Cua Lo products in the season of the sea calling

Not only is it a journey to explore the beauty of nature, the tourist season is also an opportunity for visitors to experience and enjoy Cua Lo products.

Fish arriving at Nghi Thuy fishing wharf. Photo: Phu Huong

Products that attract tourists

This is the third time that Mrs. Vi Lay Thon from Vientiane, the capital of Laos, has come to Vietnam for tourism , and every time Cua Lo is an indispensable destination for the whole family. Renting an electric car with her children to go to Nghi Thuy seafood market to buy squid and fish to eat and as gifts, Mrs. Vi Lay Thon said: "Cuisine is an attractive thing that makes my family always want to come back to Cua Lo. The seafood here is fresh, delicious and cheap, not available in Laos, so every time we come, we eat it all the time without getting bored; and we also buy it as gifts, everyone likes it".

Ms. Vi Lay Thon - A Lao tourist bought fresh squid from Cua Lo as a gift. Photo: Phu Huong

Not eye-catching or colorful, Cua Lo products attract customers with their fresh, simple and honest quality like the fishermen of the sea, but also have their own characteristics. According to experienced fishermen who have been fishing for many years, the sea water in this area has a moderate salinity, so Cua Lo seafood is very delicious, rich in flavor without being harsh.

Grilled mackerel - A gift that is extremely popular with tourists. Photo: Phu Huong

Living in Hanoi , but Cua Lo seafood is a dish that is rarely absent from the kitchen of Ms. Vu Thu Hang’s family. Not only her parents, but also her children are “addicted”, from expensive fish such as pomfret, sea bass, mackerel, to “common” products such as fresh herring, scad, mackerel…

Catfish - a "common" fish but very delicious and firm. Photo: Phu Huong

Also because cuisine is an attractive "pull", instead of choosing to go to other tourist destinations this April 30th holiday, the couple brought their children back to Cua Lo - a land that has become familiar to the family.

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“Nghe An sea fish is so delicious, so I not only buy it to serve my family's needs, but I also regularly order it as gifts for my brothers and friends who share the same interests, both to promote the products of a land that I love, and also to bring joy to myself when giving my loved ones the opportunity to enjoy delicious food.

Ms. Vu Thu Hang - Tourist from Hanoi

Also because cuisine is an attractive "pull", this holiday, Ms. Hang's family returned to Cua Lo - a destination that has become familiar. Photo: NVCC

From 3am, Nghi Thuy fishing port was bustling with buyers and sellers. On the wharf and under the boats were fresh fish - Cua Lo's products when the sea calls. Besides fresh long mackerel - a famous specialty of Cua Lo sea, there were also fresh, bright herring and anchovies.

Specialty anchovy - transparent and sweet fish. Photo: Phu Huong

Showing customers a box of fresh anchovies, Ms. Bui Thi Nga, Binh Minh block, Nghi Thuy ward happily said: "This is one of the especially delicious types of fish. Although the price is only 40,000 VND/kg, it is very suitable for fresh use as salad or dried in the sun, seasoned with spices to drink with beer. It is much tastier than many other "traditional" types of fish such as yellowstripe scad."

Under the early summer sunshine, tourists coming to Cua Lo in the early sea season are excited and curious about the transparent, shiny anchovies lying quietly in the basin.

Here, there are also high-value fish such as white pomfret and itchy fish sold for 550-700 thousand VND/kg, each day the boats can only catch from a few hundred to 100 kg.

“The boat owner does not sell retail but sells each tray of 10 kg. Anyone who wants to buy something to eat has to buy it together. Most of it is brought to restaurants to serve tourists. During “peak” days, even if you have money, it is difficult to buy,” said Ms. Bui Thi Nga.

Business opportunities during beach tourism season

Having been in this profession for 10 years, Mr. Tho (owner of Tho Hau facility in Nghi Thuy market) said: Mainly only purchasing and processing mackerel, normally each day the facility purchases 500-700 kg of fish. “In other seasons of the year, the best fresh mackerel sold whole costs 200,000 VND/kg, but during the tourist season the price will increase along with the strong increase in market demand. Not only will the amount of imported goods sold to restaurants increase, but we also have to stock up to serve tourists who come to the market to buy,” said Mr. Tho. Here, customers can buy fresh fish or grilled fish depending on their needs, the facility packages and vacuums them so it is very convenient to take away.

Currently, Tho Hau purchasing and processing facility has "collected" dozens of tons of mackerel to serve the tourist season. Photo: Phu Huong

Nghi Thuy fishing port currently has 20 pairs of offshore fishing boats. Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, Head of the Fishing Port Management Board, said: On favorable sea days, the amount of fish caught can reach hundreds of thousands of tons, but there are also days when only a few dozen tons of fish are caught. At the port, there are 4 "brokers" who specialize in purchasing and bringing them to all provinces and cities on the same day.

Hai Giang fish sauce craft village 1. Photo: Phu Huong

It is just the beginning of summer, but at the production and product introduction facilities at Hai Giang 1 Fish Sauce Craft Village (Cua Lo), the number of visitors coming to visit, experience and buy products has begun to increase. Produced in the traditional way, Cua Hoi fish sauce is also the first product of Cua Lo to be recognized as meeting the 3-star OCOP standard of Nghe An province in 2020. Not only is it simply an attractive "spice" on the dining table in the coastal city, but Cua Hoi fish sauce is also known to tourists from near and far as an attractive tourist product.

Tourists enjoy visiting the Cua Hoi fish sauce production process. Photo: Phu Huong

A product in Cua Lo that many tourists cannot miss when coming to Cua Lo is fish sauce. The traditional fish sauce brewing process combined with many special ingredients has created a fish sauce that meets the standards in both smell and taste.

With more than 50 soaking tanks to make fish sauce, each year the fish sauce production facility of Mr. Hoang Duc Thuong's family in Hai Giang 1 block produces about 15,000-20,000 liters of fish sauce. Chosen as a place to display, introduce and visit the production process, each month he welcomes dozens of groups of visitors from all over the provinces and cities to visit, experience and buy the products.

Tourists looking to buy fish sauce at Hai Giang 1 Craft Village. Photo: Phu Huong

“Cua Hoi fish sauce is very popular with tourists thanks to its rich sweet and aromatic flavor, and the packaging is also increasingly improved to be more beautiful and eye-catching. Many customers, after purchasing the product, continue to order by phone for long-term use, or introduce new buyers,” said Mr. Hoang Duc Thuong.

Not only is it a journey to explore the natural beauty, Cua Lo tourist season is also an opportunity for visitors to experience and enjoy the unique local products of the salty coastal city.

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/san-vat-cua-lo-mua-bien-goi-10296378.html