{"id":3656,"date":"2026-07-05T18:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-05T09:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/?post_type=news&p=3656"},"modified":"2026-07-05T18:58:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T09:58:54","slug":"cantho-durian-buffet","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/vietnam-gift.com\/en\/news\/cantho-durian-buffet\/","title":{"rendered":"All-you-can-eat: 20 durian dishes for about 1,190 yen, as Can Tho shows a producing region's seriousness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Can Tho, the central city of Vietnam's Mekong Delta, held an 'all-you-can-eat durian' event on a weekend in early July 2026. The venue was the Muong Thanh Luxury Can Tho Hotel. For 199,000 dong per adult (about 1,190 yen at roughly 60 yen per 10,000 dong), you can enjoy as much fresh durian as you like plus some 20 durian-based dishes. From sweet soup to crepes to almond jelly, the idea of stretching a single fruit across this many dishes may be easiest to picture by thinking of Japan's strawberry buffets. But this event's aim isn't only a 'sweet occasion.' It's a move led by city authorities to push the growing region itself up as a tourism draw.<\/p>\n

What was served over the two weekend days<\/h2>\n

To organize what was reported, the pricing is 199,000 dong (about 1,190 yen) for adults, 120,000 dong (about 720 yen) for children aged 7\u201310, and free for those 6 and under. It ran over two weekend days including July 4, with planning and promotion handled by the Can Tho city authorities and the Can Tho newspaper and radio-TV station. The venue used a hotel poolside, and attendees could reportedly enjoy, besides fresh flesh, dishes such as the following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Classification<\/th>\nDetails<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Price (adult)<\/td>\n199,000 dong (about 1,190 yen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price (ages 7\u201310)<\/td>\n120,000 dong (about 720 yen)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Price (6 and under)<\/td>\nFree<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Venue<\/td>\nMuong Thanh Luxury Can Tho Hotel<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Number of dishes<\/td>\nAbout 20 durian dishes plus fresh flesh<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Main items<\/td>\nDurian sweet soup, durian crepes, durian-and-pumpkin che, durian almond jelly, com (green rice) with durian, and more<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Che (sweet soup) and crepes are also staples at Vietnamese caf\u00e9s, but lining them all up uniformly with durian shows the event's aim. It takes a fruit often shunned for its smell, brings it together with cooking methods that take the edge off the odor, and is designed so even beginners can get a foothold. The heart of this event was that the producing region itself proposed \"how to eat it.\"<\/p>\n

Why the city is leading the charge \u2014 the numbers behind the growing region<\/h2>\n

What keeps this buffet from being dismissed as mere publicity is the scale of production behind it. Can Tho's durian planting area is about 14,483 hectares, of which roughly 10,000 hectares have already reached fruit-bearing stage, and 2026 output is expected to reach about 125,000 tons. For a region carrying this much volume, how to sell it all during the harvest is a matter of survival.<\/p>\n

Durian is one of Vietnam's top export earners, and much of it flows to China. But with tighter Chinese inspections and wild price swings, growing regions are starting to face the risk of relying on \"selling abroad\" alone. In fact, the Mekong Delta saw prices dip ahead of the main shipping season. Rather than standing on one leg of an export-dependent structure, they are building a channel to have domestic tourists eat it on the spot. All-you-can-eat makes sense once you see it as the first step in that. When a growing region stages a \"food event\" itself, it serves both the practical work of clearing surplus and the long-term strategy of building a brand.<\/p>\n

What comes into view compared with Japan's \"strawberry buffet\"<\/h2>\n

Strawberry buffets took hold in Japan because they turned a seasonal fruit into a \"pick, eat, photograph\" experience, connecting producing regions with urban consumers. Can Tho's all-you-can-eat durian is structurally very similar. But the difference is clear too: whereas Japan's strawberry picking is a draw for individual farms or commercial facilities, Can Tho's event is a \"whole-region sales pitch\" with the city authorities out front.<\/p>\n

The pricing philosophy is also a contrast. Fruit buffets in Japan often run into the thousands of yen, but Can Tho keeps it at a level families can casually come to: about 1,190 yen for adults, about 720 yen for children, and free for preschoolers. Rather than earning on unit price, the design leans toward broadening visitor numbers and the base of on-site spending. Holding it at a hotel poolside also shows an intent to connect all-you-can-eat to a \u201creason to stay overnight.\u201d This point is also a question for Japan\u2019s resort strategies, which tend to stop at simply installing courts and facilities. In Vietnam, high-end hotels are moving in many places to bundle experiences into reasons to stay, and for example,A case where a foreign-owned hotel in Da Nang bundled local cultural experiences with a court<\/a>, the same idea appears in Can Tho, built around fruit.<\/p>\n

The value of visiting Can Tho in season<\/h2>\n

To keep this from ending as \"a story about an event that's over,\" the key perspective is how this event made Can Tho's season visible. Mekong Delta durian naturally peaks around May and June. That means Can Tho in June and July is the season when durian is most abundant at markets and riverside stalls. The all-you-can-eat may be a one-off, but the season itself comes around every year.<\/p>\n

More interesting still, the Mekong Delta is skilled at \u201coff-season cultivation\u201d by switching between irrigation and drainage. Part of the Can Tho growing area has shifted to shipping in the November\u2013March lean season, so the region as a whole has the groundwork to encounter durian year-round. In practical terms for travelers, the royal road is to visit around June\u2013July, when fresh fruit is cheapest and most abundant. Touring the famous floating markets and riverside stalls while tasting seasonal durian on the spot \u2014 that is the surest \u201cgrowing-region experience.\u201d For how to get to Can Tho and the key points of a stay,An article on traveling from Ho Chi Minh City in search of regional flavors<\/a>, planning it together should make the itinerary easier to build.<\/p>\n

Will the all-you-can-eat become permanent?<\/h2>\n

This event ran for just two days, and organizers have not been reported to have stated it will \"be held regularly going forward.\" Still, given the production scale the region carries and its wish to ease an over-reliance on exports, there's little reason to leave it as a one-off. Whether it becomes an annual fixture like a harvest festival, or facilities appear that serve durian menus year-round - either way, the very fact that Can Tho has begun calling itself a \"city that draws people with durian\" is a sign travelers will want to get ahead of.<\/p>\n

Lessons for Japan\u2019s food and tourism players<\/h3>\n

This move has takeaways not just for travelers but for food businesses too. First, the technique of a growing region editing its own 'ways of eating' and putting them on the tourism map. Rather than dumping surplus raw material cheaply, the idea of developing it into dishes and turning it into an experience offers a hint for Japan's primary producers when they face excess inventory or off-spec goods. Second, the lesson that the more an ingredient has a challenging smell or taste, the wider its base grows when you prepare a 'beginner's entry point.' The trick of folding durian into sweet soup or crepes is continuous with the idea of lowering an ingredient's hurdle through drying or processing. For those exploring durian as a raw material and its processing possibilities,Article on the new dining experience of chefs cooking with durian in Dak Lak<\/a>is also a helpful reference.<\/p>\n

Summary\u2014if you're going to make a move next<\/h2>\n

Can Tho's all-you-can-eat durian is over, but the significance of a producing region showing it can earn from tourism remains. The next move for travelers is simple: plan a Can Tho trip to coincide with June-July, when durian is most abundant, and taste the seasonal flesh at floating markets and riverside stalls. Since food-event information is announced on the social media of the city authorities and local media, checking Can Tho City's posts before you travel raises your chances of catching the next buffet or harvest festival. Even if you dislike durian, che or crepes are easy entry points to try. As a trip to touch a region's seriousness, Can Tho in season is a strong option.<\/p>\n

Sources<\/h2>\n