The papaya originated in Central America, and came to the Philippines during the Spanish occupation of this country. The fruit eventually spread throughout South-East Asia . The papaya tree bears only either male or female flowers with the female tree producing the fruits. Consequently, the male tree must be close by to pollinate the female flowers.

The fruits are large, weighing up to 9 kg and often look like a large squash. The skin is thin like those of the watermelon and turns from green to yellow and orange as the fruit ripens. The flesh of the papaya may be yellow, orange, or reddish orange and has a consistency of a very ripe (soft) cantaloupe. Papayas are sweet and are used as dessert.

In Vietnam , a popular dish using green papaya is "goi du du bo kho", a salad like dish with shredded green papaya and shredded beef jerky eaten with a special hot sauce.

The guava originated in the tropical region of the Americas and reached South-East Asia in the 17th century. Guava fruits are either round or pear-shaped, with thin dark green skin which becomes yellowish green as the fruits ripen. The fruits range from small tomato size to as large as 13 cm in length.

Some Vietnamese like to eat the guava when it is not completely ripe. The flesh is crunchy much like eating a slice of apple. Sometime, the guava slice is dipped in a mixture of salt and grounded red chili pepper. The Mekong Delta's Xa Li. variety is probably the most famous in all of Vietnam .

Mangoes, xoai in Vietnamese, are grown in most southern provinces. The most reputed mangoes come from Cao Lanh District in Dong Thap Province .
Mangoes are divided into several kinds, known locally as xoai cat, xoai tuong, xoai xiem and xoai ngua to cite just a few. The finest mangoes are xoai cat. This type of fruit has a bright yellow peel, a round shape, and weighs as much 0.5 kilograms. The meat is considered sweeter and more fragrant than that of other varieties.