Young people preserve the craft, rekindling the flame of spring.

As the third generation to inherit the family business, young people like Tran Bao Quoc, Nguyen Huynh Anh Khoa, and Phan Huynh Thy not only preserve the craft but also innovate and modernize it, combining tradition with digital technology to bring the family's traditional products to the export market.

Professional and distinctive

For many years, Khai Hoan traditional fish sauce from Phu Quoc has had a strong brand and a stable domestic retail market thanks to its traditional production methods. After studying abroad in Australia, Mr. Tran Bao Quoc, the successor to Khai Hoan Trading Joint Stock Company in Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone, with his expertise in information technology, has applied digital technology to the management and operation of the company.

Since inheriting Khai Hoan Trading Joint Stock Company, Mr. Quoc has applied digital transformation to market and export fish sauce products to countries such as Australia, the United States, South Korea, and Japan, elevating the product brand in a professional manner and expanding internationally through the hands of the younger generation who inherited the business.

Mr. Tran Bao Quoc - the successor of Khai Hoan Trading Joint Stock Company, Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone, stands beside fish sauce products displayed at conferences.

While preserving the core of traditional craftsmanship, Mr. Quoc has chosen to invest heavily in brand recognition, quality standards, and sustainable markets. The business has standardized its processes from the sea to the table. This includes selecting anchovies caught by his family's own fishing fleet, fermenting them in bời lời wood barrels, and bottling the finished product.

Khải Hoàn's traditional Phu Quoc fish sauce has received certifications in Vietnam and internationally, including FDA, HACCP, HALAL, and ISO 22000. Currently, Khải Hoàn has approximately 900 fermentation vats, achieving a production of nearly 10 million liters per year, distributed in many markets within and outside the province. “Integration requires young people to be quick, professional, and distinctive. Maintaining traditional quality while constantly updating and adapting to the new era, the era of digital transformation, is essential to taking traditional products further,” Mr. Quoc shared.

Product digitization

The vibrant sounds of spring music blended with the shimmering studio lights during a TikTok livestream by Nguyen Huynh Anh Khoa, the successor to Huynh Khoa Fish Sauce Trading Company Limited in Phu Quoc. In front of the camera, the young man confidently introduced each bottle of traditional fish sauce; orders poured in constantly, keeping the logistics team busy. Every step of packaging and labeling was optimized with new processes, QR codes for traceability, and an online sales model. The atmosphere was as lively as an "online Tet market," where young people brought traditional crafts into the digital world , and where youthful creativity breathed new life into the 200-year-old fish sauce making industry.

Khoa's live streams attract thousands of viewers, transforming traditional crafts into "storytelling" products, from the process of fermenting anchovies to the nutrients in fish sauce, to packaging and sales methods, all presented authentically and in line with market trends.

Mr. Nguyen Huynh Anh Khoa - the successor of Huynh Khoa Fish Sauce Trading Company Limited, Phu Quoc Special Economic Zone, stands next to the fish sauce display booth of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment at the National Achievements Exhibition in Hanoi.

Each bottle of Khai Hoan and Huynh Khoa traditional Phu Quoc fish sauce features a QR code for traceability, transparently detailing the fermentation process, time, and natural protein content. The product boasts standardized labeling and youthful packaging, making it easily recognizable online.

"To preserve our family's traditional craft, we must adapt to the times. Traditional quality is important, but the sales methods must be modern," Khoa shared. Thanks to his diligent participation in trade fairs, in June 2025, Khoa secured his first export order to Australia.

Passion and creativity

Excitedly introducing her freshly baked, crispy bread, Phan Huynh Thy, a resident of Rach Gia ward, shared: "I just created this design, and I hope it will be a trend this spring." For Thy, each loaf of bread is not just a product, but a continuation of the essence of three generations, combined with the creativity and resilience of young people.

As the third generation of the Thanh Nam bakery, Huynh Thy chose to inherit the business by focusing on baking techniques. She pursues the profession with passion and develops it through creativity. While her mother previously specialized in selling traditional meat sandwiches, Huynh Thy has transformed the family bakery. According to Huynh Thy, technique is the core of the bakery. Only when the bread is delicious, has a unique flavor, and is beautifully presented will customers remember it and the product truly stand out.

Phan Huynh Thy, the successor to Thanh Nam bakery in Rach Gia ward, stands beside freshly baked loaves of bread at the production facility.

Born in 2001, Thy, with the advantage of youth, constantly learns: attending professional baking classes, experimenting with new recipes, and learning from social media… Thanks to this, the three-generation bakery now offers many trendy bread lines, whole wheat bread for health, mini breads for children, and party cakes and teabreak cakes for events.

Every product is meticulously crafted by Thy, from the recipe and ingredients to the shaping, creating something unique. Not content with just a family-run bakery, Huỳnh Thy boldly opened a second branch on Nguyễn An Ninh Street, Rạch Giá Ward, with a modern, eye-catching display counter and standardized operating procedures.

Huynh Thy also has plans to open baking classes for women entrepreneurs and for children to experience the craft, expected to be implemented in Rach Gia in early 2026. According to Thy, spreading the craft not only keeps the tradition alive but also helps the community have more opportunities for economic development.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Niem, Chairman of the An Giang Provincial Innovation and Entrepreneurship Association, stated: “Besides preserving traditional values, young successors need to elevate businesses, taking products further in terms of market reach, positioning, and value. In the journey ahead, with unwavering enthusiasm and creativity, young successors will continue to build a green economy, a digital economy, and develop outstanding local products, bringing An Giang products to the wider market.”

KIEU DIEM

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/nguoi-tre-giu-nghe-thoi-lua-mua-xuan-a477080.html