Vietnam Convenience Store Ice Cream: Celano & Kido Review

Late-Night Convenience Store Treats You Need to Try in Vietnam

Going on a late-night stroll to hunt for ice cream is one of our favorite couple rituals! We are always on the lookout for anything durian-flavored. Whenever we visit a local supermarket or convenience store, we find ourselves scanning the freezer aisles for that distinctive durian packaging.

During our recent run to the Ministop near Masteri T5, we finally hit the jackpot. While it is on the pricier side for local standards (honestly, you could almost buy actual frozen durian for this price), we discovered an absolute gem of an ice cream bar!

On the left is the Strawberry Ice Bar from KIDO's, one of Vietnam’s largest and most famous food conglomerates.

On the right is the Celano Musang King Durian bar, a premium offering from Celano (which is actually a subsidiary brand under the Kido Group!).

The durian bar is incredible—the flavor is spot-on, and the ice cream itself is molded to look exactly like a real durian pod! If you are someone who is intimidated by the pungent smell of fresh durian but still wants to experience its rich, sweet flavor, this is the perfect entry-level treat for you.

A sweet match: his refreshing strawberry bar and my creamy durian bar.

We paid 61,000 VND total for both, which is roughly ~$4. The premium durian bar accounted for about ~$3 of that, while the strawberry bar was a budget-friendly ~$1.

Here is a quick breakdown of what you can expect to pay for ice cream in Vietnam:

Kido Strawberry Ice Bar: 12,000 - 15,000 VND (approx. ~$0.40 - $0.55)

Celano Musang King Durian Bar: 45,000 - 55,000 VND (approx. ~$1.60 - $1.90)

Celano Durian Ice Cream Pro-Tip:

*Let it sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes. The milk fat and real fruit pulp will soften slightly, giving it an incredibly chewy, gelato-like texture.

But honestly, who has the patience to wait 5 minutes? We tore ours open and dug right in! It melts beautifully in your mouth anyway.

This is definitely a premium treat, starting with the fancy packaging. Once you open the outer box, the ice cream is placed on a plastic tray with an extra layer of protective wrap. To be honest, it is a bit much—I’d gladly take less packaging if they lowered the price a bit!

There are many varieties of durian, but Musang King is widely considered the gold standard for its intense aroma and rich, sweet taste. Because this bar is made with real Musang King durian pulp, the premium price tag makes complete sense.

The shape is incredibly detailed, and they did a fantastic job capturing the custard-like, creamy texture of real durian. With the natural sugars and rich dairy, it clocks in at around 150 to 180 calories.

Now for the Kido Strawberry Ice Bar!

This is more of a refreshing sherbet or water-ice bar. It is made with real strawberry puree and concentrate, giving it a bright, tangy flavor that is perfect for cooling down on a hot night in Saigon. It tastes much more natural and flavorful than your average artificial strawberry popsicle, and thankfully, there are no annoying seeds to get stuck in your teeth. Plus, at only 80 to 100 calories, it is a light and guilt-free choice!

We are definitely adding these to our regular late-night snack rotation. Next time, I promise I will actually try waiting those 5 minutes to see just how chewy the durian bar can get!

Whenever we find more delicious snacks in local supermarkets or convenience stores, we will be sure to share them. Don't forget to hit like and subscribe for more foodie adventures!