Kem dua: Vietnam’s favourite tropical dessert
Kem dua — coconut ice cream — is exactly what it sounds like, but more interesting than you might expect. The ice cream is scooped into a real coconut shell, surrounded by the fruit’s own carved flesh, and finished with a handful of colourful toppings. The result is something that looks almost too good to eat and tastes even better.
What makes kem dua stand out is the combination of flavours. Vietnamese desserts often mix sweet and savoury in a way that surprises first-time visitors, and kem dua is a good example of that. Toasted coconut, sticky rice, roasted peanuts and sweet corn all end up in the same bowl — and it works.
The dish is popular across the whole country, from street stalls in Hanoi to dedicated shops in Ho Chi Minh City. It is the kind of food that locals eat on a warm evening, sitting on a plastic stool on the pavement, and it is just as enjoyable for travellers doing exactly the same thing.
What is coconut ice cream in Vietnam?
Kem dua is not the same as a Western scoop of coconut-flavoured ice cream. It is a complete dessert built around a fresh coconut — the shell becomes the bowl, the flesh becomes part of the eating experience, and the ice cream is just one element of several. If you are expecting something simple, it will pleasantly surprise you.
The ice cream base
The base is typically made with coconut milk rather than dairy cream, which gives it a lighter texture than Western-style ice cream. It melts faster, sits less heavily, and suits the heat of Vietnam well.
One thing worth knowing: despite the coconut shell, the carved flesh, and the toppings, the ice cream itself is often milder in coconut flavour than you might expect. Some versions are quite subtle — almost neutral. Others are richer and more distinctly coconutty. It varies by shop, and the quality of the coconut milk used makes a real difference. If strong coconut flavour is what you are after, it is worth trying a few spots rather than assuming one experience defines them all.
Toppings and presentation
This is where kem dua becomes something more than just ice cream. The toppings vary by shop, but a typical serving includes some combination of toasted coconut chips, roasted peanuts, purple sticky rice, sweet corn, pandan-flavoured pounded rice, candied fruit, and thin strips of sweet potato. The coconut flesh is carved into curls or scraped from the shell, ready to eat alongside the ice cream.
The mix of sweet and savoury can feel strange at first. Corn and sticky rice in a dessert is not something most Western visitors expect. But the combination works because none of the individual elements are particularly strong — they balance each other, adding texture and contrast rather than competing flavours. By the second or third spoonful, it starts to make sense.
Kem chuoi: the banana-coconut cousin
While eating kem dua, you will often see kem chuoi on the same menu or at the same stall. It is a different dish — frozen banana bars made by pressing flat bananas and coating them in a sweetened coconut cream mixed with roasted peanuts and toasted shredded coconut, then freezing the whole thing into a bar or slice. The result is somewhere between a popsicle and an ice cream sandwich.
Kem chuoi is a long-standing Vietnamese street snack, particularly popular with kids, and worth trying alongside kem dua if you get the chance.
Where coconut ice cream comes from
Coconut ice cream is not uniquely Vietnamese. It is a popular street dessert across Southeast Asia — Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines all have their own versions. In Vietnam, the Thai-style version became particularly influential, which is why many shops and street stalls label it kem dua Thai. The Thai version tends to feature more varied toppings and a heavier focus on presentation, and that style is now the most commonly found in Vietnam.
The word kem itself comes from the French “crème,” a small linguistic leftover from the colonial period. Ice cream was introduced to Vietnam during French rule and the name stuck, even as the dessert evolved into something entirely local.
Coconut ice cream took off as a street food primarily in the south of Vietnam, where coconuts are a central part of everyday life. The Mekong Delta — and Ben Tre province in particular — is the coconut heartland of the country, producing the majority of Vietnam’s coconuts. With fresh coconuts cheap and widely available, it made sense that a dessert built around them would become popular here first. From the south it spread north, and today kem dua is found in cities across the whole country, though Ho Chi Minh City remains the best place to experience it at its most varied.
The best places to eat coconut ice cream in Vietnam
Naming the best place to eat coconut ice cream in Vietnam is not really possible — and any guide that claims otherwise is oversimplifying. The actual best place for you might be an unmarked stall you walk past by chance. What this section does is point you toward the cities and spots that are most worth seeking out.
Ho Chi Minh City — the coconut ice cream capital
Ho Chi Minh City has the widest variety of kem dua in Vietnam, from simple street stalls to dedicated shops with long menus and creative toppings. If you want to try coconut ice cream at its most developed, this is the city to do it in.
A few well-known spots worth mentioning:
Nguyen Huong (Block H, Su Van Hanh, District 10) is probably the most cited coconut ice cream address in the city. It serves the Thai-style version with a full spread of toppings and has been recommended in travel guides for years. The location on a busy street food strip makes it a natural stop after dinner in the area.
Ca-rem (191 Cach Mang Thang Tam, District 3) is a popular dedicated shop with a loyal following. Beyond the classic coconut version, they also do durian, purple sticky rice and chocolate variations — good if you want to try something beyond the standard.
66 Van Kiep (Binh Thanh) is a solid neighbourhood spot on one of the city’s better-known local food streets. It offers the ice cream in multiple sizes, including a simple cup version if you just want a small taste, and the sidewalk setting is exactly what kem dua should feel like.
Hanoi
Hanoi has a smaller coconut ice cream scene than Ho Chi Minh City, but it is still worth trying when you are there. The style tends to be a little simpler — fewer toppings, less emphasis on presentation — compared to the Thai-influenced versions common in the south.
The most well-known area is Hang Than Street in Ba Dinh, where a cluster of dessert spots has built a reputation over the years. The most famous address is 29 Hang Than, a spot that locals consistently point to as the go-to for kem dua in the city. It fills up with students and families in the evenings and has the kind of no-frills, lived-in atmosphere that makes street food in Hanoi feel genuine.
Tips for finding and eating coconut ice cream in Vietnam
When to eat it
Coconut ice cream is an afternoon and evening snack. Most dedicated shops open somewhere between 2pm and 3pm and stay open until 10pm or later. Do not expect to find it in the morning — it is not that kind of food, and many stalls simply will not be set up yet.
What to expect to pay
A serving typically costs between 25,000 and 70,000 VND. Street stalls and simple pavement spots sit at the lower end. Dedicated shops with indoor seating, more toppings, or a central location charge more. Either way, it is one of the cheaper desserts you will find in Vietnam.
How to order
The Vietnamese name is kem dua — kem means ice cream, dua means coconut. You may also see it written as kem trai dua (ice cream in a coconut fruit) or kem dua Thai (Thai-style coconut ice cream). Menus at street stalls are often in Vietnamese only, so knowing at least one of these terms makes ordering straightforward.
How to eat it
Do not ignore the coconut shell. As you work through the ice cream and toppings, use your spoon to scrape the flesh from the inside of the shell — it adds texture, intensifies the coconut flavour, and is very much part of the experience. Most servings also come with a small glass of the coconut’s own water on the side. Drink it as you go.
Finding it on the street vs. on Grab
Smaller street stalls are almost always cash only and will not appear on Grab Food. Dedicated shops are more likely to have a Grab listing, though not all do. The most reliable way to find coconut ice cream near you is Google Maps — searching “kem dua” will surface nearby options along with photos and reviews to help you judge before you go.
Allergy considerations
The most common allergens in kem dua are peanuts and coconut. Glutinous rice is also a frequent topping and worth flagging if you have a gluten sensitivity, as sticky rice affects some people differently from regular rice. Toppings vary by shop, so it is always worth checking what comes with your order. For broader guidance on managing food allergies while travelling in Vietnam, see our guide to travelling with food allergies in Vietnam.
Other Vietnamese coconut foods and drinks to try
Kem dua is a great starting point, but coconut runs deep in Vietnamese food culture — especially in the south. If you enjoyed the ice cream, there are plenty of other coconut-based foods and drinks worth trying during your time in Vietnam.
- Coconut coffee — Vietnamese iced coffee topped or blended with sweetened coconut cream, a combination that works much better than it sounds
- Coconut candy (keo dua) — chewy sweets made from coconut milk, originally from Ben Tre and now sold across the country as one of Vietnam’s most popular souvenirs
- Che — a broad category of Vietnamese sweet desserts, many of which use coconut milk as a base, ranging from warm bean soups to chilled jellies and fruit
And if coconut ice cream has got you curious about frozen treats more broadly, our guide to the best ice cream in Vietnam covers many more options worth trying.
