Rau răm, Thai basil, holy basil, sawtooth coriander, perilla, makrut lime: fresh herbs are often what Vietnamese and Thai families in France miss most. They are expensive, hard to find, and seized at the airport if brought back without a certificate. The simplest solution: grow them yourself, in a pot, on a balcony or a windowsill. Here is how.
Golden rule: buy your seeds and plants in France or in the European Union (garden centres, nurseries, specialist growers). Do not bring seeds or cuttings from Asia in your luggage: a phytosanitary certificate is required, otherwise they are seized. See our guide Bringing back products from Asia.
The 6 herbs, one by one
| Herb | How to start it | What it likes | In winter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rau răm (Vietnamese mint, Vietnamese coriander) | a stem bought at a grocery shop, put in a glass of water: it grows roots in one to two weeks, then into a pot | plenty of water, soil always moist, partial shade | afraid of frost: bring it in, near a window |
| Thai basil (húng quế, horapha) | seeds in spring, somewhere warm | sun, warmth, regular watering | annual plant: sow again every year |
| Holy basil (kaphrao, for pad kaphrao) | seeds somewhere warm (above 20 °C to germinate) | full sun, warmth | cannot stand the cold: indoors or sown again |
| Sawtooth coriander (ngò gai, culantro) | seeds, slow germination: be patient | partial shade, moist soil | bring it in |
| Perilla (tía tô, shiso) | seeds in spring | sun or partial shade; often self-seeds | annual |
| Makrut lime (leaves for tom yum and curries) | buy a small tree from a nursery, in France | sun, a fairly large pot, little limestone | bring it into a bright room, frost-free |
General gardening advice, to be adapted to your region and your home.
Good habits
- A pot with a hole and a saucer: the water must be able to drain.
- Cut the stems often: the plant grows back bushier. For basils, pinch off the flowers.
- Start them somewhere warm: on a sunny windowsill, indoors, in April-May; take them outside when nights stay above 12 to 15 °C.
- Rau răm is the easiest: a single stem from a grocery shop is enough to start a plant that will live for years if it spends the winter somewhere warm.
What if you prefer to buy them fresh?
French market gardeners already grow Asian vegetables and herbs and sell them locally: a franceinfo report showed this in Blois, with pak choi, Japanese turnips and Chinese cabbage. The demand exists, and it is growing. Are you a market gardener or a nursery and do you grow these plants? Register your company: the families looking for them, and restaurants, need you.
Sources (consulted on 31 October 2026): DRIAAF Île-de-France (French Ministry of Agriculture), import of plants by private individuals (updated on 03/08/2026); franceinfo, « Pak choï, navets japonais, choux chinois : à Blois, l'essor des légumes asiatiques en circuit court ».