Bay Nui, also known as That Son (Seven Mountains) in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang is an ideal destination for nature lovers. It is also home to countless palmyra trees.
On the way to Bay Nui, especially from Tinh Bien to Tri Ton districts, the sight of thousands of palmyra trees reaching straight up to the sky is a dazzling sight.
It takes from 30 to 40 years for palmyra palms to grow to their full height of 20m. The fruit is sweet and succulent and is a popular mainstay in the mountain areas. It is also a source of income for local farmers.
Every morning, as the golden rays of dawn shine through the early mist, local vendors load their poles on their shoulders and head to popular tourist destinations such as Lam Vien Tourist Park in Cam (forbidden) Mountain to sell the palmyra fruit. For just a few thousands of dong travelers can enjoy the sweet and fragrant mountainous fruits.
Palmyra has many uses; it can be frozen and sold as a refreshing soft drink, fermented with wild plants and made into palmyra beer and made into a sugar which is used in a sweet soup. Palmyra fruits are also mixed with water and made into soft, crispy rice which is served with sugar and ice.
There are many more tasty dishes made from this versatile fruit, including palmyra candy, palmyra jelly and palmyra cake which is made from sticky rice mixed with palmyra rice. The sticky rice is fermented and stored for a year before being mixed with the palmyra rice, wrapped in banana leaves and steamed for an hour. The resulting cake has a sweet fragrance and dark yellow color.
Palmyra is enjoyed in all its forms by tourists to Bay Nui.