Preserved plums, dried apricots, and ginger candy lined up jar by jar outside shopfronts, a mix of sour, sweet, salty, and spicy flavors all at once — Hàng Đường Street has been Hanoi's sugar trading street since the 18th century, and today it's become an entire street of preserved fruit, the perfect souvenir to bring home for pairing with tea in front of the TV.
What ô mai is
Ô mai is the umbrella term for traditional Vietnamese preserved fruit, made by curing plums, prunes, apricots, kumquats, ginger, and more into sour, sweet, salty, and spicy variations. The process involves pitting and de-seeding the fruit, then repeated curing and sun-drying — the result is sour with a touch of sweetness, salty with a hint of spice, a classic snack to pair with tea and conversation, and a staple treat in many Hanoi households during festivals and holidays.
Hàng Đường Street has been Hanoi's sugar trading street since the 18th century (known as Rue du Sucre under French colonial rule), and has since evolved into a street devoted to preserved fruit. The old shop Tiến Thịnh was founded in 1937, more than 85 years ago; TasteAtlas lists it as a representative Hanoi traditional snack, and Vietnamese business media outlets (VIR, CafeBiz) have reported on the origins of the street's preserved fruit trade, with the Hồng Lam brand — also founded on this same street — being one example.
How to eat it like a local
The anchor shop and other essential stops
Ô Mai Tiến Thịnh (21 Hàng Đường Street), founded in 1937, is one of the street's earliest dedicated preserved fruit shops — its 85-plus years of history make it one of Hanoi's representative brands for this treat.
The same street is also home to old brands like Gia Lợi and Hồng Lam, each with its own subtly different flavor and recipe — it's worth buying a small bag from each to take back to your hotel and compare, so you can find the sour-sweet balance you like best.
Local know-how
Prices and hours (verified July 2026)
- Prices vary by flavor and weight, roughly 25,000–150,000 VND, mostly sold by weight.
- Tiến Thịnh is open roughly 7:30–21:30; any time during the day works, no need to rush there early.
- A phrase to order with: 'Cho tôi xem thử vài loại ô mai chua ngọt.' (Let me try a few sour-sweet preserved fruit varieties, please.)
Tips before you go
- Flavors vary a lot from shop to shop — taste before you buy, rather than purchasing a large amount only to find it's not to your liking.
- This is a souvenir-style treat, best for gifting or slowly enjoying with tea — no need to treat it as a full meal.
- Some flavors run quite salty or spicy — ask the shop for a beginner-friendly recommendation before trying the bolder options.
A century-old sugar trading street now packs Hanoi's old-time flavors — sour, sweet, salty, spicy — into little jars of preserved fruit to bring home.