In Northern Việt Nam, offering trays often follow the idea of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire and earth. Families prepare a five-fruit tray using fruits with different colors, such as bananas, pomelos, peaches and persimmons. Northern trays also often include foods like bánh chưng (a square sticky rice cake) and bamboo shoot soup, which are common in the cooler northern climate.
In Southern Việt Nam, fruit trays are often based on wordplay and puns. Families choose fruits whose names form the phrase, “Cầu sung vừa đủ xài”. This means, "Wishing for enough prosperity and good fortune". The fruits often include custard apple (cầu), fig (sung), coconut (vừa), papaya (đủ) and mango (xài).
Some fruits are avoided because their names sound unlucky. For example, bananas are often avoided in the south because the word sounds like “falling”, and oranges may sound like "hardship".
Because the fruits and foods come from local farms and markets, the offering trays show how traditions grow from the land and environment around the community.
