Expanding the market for traditional fish sauce products

With the advantage of 72 km of coastline and abundant seafood resources, for many generations, coastal villages in Nam Dinh province have strongly developed the traditional fish sauce making profession.

Checking the quality of fish sauce in Sa Chau village, Giao Chau commune (Giao Thuy, Nam Dinh ).

In the context of fierce competition from fish sauce products on the market, many traditional fish sauce producers have focused on product marketing, taking advantage of social platforms to promote products to consumers to expand the consumption market.

Traditional fish sauce making

The fish sauce making profession in Sa Chau village, Giao Chau commune, Giao Thuy district has existed for hundreds of years, passed down from father to son. According to the elders in the village, during its peak, up to 80% of the villagers were engaged in making fish sauce. Following the market trend, many households abandoned the profession due to not being able to compete with other products. Currently, Sa Chau village has only about 40 households still engaged in making fish sauce.

Mr. Pham Van Hoat's family in Hung Long hamlet is one of the households that still maintains the traditional fish sauce making profession passed down from his father. Mr. Hoat is the third generation to continue the family's traditional fish sauce making profession. Every year, his family sells 9 - 11 thousand liters of various types of fish sauce to the market with prices ranging from 5 - 6 thousand VND/liter for average quality and from 70 - 100 thousand VND/liter for high-quality quality, depending on the time.

Mr. Pham Van Hoat's household in Giao Chau commune (Giao Thuy, Nam Dinh) bottles finished fish sauce.

Mr. Pham Van Hoat shared that he is 72 years old this year but has been working in the fish sauce industry for about 60 years. To make delicious, rich fish sauce, the most important step is to choose the right ingredients. For salt, the family will choose to buy seasonal salt, because this type often has large wings, large and white segments, then store it in the warehouse for 1 year before using; for fish and shrimp, they usually choose "cha" shrimp, "tran" shrimp or "vo" fish for better quality.

After having all the ingredients, the traditional fish sauce makers of Sa Chau village start to ferment for 8 - 12 months, during the fermenting process, they will often stir to make it ripe. After the fermenting period is over, the ingredients will be put out to dry in the sun for 3 - 5 days, then the craftsmen continue to pour the fish sauce into earthenware jars to leave them warm, the longer they stay warm, the better the fish sauce will be. From fermenting the ingredients to selling the finished product on the market, it takes 17 - 20 months, the longer the time, the better the product will be, and the higher the price.

Mr. Mai Van Nang's family in Lac Thuan hamlet has been making traditional fish sauce for 4 generations. Because the family's fish sauce products are made from a secret family recipe, they have a unique aroma and flavor. On average, each year his family sells 25 - 30 thousand liters of various types of fish sauce to the market.

Mr. Mai Van Nang said that during the production process, his family often focuses on importing raw materials, always putting quality and food hygiene and safety criteria first, so his family's traditional fish sauces are always favored by markets inside and outside the province.

Changing the approach to the market

The traditional fish sauce making profession in Sa Chau as well as other places in Nam Dinh has been gradually fading away in recent years due to the inability to compete with other products on the market. In order to survive in this profession, people have gradually adapted, changed their sales mindset, and increased product promotion on social networking platforms such as Youtube, Facebook, Tiktok, etc.

Ms. Trinh Thi Sanh, Giao Chau commune (Giao Thuy, Nam Dinh) checks the ripeness of squid fish sauce ingredients.

Ms. Trinh Thi Sanh, a long-time traditional fish sauce maker in Giao Chau commune, said that her family has maintained the fish sauce making profession for the fourth generation. In previous years, the family mainly sold products through traditional distribution channels, depending heavily on traders. Recently, the family has proactively sought customers through promoting products on the Tiktok platform, so many customers have also known about the facility's products.

According to Ms. Sanh, the current consumer trend is that many people like to buy products on social networking platforms, so promoting and affirming product quality is very important. The family has learned how to register and use the Tiktok platform to sell products, regularly holding 3 livestreams every week to introduce products. Initially, there were few viewers, but now each livestream has a lot of viewers and orders to buy the facility's products.

In addition to promoting products through social media platforms, many traditional fish sauce producers in craft villages in Giao Thuy district such as Giao Chau, Giao Hai, Quat Lam town, etc. have recently focused on improving product quality and design, actively participating in the OCOP program to improve quality, create product brands, and increase competitiveness with other fish sauce products on the market.

Ms. Vu Thi Mai, Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Giao Thuy district, said that in the area, there are 21 traditional fish sauce products recognized as 3-star OCOP products. Being recognized as OCOP products helps production facilities enhance their reputation and become more known to consumers. In addition, many households are making good use of social networking platforms to introduce and sell products, helping consumers know and use traditional fish sauce products in the locality.

Mr. Pham Van Hoat's family, Giao Chau commune (Giao Thuy, Nam Dinh) checks the salinity of fish sauce stored in jars.

Nam Dinh province currently has more than 100 traditional fish sauce production and processing facilities, mainly concentrated in coastal districts such as Giao Thuy, Nghia Hung, Hai Hau. To increase competitiveness in the market, many businesses and fish sauce production facilities have invested in machinery and applied modern technology and techniques to improve product quality, such as: Hai Thinh Seafood Company Limited has applied multi-enzyme microbiological technology combined with temperature, shortening the protein hydrolysis process of raw materials; Lam Bao Fish Sauce Company Limited has built and applied an advanced quality management program according to HACCP standards (hazard analysis and critical control points)...

To help people and traditional fish sauce producers access markets inside and outside the province, the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Nam Dinh province also regularly organizes seminars and displays products at fairs and exhibitions to promote the brand. Regularly review, evaluate, and support establishments to complete documents and procedures to be recognized as OCOP products, and develop tourism associated with craft villages to market products.

According to VNA

Source: https://doanhnghiepvn.vn/kinh-te/mo-rong-thi-truong-cho-san-pham-nuoc-mam-truyen-thong/20250622022031133