The humble nipa palm. An icon of Southern Vietnam, it has long been a semi-wild fruit enjoyed by locals for its unique texture. But things are changing. Abroad, the demand for natural, healthy sugar substitutes continues to grow. And the nipa palm may yet play a vital role in protecting one of Vietnam's most iconic and important ecosystems.
A Peculiar Plant
The nipa palm, or water coconut (dừa nước) in Vietnamese, is a unique plant. It is the only palm species adapted to mangrove biomes, growing entirely in the brackish water with only the stalks, leaves and fruit poking out above the surface. The fruits themselves have a curious appearance, akin to a spiky, armoured ball.
Traditionally, nipa palm has had limited uses in Vietnam. The leaves make excellent roof thatching material, the sap can be reduced into palm sugar and the forests provide habitats for fish. The fruit, while pleasant and edible, was long thought to be an inferior version of coconut and never truly commercially exploited.
In Southern Thailand, the leaves are dried to make bai jaak, a traditional and natural alternative to cigarette papers. These have long been used to enjoy ya sen, known in Vietnam as thuốc lào, a local variety of tobacco famous for its extremely high nicotine content.
Nipa Sap And Its Many Uses
Nipa palm, like most other palms, has also historically been used to produce palm sugar. The sucrose-rich sap is collected and cooked down before being dried, resulting in a powder that looks very similar to brown sugar. Palm sugar boasts a lower glycemic index (the rate at which foods cause blood sugar levels to rise) than cane sugar, and is full of minerals like iron and zinc.
This has made it very popular in the West, where increasingly health-conscious consumers are constantly on the search for more sustainable alternatives to sugar.
In the Philippines, the sap is fermented into vinegar and a variety of distilled and non-distilled alcohols. As well as being a culinary condiment, research shows that nipa palm sap is an extremely promising source of biofuel, being highly concentrated in the necessary sugars and requiring little equipment or expertise to succesfully ferment into bioethanol.
A Form Of Natural Infrastructure
The nipa palm's habitat in Vietnam is under threat. Rising sea levels are impacting Southern Vietnam harshly, destroying entire swaths of rice paddy and salinising rivers, streams and swamps. Seasonal drought has added further strain on the Mekong Delta, which is simultaneously Vietnam's rice basket and its most at-risk ecosystem.
While a long-term solution is still being worked on, local officials have undertaken mangrove planting operations. Mangroves act as natural sea and storm barriers, de-salinizing encroaching seawater and offering protection from floods and storm surges.
As a locally abundant mangrove plant, nipa palm could be integrated into these initiatives. Indeed, Can Gio district alone is home to one of the world's largest natural biosphere reserves, with close to 900 hectares of natural nipa palm forest. Along with providing residents and their farm protection, this could be a new source of income for an agriculturally dependent region threatened by arable land loss.
The nipa palm is also set to make an appearance in HCMC's architecture. With construction starting on March 29th, a new pedestrian bridge designed in the shape of a nipa palm leaf will link District 1 with the Thu Thiem area of Thu Duc City, where many nipa palms still grow wild in less developed areas. The 39 million dollar project is entirely funded by Nutifood, in collaboration with Chodai, Takashi Niwa Architects, and Kiso Jiban.
Be it in a bottle, on a bridge, or forming a sea barrier, the nipa palm could be a key part of Southern Vietnam's future.