noon they are sold out.

Chinese pears are big and round, the fruit is uniform and looks very nice, and are often wrapped in foam netting to avoid crushing. Meanwhile, Vietnamese pears are longer and slimmer, and feel firm in the hand. In terms of color, Chinese pears are shiny, the skin is tight and green or bright yellow, more eye-catching than other pear varieties. Meanwhile, Vietnamese pears have rough skin and a dark yellow color. In addition, when cut open, Chinese pears often have blackened flesh, with needle-like holes, not as white and delicious as usual, but the preservation time is longer than Vietnamese pears.

4. Peach

Along with plums, Sapa-labeled peaches, priced at VND20,000-40,000 per kilogram, are also being sold widely. Mr. Hoang, a stall owner at Van Thanh market (Binh Thanh), said: "This type is crispy, sweet, and fragrant, so I sell nearly a ton every day. Sapa peaches are quite rare, so if you don't buy them early, the season will end in a few days," said Mr. Hoang.

While the traders insisted that the peaches were Sapa peaches, at Thu Duc Agricultural Wholesale Market, the management board here said that most of the goods were imported from China.

Fake Sapa peaches are sold everywhere on the streets.

The leader of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Lao Cai province said that the peach season in Sapa started in May and ended in early July. Therefore, the products currently labeled "Sapa" are incorrect. Because the quantity of peaches and plums in Lao Cai is very small, the designs are not as beautiful as the products sold in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

"Lao Cai only has over 400 hectares of peach trees. The annual output is about 6,000 tons, just enough to supply the local area and some neighboring provinces during the harvest season," he said.

Normally, Chinese peaches are more beautiful than Sapa peaches, with smooth, shiny skin, little or no hair and quite large in size. Meanwhile, Sapa peaches are small, hairy, and must be washed off all the hairs on the outside before eating.

According to VNE