Price 30 times higher than the fruit, coconut buds are still "sold out"

Ms. Hang, in Binh Thanh District, Ho Chi Minh City, said that to buy coconut buds in Ben Tre, she had to order for a whole week. When she was young, she used to look for them in old coconuts to eat or buy them for only 10,000 VND per kilogram, but now she has to pay up to 300,000 VND.

“Even though I paid 300,000 VND, I don’t regret it because this type is good for health and rare. Sometimes, 10 old coconuts can only yield 3-5 satisfactory coconuts. Therefore, even though the price is 30 times higher than the price of a normal coconut (7,000 - 10,000 VND per coconut), it is worth it,” said Ms. Hang.

Not only hunting for herself, Ms. Oanh in Go Vap also said that many of her friends also love this dish. Each time she orders 4-5 kg, the store that sells the product she usually buys cannot meet the demand. "At first, I bought it for my colleagues to try, everyone praised it as delicious, so I asked them to order it for me. However, the store owner said that each time they can only import 2-3 kg," Ms. Oanh confided.

Mr. Hung, a dealer of Western specialties in Tan Binh, said that there are two types of coconut buds: small and large. He sells small buds for 280,000 VND per kilogram, and large buds for 150,000 VND. For customers in Hanoi, after adding shipping costs, the price is 300,000 - 320,000 VND per kilogram.

Coconut apricot or coconut embryo. This is the most quintessential part of the coconut because the coconut apricot absorbs the nutrients in the fruit to nourish the young sprout. Because coconut apricot is only found in dry, germinated coconuts, it is a rare commodity. Mr. Hung has to collect from many dry coconut warehouses in Ben Tre to have enough quantity for customers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Each time he imports an average of 80 kg.

“I import coconuts once a week, but to keep the product from spoiling, I have to preserve it carefully and refrigerate it carefully,” said Mr. Hung.

Also selling coconut dream, Ms. Loan (District 8), a wholesaler in Binh Thanh, said that because she makes it at home without intermediaries, she only sells it for 100,000 VND per kg. However, each time she can only sell about 3-4 kg to customers because there is not much stock. Although customers order a lot, to ensure quality, she does not buy from wholesalers.

Ms. Loan said that this type is spongy, sweet, refreshing and cool; it only appears inside the sprouted dry coconut. The size of the coconut apricot is often uneven. The older the coconut apricot, the larger it will be. Most of them will be the size of a fist, the smaller they will be the size of a chicken egg or a plum. The larger the coconut apricot, the less fat, sweet and spongy it will be.