How to Grow Vietnamese Coriander
Vietnamese Coriander At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Herb
Sun Exposure
Partial Shade
Frost Tolerance
Frost Tender
Cold Hardiness
Survives to 5°C
Plant Family
Polygonaceae
Growing Season
Warm Season
Plant Lifecycle
Perennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Get a few stems from a friend's plant or a bunch from an Asian grocery store, and pull off the lower leaves. Stand them in a glass of water on a bright windowsill: roots appear within about a week. Once the roots are a few centimetres long, pot them up in rich, damp potting mix.
Vietnamese coriander, also called rau răm, has a spicy taste like cilantro but does not bolt in summer heat. It rarely makes seed in Canada, so it is grown from cuttings, which root in days. It dies in frost, so it lives in a pot: outside in summer, and on a windowsill in winter.
When To Start
Vietnamese Coriander needs warmth. Wait until your last frost has passed and the soil has warmed before sowing.
We do not have exact sowing dates for this one yet.
When should you plant Vietnamese Coriander?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Vietnamese Coriander Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Vietnamese Coriander Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Move Vietnamese coriander outside, still in its pot
2 weeks after your last frost
Start snipping Vietnamese coriander stem tips
45 days after your last frost· every year
Bring Vietnamese coriander indoors to a sunny window
3 weeks before your first frost· every year
Water your new vietnamese coriander plants well while they settle in. Deep and slow is best.
About 1 days after you plant it
How is your Vietnamese coriander settling in? Keep the soil moist, it loves water.
About 30 days after you plant it
Checking in on your Vietnamese coriander. Pinch the tips often to keep it bushy.
About 90 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Vietnamese Coriander's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 1
Prepare Your Space
30 cm
Plant Spacing
40 cm
Row Spacing
1
Plants / Sq Ft
Vertical Growing
No.
Succession Planting
No.
Good Companions
Bad Companions
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Growing Tips
- 1Give it bright light with some afternoon shade, and the brightest windowsill you have in winter.
- 2Grow it in a pot of rich potting mix with plenty of compost.
- 3Keep the mix damp all the time, since in the wild it grows at the edge of streams and even in shallow water.
- 4Feed with compost tea every few weeks in spring and summer to keep the leaves coming.
- 5Pinch the stem tips often to keep it bushy, since it sprawls when left alone.
- 6Indoors in winter, wash aphids and spider mites off with a spray of water in the sink.
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
30 cm
Mature Height
45 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
When to Pick
Pick sprigs anytime; flavour is strongest in warm weather
How to Harvest
- 1Start picking once the plant is bushy, about a month after planting.
- 2Snip stem tips about 10 cm long, just above a leaf, and new shoots will grow from there.
- 3Picking often keeps the plant full and compact.
- 4Use the leaves fresh in noodle soups, salads, spring rolls and stir fries, added at the end of cooking.
- 5The leaves do not dry well, so keep fresh sprigs in a glass of water on the counter for a few days.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
Seed Production
Still have a question?
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