This season, Ha Chau Burmese grapes are ripening all over the gardens in Phong Dien. The orchards in Phong Dien are bright yellow with ripe fruit. Visiting the garden, you can pick delicious Ha Chau Burmese grapes from any direction. It is an interesting experience for many tourists when coming to Can Tho city. A Vietnamese couple from Australia was overwhelmed by the beauty of Ha Chau Burmese grape and even more impressed when enjoying this fruit. They said: “Ha Chau Burmese grape has a sweet taste mixed with a slightly sour taste, very interesting. Plus, the beauty of the Burmese grape garden is fantastic, making us want to stay forever and take beautiful pictures anywhere we go”. In Can Tho, Ha Chau Burmese grapes are grown in large quantities in Phong Dien District. According to statistics from Phong Dien District's Agriculture Department, the area of Ha Chau Burmese grape cultivation in the District is about 787ha, of which the area of Ha Chau Burmese grape fruiting is about 775.5ha. Besides other types of lanzones (langsat), Ha Chau Burmese grape occupies the largest area with about 595ha, the output of this langsat variety is from 20-25 tons/ha. Currently, there are about 20 gardens for tourism, of which about 10 are purely for Ha Chau Burmese grapes sightseeing, the rest are mixed with other fruits.

In Phong Dien, Mr. Le Quang Bay (Bay Ngu) is one of the earliest Burmese grape farmers in Ha Chau. Mr. Bay Ngu said that his father - Mr. Le Quang Duc - was the one who brought this type of edible fruit tree (a species of tree in the Mahogany family with commercially cultivated edible fruits) to this region. Currently, Mr. Bay Ngu's Burmese grape garden still has Burmese grape roots over 60 years old, still healthy and stamped with time. Mr. Bay Ngu said that Ha Chau Burmese grape is a tree that is “forever young”, the older the tree, the lusher it is, and the better, the fruit it will bear. Like his old garden, there are trees bearing up to 700-800kg of Burmese grape each season.

There are many types of langsat with different identifying characteristics. However, many of them look like Ha Chau Burmese grapes in shape, so visitors are often mistaken. Through talking with farmers in Phong Dien district, we learned that Ha Chau Burmese grape has light yellow color, thin skin, long fruit shapes, fruit has 3-4 segments, sweet and sour taste and specific aroma. Gardeners accumulate this folk knowledge with their whole lives or passed on through many years of being attached to the specialty plants of their homeland. And from the fruit that has become a specialty of their homeland. Can Tho people also create many delicious dishes from Ha Chau Burmese grape and braised chicken with Ha Chau Burmese grape is that great dish.

Mr. Huynh Chi Vu, a chef at Can Tho Eco Resort (National Highway 61C, Nhon Nghia commune, Phong Dien district), said that for delicious braised chicken with Ha Chau Burmese grape, the two most necessary ingredients are free-range chicken and Ha Chau Burmese grape. This dish is also like braised chicken with mushrooms or braised chicken with onions, but the main feature is in Ha Chau Burmese grape. After being peeled and separated, the segments of Ha Chau Burmese grapes will be caramelized. Explaining this, Mr. Vu said: “Ha Chau Burmese grape has a sweet taste, so putting it directly into braised chicken will not be delicious. Caramelized Burmese grapes will have a mildly sour taste. We mix caramelized Burmese grapes with sauce, and chicken to make the dish more delicious”.

Model Phan Le Kim Ngoc (Ninh Kieu District, Can Tho city) compliments the delicious taste when enjoying this dish. In her opinion, the combination of chicken and Ha Chau Burmese grape is the creation of the people in Phong Dien. The chicken is chewy, umami, combined with the sweet and sour taste of Ha Chau strawberry, along with onions, green pepper... making a delicious dish. “I also have tried braised chicken with other ingredients many times, but for me, braised chicken with Ha Chau Burmese grape is the best,” said model Phan Le Kim Ngoc.

Countryside dishes, from garden fruits have contributed to Can Tho specialties. As Phan Le Kim Thu, a Vietnamese American, said: “Many people from the Western region are far from home when it comes to Ha Chau Burmese grape, they remember Can Tho. Like me, when I talk about the specialty of my hometown Can Tho, I talk about Ha Chau Burmese grape. That's my pride”. Ha Chau Burmese grape has become a delicious and memorable dish, the pride of many people from Can Tho. More than a delicious fruit, Ha Chau Burmese grape has really become an “ambassador” for Can Tho’s fruit gardens.