Coconut cart sells more than 1,000 cups per day in Ho Chi Minh City

Ms. Thuy's beverage cart on Pasteur Street, District 3, is famous for its coconut and kumquat drinks, a familiar refreshing drink for people in Ho Chi Minh City.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thuy, from Binh Dinh who moved to Ho Chi Minh City in 1997, started selling soft drinks in 2001. Initially, the drink cart only sold familiar drinks such as ginseng water, seaweed water, and bitter water. Sales were "quite slow" because these drinks were "too popular".

"I thought about selling more coconut water because this fruit helps cool the body and is very good for health. However, selling only coconuts would be too normal. I decided to innovate it," Ms. Thuy shared.

She tried adding kumquat jam to the coconut water, found it "fragrant, unique, quite interesting" so invited her family to enjoy it. Receiving positive feedback, Ms. Thuy started selling this drink and has been selling it for 22 years now, confidently affirming that she is "the first person to bring coconut kumquat to the majority of people in Ho Chi Minh City".

Ms. Nguyen Thi Le Thuy, owner of the coconut and kumquat cart, is preparing drinks for customers.

In the early days of opening, coconut kumquat did not sell as well as other drinks, but gradually, thanks to its unique flavor, this drink was spread by word of mouth and became more famous. After coconut kumquat was well received by everyone, Ms. Thuy also sold pineapple coconut, but coconut kumquat was still the name that created the brand of the drink cart.

Ms. Thuy's mobile cart is located on the sidewalk, right on the street, distinguished from other shops by a sign with the address number 250 and the words "selling for over 20 years". She opens from 9am to 11pm every day. The peak time for this cart is after 7pm; at noon and early afternoon, customers only "snag".

During the day, customers mainly buy take-out. At night, more customers sit down, right on the sidewalk where Ms. Thuy places a drink cart and uses chairs as tables. When it's crowded, customers have to sit on the opposite sidewalk. "I have many regular customers, so they understand. When it's crowded, customers will line up to order drinks, get chairs and find suitable seats," Ms. Thuy said.

On weekdays, Ms. Thuy sells an average of a few hundred cups of coconut and lime juice. On weekends, especially during the hot season, it can reach up to 1,000 cups. Not only does this drink attract locals, it is also enjoyed by many tourists. Ms. Thuy said that tourists often travel in groups, including both domestic and international tourists.

Coconut water and coconut meat are chilled in ice buckets.

A glass of coconut and kumquat includes fresh coconut water, coconut meat and homemade kumquat jam. The ingredients are not complicated, but the preparation is difficult and time-consuming. Every day, she imports fresh coconuts from a familiar source in Ben Tre . Instead of cutting and storing the juice, Ms. Thuy chooses to make it as she sells. "There are many customers, so my family has to cut coconuts continuously. After cutting, they will bring them to the car to sell immediately. This method is more difficult, but ensures the quality and the coconut water is not sour," Ms. Thuy said.

The coconut flesh is sliced thinly and chilled with coconut water in a large bucket. Ms. Thuy makes the kumquat jam herself, the kumquat is cut into strips, candied with rock sugar and no dried apricot is added to preserve the characteristic aroma of this fruit. A small cup of coconut kumquat jam costs 15,000 VND and a large cup costs 20,000 VND. Her coconut kumquat cart always has two people standing by to sell so that customers don't have to wait long. One person will scoop the coconut water, the other will add the kumquat jam and put it in a bag.

Kumquat jam is made by Ms. Thuy herself, sold with a large cup of coconut kumquat jam for 20,000 VND.

Ms. Thanh Huong (Thu Duc City) learned about this drink through a friend's introduction when she moved to Ho Chi Minh City and has been a regular customer of the coconut-lime cart for more than 3 years now.

"In Hanoi, I don't see many people selling this drink. The first time I tried it, I was impressed by the sweetness of the coconut water and the slight sourness of the kumquat jam," she said.

Besides the flavor, coconut rice is also an ingredient that many diners love. Mr. Tuan Lam (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) commented that a glass of coconut and lime juice is "affordable" and "full". The male diner commented that the coconut here is cut into large pieces, keeping its crunchiness. "A sip of coconut water, chewing with coconut rice is very suitable", the diner said.

Van Khanh

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