Fresh Longan

Longan is a sub-tropical fruit in the family Sapindaceae and a prolific bearer thriving in monsoonal regions (pronounced wet and dry seasons). It is closely related to lychee having similar leaf and flower characteristics but the fruit is quite different, both in color (brown instead of red) and skin texture (smooth instead of bumpy). The major difference between lychee and longan, however, is the taste of fruits. While lychee has both a sweet and sour taste with a pleasing aroma, longan has only sweet with no sour taste and very little aroma. Many people, especially the Chinese, love to eat longan as they believe the fruit provides vitality and energy and possibly has some medicinal properties.

Longan is considered a traditional fruit of Vietnam with the main production areas being in the south: Tien Giang, Ben Tre, Dong Thap, Vinh Long, Can Tho, Baria Vungtau; and in the north: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Thai Nguyen, Phu Tho, Son La, Hung Yen and Thanh Hoa.

In 1997, total planted areas for longan were 60 000 ha, and reached 75 200 ha in 2002 (of which 49 367 and 14 530 ha were in the Mekong delta and the southern region, respectively). The annual production for 2000, 2001, and 2002 were 535 500, 508 200 and 620 000 tons, respectively (Hong and Chau 2004). About 65-70% were consumed as fresh fruits domestically, while the rest is exported in the form of dry fruits