Da Lat crisp persimmons: season, where to buy and how to keep them crunchy

Picking up a few crisp persimmons to snack on during your trip is easy. Carrying a few kilos home takes more planning: fresh fruit softens within days, and imported persimmons are often sold alongside Da Lat fruit. For a gift that keeps, see our guide to Da Lat dried persimmons.

When are Da Lat crisp persimmons in season?

Da Lat persimmon trees crop once a year. Harvest timing varies by variety and growing area, and crisp fruit is picked firm, before it softens on the tree. The dates below refer to different varieties, growing areas and reporting years.

In late September 2026, supply of Da Lat crisp persimmons was reported as fairly limited because many orchards had a poor crop after bad weather. If you’re making a trip just to buy persimmons, ask the seller whether they have fruit that day and which varieties are left. For a mid-October visit, also ask where the fruit was grown; earlier reports can’t confirm what will be on sale the day you arrive. See also Da Lat weather in October.

Where to buy crisp persimmons in Da Lat

If you’re staying in the center, ask at the fruit stalls in Da Lat Market, which opens around 6 a.m.; to pair it with breakfast nearby, see Da Lat Market by day. For stalls or orchards outside the center, confirm they still have crisp persimmons and ask for directions before you go.

These places have been reported to sell fresh persimmons or offer picking and tasting (dates in brackets). Check whether they are selling fresh fruit or offering picking this season, and before you go, ask three things: do they have ready-to-eat crisp persimmons today, what is the price per kilo, and do you need an entry ticket for the garden?

• Thái Long persimmon garden, Khe Sanh Street (Facebook page): a stall selling ripe red and yellow-skinned crisp persimmons (October 2023).
• Nhà Ngoại café (Facebook page) and Rừng Nhiệt Đới café, alley 63, Prenn Pass: pick persimmons and buy some to take away (October 2024, September 2025).
• Nhà Tom persimmon garden, Highway 20, Xuan Truong, about 17 km from the center (Facebook page): crisp and fresh persimmons for sale in season (October 2024).
• Lê Phúc persimmon garden, Tram Hanh area, Xuan Truong - Da Lat Ward, 30-40 km from the center (Facebook page): guided picking and tasting (October 2025).

Entry fees, opening hours and the cafés that are mainly for photos are in the orchard table of our dried persimmons guide.

How much do crisp persimmons cost?

Retail prices at Da Lat Market for the 2026 season need checking, so ask the price per kilo and the variety first. If you’re buying a lot, ask for the total price, including packaging, before anything is weighed. Price alone won’t tell you where the fruit was grown.

How to choose crisp persimmons

• Squeeze gently: the fruit should feel firm all over. A soft spot means it has started to ripen and won’t stay crisp for long.
• Check the skin: skip fruit with bruises, scratches or cracks. The thin skin bruises easily in picking and transport.
• Ask whether it’s ready to eat: under-cured fruit can still taste astringent. Ask ‘Hồng này ăn ngay được chưa?’ (‘Are these ready to eat?’), and ask to taste a small piece if the seller allows it.
• Don’t go by color: square crisp persimmons are sometimes sold with pale green skin.
• Ask the variety and where it was grown: Chín Nên, Vuông Đồng or something else, and from which area.

How long do they keep, and how do you carry them home?

Crisp persimmons are fresh fruit and soften the longer they sit. A Da Lat seller advises keeping them in an open basket in a cool, airy spot if you’ll eat them within a day or two; for longer, refrigerate them unwashed and finish them within about 5 days. Keep persimmons away from bananas and apples: they’re highly sensitive to ethylene, the gas those fruits give off, and soften faster around it.

By bus or car

• Buy close to the day you leave Da Lat.
• For a long journey, choose fruit that is still firm, no longer astringent and free of bruises.
• Pack it in a sturdy cardboard box with paper between layers, and keep the box where nothing heavy sits on it.

Flying home

Many countries restrict fresh fruit in passenger luggage, so check your destination’s rules before you buy. Our night market guide covers what travels well and what customs may stop.

Chinese persimmons sold alongside: can you tell them apart?

China’s persimmon harvest usually runs from September to November, the same months as Da Lat’s, so the two often share a stall. Shape, skin color and how long the fruit stays firm aren’t enough to tell where it was grown, since all three vary with variety, ripeness and storage. Fruit that still tastes astringent isn’t enough to conclude it was imported; ask where it was grown and check any traceability information.

Origin alone doesn’t prove a batch of persimmons is safe. Choose a seller that clearly shows its name and address, and ask where the batch on sale came from. Wherever you buy, wash and peel persimmons before eating.

Which varieties will you see?

If you want firm fruit, ask for hồng giòn and check that it is ready to eat. Asking for the variety by name makes prices easier to compare.

Why can a freshly picked persimmon still taste astringent?

Most of Da Lat’s crisp persimmons come from astringent varieties, whose tannins make unripe fruit mouth-puckering. Some producers seal persimmons in bags for about 7 to 10 days to remove the astringency.

Some persimmon varieties can be eaten while firm; others need treatment to remove astringency. Ask whether the fruit on sale is ready to eat. For a comparison of fresh, soft and dried persimmons, see the table in our dried persimmons guide.

If a price, season or selling spot here has changed, let us know through the contact page.