The Fruit Crops of Vietnam: Introduced Species and Their Native Relatives

Abstract

Introduced fruit crops from a broad geographical range have become established in Vietnam. Carambola, cucumber tree, durian, malay apple, mangosteen and tamarind have come from south and southeast Asia. Japan and China contributed apricot, pear, loquat, peach and plum. Avocado, Barbados cherry, cashew, custard apple, dragon fruit, grenadilla, guava, papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, sapodilla, soursop, sweetsop, star apple and Surinam cherry were introduced from Latin America. Europe, the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions contributed apple, fig, grape, pomegranate and strawberry. In this review, we discuss where these crops are grown in Vietnam, their native relatives and their horticultural attributes.