You either love or hate durian and for me personally I love the stuff, so also it would appear do the people and tourists of Nha Trang, at least going by the shops in the city – enter Me Sau Rieng.
Yes, it is smelly, but it is also expensive enough that one might call it delicacy and in Nha Trang at least there are stores that sell almost nothing but the stinky fruit.
What the durian?
One day I will write a full durian article because it is rich in flavor, as well as SEO (lol).
But, it is also a controversial fruit. Many feel that the smell is so bad eating it is not with it. Others hat the smell but lover the taste, while others still love both. I fit into the later.
If though you have not smelt this fruit, keep in mind some find it so rancid that it is banned from most public places.
So, what the Me Sou Rieng?
Basically durian only grows in centurion weather types, so is pretty damned expensive. There are though exemptions to this, with the best ever durian I have personally had coming from a fruit that had fallen from a tree and my mate just opened – stench and all…..
That was in Malaysia, quite literally ground zero for durian overs. Vietnam and need Nha Trang fits snuggle in the middle for durian lovers, with Me Say Rieng having not just durian paraphernalia and advertising, BUT also cheap durian.
By cheap I mean like $3 a “piece” which is less than it sounds. I will at some point do an article on durian economics.
And as for the ship itself? Well Me Sou Rieng also sells mangos, but that is not why people decide to come in here….
What you come here for is the huge durians that you can then weigh, pay and they cut up before you, or let you take by yourself. Avoid the later unless you have your own plane. You then get to eat durian with a glove like street food.
Alas you cannot do this on a train and even on the beach people will small and call you out, either in a “ I need durian way”, or a “you stink way”.
Regardless, this is a greta place to eat the stinky fruit…