Fruit holds a special place in the Vietnamese’s daily life. It is considered good manners to bring fruits for your hosts when on a family visit. Old people and children love them, and their high vitamin contents and nutritious sweetness mean they are healthy for all. According to traditional belief, fruits are divided into two categories: those that are reputed to cool the body by reducing its internal temperature (yin), and those which increase the body temperature (yang). Apples, mandarins and mangosteens are considered to be “cold” fruit, while mangoes, durians, and jackfruits are “hot.”
