Sso and Sam are a couple from Korea who recently had a long trip to Da Nang. In addition to visiting famous destinations, they also spent most of their time experiencing local cuisine.

Sso said that Vietnamese food is not only delicious but also cheap and has attractive flavors. She especially likes fruits and always looks for fruits that are quite rare or expensive in Korea, such as mangosteen and mango.

Because he loves the taste of Vietnamese mango, Sso doesn't even hesitate to wake up early in the morning and go to Hoa Cuong wholesale market (Hoa Cuong Nam ward, Hai Chau district, Da Nang) to buy this fruit.

“We visit this market often but this time it feels the most vibrant,” said Sso, who arrived at the market at 4am.

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Sso went to the biggest wholesale market in Da Nang at 4am just to buy mangoes, her favorite fruit.

Hoa Cuong wholesale market has been operating for nearly 20 years, with hundreds of large and small stalls. This is the place to distribute agricultural products, vegetables, and fruits to Da Nang and neighboring areas, and is known as the largest agricultural wholesale market in the Central region.

Sso felt very impressed and excited when she felt the atmosphere in the market was completely different from the previous times she came here. Although it was still very early, the stalls and stalls in the market were already packed, the vendors were busy working, the voices and laughter were loud.

The Korean female tourist walked around the market and stopped at the fruit stalls. She said she had bought mangoes here many times and found the prices had not changed. Depending on the type of mango, the price ranges from 20,000 - 40,000 VND/kg.

“The price is the same as the one I bought yesterday, but today’s mangoes look much more delicious and beautiful. You can absolutely buy delicious fruit at a cheap price if you go to the market early in the morning,” Sso commented.

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Korean female tourist goes to the market early to buy delicious mangoes at cheap prices

Not only mangoes, the Korean guest was also impressed to see many other attractive fruits sold at affordable prices such as mangosteen, rambutan, watermelon, grapes, etc.

“Mangosteens are 30,000 VND/kg in wholesale and 35,000 VND/kg in retail. We are thinking about buying a whole box like this and giving it to those who helped us during our time in Da Nang,” Sso said.

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Sso was excited to buy mangoes, surprised to see a type of mango that she had never tasted before.

The couple then decided to stop at a fruit stall outside the market area because “the inside mainly sells to wholesalers.” There were several different varieties of mangoes for sale, both in color and shape. Some she had tried before, some she had not.

Finally, Sso chose to buy both mango varieties at 40,000 VND per kilo to enjoy and experience the difference in flavor.

“We bought five mangoes, weighing nearly 3kg and costing only VND110,000. Today, we only bought this fruit,” she said.

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The happy customer left with a bag of mangoes in hand and commented that the price was reasonable.

According to Sso, mangoes in Vietnam have delicious flavors and diverse origins. Each type even has its own unique flavor and sweetness, and can be processed into attractive and unique dishes and drinks.

Not only Sso and Sam, many Korean tourists when traveling to Vietnam also like and buy mangoes to enjoy. This is a fruit that grows in the tropics, so it is quite rare in a country with a temperate climate like Korea, and even the price is very high.

Previously, in May, famous Korean actor Park Hae Jin and his friends went to Nha Trang and caused a stir when they revealed that they ate 25kg of mangoes while exploring the place.

Actor Park Hae Jin (striped shirt) and his friends ate 25kg of mangoes during a few days of traveling in Nha Trang in May 2024. Photo: Instagram character

Or Lee Moon-su - reporter of Korean newspaper Nongmin spent a month experiencing to bring to his home readers the most objective view of Vietnam tourism.

In Lee's impression, Vietnam is a paradise of tropical fruits and visitors can find fruit shops everywhere.

"Last spring, I bought mangoes in Da Lat for 10,000 won (187,000 VND) and got so much that two people could eat it in two days. In Korea, a domestic mango costs more than 20,000 won (more than 370,000 VND)," Lee pointed out the difference.

Vietnam is the third largest mango supplier to Korea. In the first months of 2024, An Giang province exported 13 tons of seedless mangoes to Korea, showing that Vietnamese mangoes are very popular in the land of kimchi.

Photo: Ssotravel

Vietnam ranks second among the most popular tourist destinations for Koreans during the Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Chuseok in this Northeast Asian country.