The wild pineapple (also known as spiny pineapple) grows abundantly and naturally on Phu Quy Island. This plant is considered a valuable medicinal herb, known for its nutritional benefits and its support in treating liver conditions, kidney stones, diabetes, and more. Recognizing its potential, several households on the island have begun processing it into Phu Quy Pineapple Tea.
Holding the product labeled “Phu Quy Specialty – Shin Natural Pineapple Tea”, I was both surprised and delighted. Instead of hauling bulky bags of raw pineapple back on the boat, the journey home was now far more convenient and lightweight. The health benefits of the tea are clearly listed: it helps improve general well-being, supports beauty care, and aids in treating conditions such as diabetes, colds, sunstroke, and impaired vision.
When I asked for more details, Ms. Tri, the owner of a local production facility, shared that besides tea, they also produce pineapple wine and hammocks made from pineapple fibers. After harvesting, the pineapples are selected for their sweet core, which is then stir-roasted, dried, quality-checked, and packaged using processing machinery.
As for the pineapple wine, the production process is more complex. It involves fermentation and mixing with distinct flavors derived from vodka, cognac, and traditional glutinous rice wine to create three main product lines. The facility plans to expand their product offerings based on market demand and consumer preferences.
The wild pineapple belongs to the flowering plant family native to tropical regions. It grows naturally in many areas, particularly in the mountains and humid sandy environments like mangrove forests and coastal areas near saltwater streams. Today, it is widely used in herbal medicine. In traditional Eastern medicine, wild pineapple is sweet in flavor and neutral in nature. It’s considered a precious herbal plant with many benefits: enhancing vitality, balancing yin and yang, boosting energy and blood health, improving mental clarity, and even detoxifying alcohol.
Given its valuable properties, wild pineapple has become highly sought after. Visitors to Phu Quy Island will easily notice the presence of countless wild pineapple plants growing along coastal roads, especially on hillsides and open land. During our summer visit, it wasn’t harvest season, so we didn’t see any fruit on the plants. According to locals, when young fruit does appear, people often search for and pick it, making the fruit increasingly rare—a stark contrast to earlier years when locals used it mainly as firewood.
Holding the “Shin Natural Pineapple Tea”, I couldn’t help but appreciate how a once-wild plant has transformed into a meaningful, convenient, and healthful specialty product that carries the essence of Phu Quy Island.
