Scores of weekenders have been mesmerized by orchards laden with tempting red, sweet-and-sour fruits during this season’s good crop in the south-central Vietnamese province of Phu Yen.

The red fruits, known as dau dat or dau da dat (Baccaurea sapida), are being harvested at orchards on Van Hoa Plateau, tucked away in Son Hoa District.

The berries near the tree base have a moderately sour taste, while those perched on high branches taste mildly sweet.

The trees, which typically reach the height of five to seven meters, are grown alternately with jackfruit and pineapple trees at orchards across the plateau, which stands 400m above sea level and boasts year-round cool climate.

Large bunches of succulent dark red berries ‘encrusting’ the entire tree trunks, which sometimes take two or three people to embrace, is a splendid sight.

Lumps generally appear on the trunks around the final month of the lunar year before clusters of grayish small fruits develop.

The berries mature and redden by the seventh lunar month but do not fully ripen until around one month later.

It is during harvest time that traders arrive at the orchards to pick the sweetest fruits and transport them to cities, and photographers flock to the gardens for stunning shots. 

This has made the gardens an emerging tourist destination over the past few years, with vacationers thronging to the areas for the berries and a taste of the idyllic landscape.

Berries are seen ‘encrusting’ the tree trunks at the orchards on Van Hoa Plateau, nestled in Son Hoa District in the south-central province of Phu Yen. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Beneath the thick red, inedible skin is the while flesh with three to four segments and a sweet-and-sour taste. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Traders taste the fruits on each tree and only buy the sweet ones. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The higher the berries are, the sweeter flavor they boast. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A trader keeps the fruits in papooses before carrying them out of the orchard. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The load in each papoose weighs around 25kg. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Two visitors pose for photos with a fruit-laden tree. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Tourists delightedly pose with a bundle of berries each. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Tourists have flocked to the orchards for the berries in recent years. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!