Preserving the profession of making fish sauce

The profession of making fish sauce seems simple, but it is the crystallization of time, nature and above all, the love of the profession of people who put all their faith in the true value of pure fish sauce.

Passed down to the third generation, Mr. Hua Minh Nhut, owner of Nam Nhut Fish Sauce Factory (Ngoc Tuan Hamlet, Cai Nuoc Town, Cai Nuoc District), has strived to preserve the family's traditional profession. Over the past 30 years, Nam Nhut fish sauce products have become familiar to local consumers, thanks to their rich flavor and traditional fish sauce brewing method.

Next to the small house, Mr. Hua Minh Nhut has a fairly large yard to place more than 150 jars of fish sauce.

“In the past, my father traveled to the Central provinces and learned how to make fish sauce there. Later, when he came here to live, he passed on his profession, and this profession has supported my whole family for the past several decades. In the past, we made fish sauce the way our ancestors ate it. I try to pass on my profession to my children so that it does not disappear,” Mr. Nhut confided.

Each jar of fish sauce will produce 30 liters of fish sauce essence (the most concentrated type), priced from 20-100 thousand VND/liter.

From fresh sea fish, fish sauce is brewed with salt using traditional methods, completely without additives. Through months of sun-drying and careful filtering, each drop of rich, clear fish sauce is born, carrying the salty taste of the sea and the persistent labor of people.

Not only do they maintain their craft, fish sauce establishments in the province also actively participate in the OCOP program, standardize production processes, improve packaging, and invest in machinery to bring their products closer to the large market. These efforts not only contribute to increasing economic value but also create more jobs for many workers, preserving the craft associated with local identity.

Fish sauce produced according to a family secret recipe is how Mrs. Tran Cam Thy (Khanh Hai commune, Tran Van Thoi district) has preserved and developed the Hue Bung fish sauce brand for over 50 years.

Not only striving to preserve the traditional profession, Ngoc Tran fish sauce production facility also constantly improves packaging and design to reach a larger market.