If you visit Da Lat in the last months of the year, you'll see the orange of ripe persimmons all over the city. Here, persimmons aren't only eaten fresh. They're also turned into a delicate local specialty: hồng treo gió, or wind-dried persimmons.
Lately, friends from elsewhere keep asking me to buy wind-dried persimmons for them, and they're often confused about why prices online vary so much. As someone living in Da Lat, here's what I know about the season, how to spot the real thing, and what a fair price looks like.
1. When is wind-dried persimmon season?
Wind-dried persimmons are very seasonal. Persimmon season in Da Lat runs from late August to around early December each year.
That's when Da Lat turns cool and breezy, which suits peeled persimmons that need to dry slowly and build up their honeyed centre. Buying in season is the simplest way to get a fresh batch.
2. Why the real thing can't be very cheap
In online groups, I sometimes see wind-dried persimmons from Da Lat offered or requested at around 100,000 VND per kg. Honestly, handmade wind-dried persimmons are hard to sell that cheaply.
Here's the maths. On average, about 5 kg of fresh persimmons dry down to 1 kg of wind-dried fruit, given good weather and good fruit. Each one is peeled by hand, clipped, hung in strings inside glass houses, and dried by natural wind for about 3–4 weeks. According to Báo Lâm Đồng (11 Oct), wind-dried persimmons currently sell for 350,000–500,000 VND per kg. So 100,000 VND per kg is very unlikely to be the genuine, properly made product.
3. How to recognise real Da Lat wind-dried persimmons
Based on Báo Lâm Đồng's description, properly made wind-dried persimmons look like this after 3–4 weeks:
- A light white bloom: a thin, natural white powder covers the outside.
- Chewy outside, soft inside: the skin is slightly chewy, while the inside is thick and soft, full of mild, sweet honey, and still tastes like ripe persimmon.
- Colour: the skin is deep orange with a brown tint, not the bright orange of candied fruit.
- How it's made: each fruit is peeled by hand, clipped separately and hung in strings, with no preservatives or sweeteners. When you buy, it's fair to ask the seller how the fruit was hung and how long it dried.
4. Wind-dried vs. machine-dried persimmons
People often mix up wind-dried persimmons (dried by natural wind) and machine-dried ones (dried with heat).
- Machine-dried: dried with heat, so they're faster to make and usually have less honey inside.
- Wind-dried: kept whole and dried by natural wind for 3–4 weeks, so the skin is slightly chewy and the inside is soft and full of honey.
5. Where to buy
If you're in Da Lat and want to see the drying racks yourself, head to areas known for this craft, such as Đất Làng or Cầu Đất (Xuân Trường ward). Many gardens there have wind-drying racks, and you can look around, taste and buy straight from where the fruit is grown.
6. Storing and sending them far
Naturally wind-dried persimmons have no preservatives, so they're sensitive to heat and humidity.
- Sending them far: vacuum-pack them carefully so they're exposed to as little air as possible in transit.
- At home: put them in the fridge when they arrive and eat them soon to keep them soft and sweet.
FAQ
1. What is the white powder on the persimmons? It's a natural white bloom that appears on wind-dried persimmons as they dry, and it's one of the signs they were made properly.
2. How can I tell if a persimmon has gone bad? If it smells odd or has green or grey spots, don't eat it.
3. Are wind-dried persimmons seasonal? Yes. Persimmon season in Da Lat runs from late August to around early December, which is the easiest time to find freshly made wind-dried persimmons.
I hope this helps you buy wind-dried persimmons with more confidence. Enjoy this sweet taste of Da Lat's cool season!
Source: Báo Lâm Đồng, "Đà Lạt vào mùa hồng treo gió" (11 Oct 2026), https://www.vietnam.vn/da-lat-vao-mua-hong-treo-gio