A specialty of Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta is coconut candy, where simmered candy is cut by hand. With a rich sweetness like condensed milk and a soft texture, it comes in plenty of flavors like durian and peanut. Since you can buy it from a little over 100 yen a bag, it suits giving away to many people, a cheap, light, easy-to-hand-out Vietnamese souvenir.
What is coconut candy?
A traditional Mekong sweet that Ben Tre Province is proud of
Coconut candy (Kẹo dừa) is a soft candy like nougat, made by simmering coconut milk, malt syrup, and sugar. Ben Tre Province in the Mekong Delta, famous as a coconut-producing area, is the home, and the Mỏ Cày district in particular is said to be the birthplace. On sightseeing tours, you can sometimes watch the old-fashioned process of kneading the piping-hot candy, cutting it by hand, and wrapping it piece by piece. The wrapping is double: the inner layer is thin edible rice paper (bánh tráng) and the outer is oil-soaked paper that keeps the candy from sticking. Freshly made, it's astonishingly soft, with a texture different from machine-wrapped commercial products.
Why it's chosen as a souvenir
- With a rich sweetness and soft texture, loved by all ages
- Bite-sized and individually wrapped, easy to hand out and suited to large groups at work or school
- Plenty of flavors like durian, peanut, coffee, and pandan, with the fun of choosing
- Reasonably priced from a little over 100 yen a bag, light on the wallet even buying in bulk
Types and how to choose
The axes for choosing are simple: "flavor" and "freshness (softness)." For giving away, an individually wrapped type; for home use or tasting, an assortment—handy and easy to hand to anyone.
Choose by flavor
- Plain—The standard, enjoying coconut's natural sweetness
- Durian (sầu riêng)—A rich aroma. Tastes are divided, but popular locally
- Peanut (đậu phộng), coffee, pandan (lá dứa), cacao—Accents of texture and aroma
Points for choosing
- Freshness of the make date—Freshly made it's soft; it hardens over time
- Individual wrapping or not—An individually wrapped type is handy for giving away
- Presence of rice-paper wafer (bánh tráng)—Check whether you eat it along with the thin inner edible film, or whether you peel off only the outer paper
When you want to choose other sweets together, a guide listing the standards lets you decide quickly.
Major brands and labels
Ben Tre has many workshop brands, and the standards often seen at souvenir shops and supermarkets are as follows. If you prioritize a soft texture, choose ones with a recent make date.
| Tiến Đạt | A standard Ben Tre brand. A rich flavor lineup |
|---|---|
| Tân Phước Lành | A long-established line with a stable taste. Easy to spot at souvenir shops |
| Yến Hoàng | Popular for a soft texture. Gift boxes available too |
Recommended ways to enjoy
Since the sweetness is rich, pairing it with bitter Vietnamese coffee or astringent tea makes the aftertaste cleaner. When it hardens, leaving it at room temperature for a bit restores the texture, returning to a mouthfeel close to freshly made.
- Pairing with Vietnamese coffee or tea brings out the sweetness
- When it hardens, leaving it at room temperature for a bit easily restores the texture
- Handing it out kept individually wrapped is hygienic
Grasping sweet sweets that make an assortment fun to hand out together makes choosing easier too.
Where to buy and price ranges
For the best freshly made, a local workshop in Ben Tre is best, but you can also buy it easily at city supermarkets and the airport. Considering the balance of freshness and price, sourcing it locally together with Mekong Delta sightseeing is ideal.
- Ben Tre local workshops—Freshly made and cheapest. A Mekong tour standard
- Mekong Delta souvenir shops, Ben Thanh Market—A rich variety
- Supermarket sweets corner, airport duty-free—Handy for topping up
If you source it freshly made locally, grasping how to get around the home of Ben Tre and the Mekong Delta together speeds your trip along.
Price range
| Small bag (around 200g) | 100–300 yen |
|---|---|
| Gift box (around 500g) | 400–800 yen |
| Assortment (various flavors) | 600–1,200 yen |
Tips for making it a souvenir
Since it's syrup-based and weak to heat and humidity, paying a little attention to how you bring it back keeps you from failing. In summer in particular, taking care to prevent melting and sticking is important, and storing it in an air-conditioned room or the hotel fridge before packing gives peace of mind.
- It melts easily in high heat, so buy it just before returning home in summer
- Even individually wrapped it can harden from humidity, so protect it in a sealed bag
- Some products have a relatively short best-before date, so check when buying
Frequently asked questions
- Does durian flavor smell strong?
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Not as much as fresh durian, but it has a distinctive sweet aroma. If it bothers you, putting it in a sealed bag and separating it from other luggage to bring back gives peace of mind. If you're worried about the smell, choosing plain or peanut flavor first is the safe bet, and these suit everyone.
- Can I eat it together with the wrapper?
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Many products have a thin edible film (wafer) on the inside of the candy, which you can eat as is. Peel off the outer paper.
- How long does it keep?
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It depends on the product, but freshly made kinds keep somewhat shorter, a few weeks to a few months. Check the best-before date when buying and store it away from high heat and humidity.
- Does it stick to teeth? Can children and the elderly eat it?
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Soft types do stick to teeth somewhat. For small children or those with dentures, ones with a textural change like peanut, or tearing it into smaller pieces to hand over, makes it easier to eat.
