Although dragon fruit imported from Taiwan into Vietnam is 6 to 8 times more expensive, it is still gaining popularity with consumers to the extent that supply cannot meet with demand.
Vietnamese media report that Vietnam has large production volumes of red dragon fruit and white dragon fruit, which costs between 40 and 60 thousand Vietnamese Dong [1.72-2.58 USD] per kg. Taiwanese red dragon fruit can cost as much as 350 thousand Vietnamese Dong [15.03 USD] per kg. Still, many fruit stores cannot import enough to satisfy consumer demand.
One fruit trader in Ho Chi Minh City stated that Taiwanese red dragon fruit is relatively large with plump flesh. Furthermore, the fruit is juicy and fragrant. This is the reason for its popularity. Consumers often buy the fruit on the 1st and 15th day of the lunar month and use it as a sacrifice at home to pray for good fortune (red represents good fortune in Vietnam). The fruit trader in Ho Chi Minh City imports several cases of red dragon fruit from Taiwan at a time, but never has enough to satisfy all customers, despite the large price gap between domestic and imported dragon fruit.
Source: Central News Agency