The gac fruit, known by its Latin name Momordica cochinchinensis, is also known as red melon, baby jackfruit or sweet gourd. In Vietnam, people commonly grow the vine in front of their houses to provide a shaded entry. They use the deep red to purple flesh to add flavor and color to rice for festive occasions such as the Vietnamese Lunar New Year celebrations.

According to Myron Chen, a Chinese national who has been living in Vietnam for many years and is general manager and a partner of a Vietnam food company, turning the fruit into nutritional and palatable products was no simple task, but it was successfully done.

The company already exports its products to ten countries and territories. But until now, they have sold little in China. They aim to change that and will be one of the Vietnamese companies showcasing their products in Shanghai in a few days at the China International import Expo (CIIE).

News.cgtn.com further quoted Chen as saying: "We needed to prepare well. So now the Chinese market is a small part of our business but it is the highest target of our company to catch the China market.”