The taste of the sea in a drop of hometown fish sauce

Long Thuy (Binh Kien ward) is a long-standing and famous fish sauce village in the eastern part of Dak Lak province. The rich, delicious flavor of Long Thuy fish sauce is created by the combination of fresh anchovies caught from the Long Thuy sea combined with Tuyet Diem salt (Song Cau).

Pure Tuyet Diem salt has high crystallinity, few impurities and is stored by people for at least 12 months before processing to remove metal ions that can affect the flavor.

Ms. Le Thi Kim Ngan introduces her family's fish sauce products.

“After being caught, fresh fish are washed with seawater, salted in a ratio of 3 parts fish - 1 part salt, then put into a fermentation tank, pressed with a grill, bars and heavy stones to keep the fish submerged in seawater for 12 - 18 months”, shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Huong, a fish sauce maker in Long Thuy. According to this 67-year-old woman with nearly 50 years of experience in the profession, to have delicious fish sauce, in addition to each person's own secret, the anchovies must be caught in the right season in the Long Thuy sea area, when the fish are mature and fat, then the fish sauce will be rich, with a sweet taste, a characteristic yellow color, high protein content, and a fragrant aroma that captivates diners.

Vice Chairman of Binh Kien Ward People's Committee Luong Thao Nguyen said that Long Thuy fish sauce craft village has gone through more than 50 years of ups and downs, closely associated with the main livelihood of coastal fishermen. Up to now, Long Thuy village has more than 50 traditional fish sauce production facilities, of which 8 fish sauce products are recognized as 3-star OCOP. In 2023, the People's Committee of Phu Yen province (old) recognized Long Thuy fish sauce craft village.

More than 6 years ago, Mr. Vo Nhat Linh - son of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Huong (Hong Gia Phuc fish sauce production facility) decided to quit his job in Ho Chi Minh City with a salary of tens of millions of VND to bring his wife and children back to his hometown to take over the family-owned fish sauce production facility. "My family has a long tradition of making fish sauce. Maintaining and developing the traditional profession of our ancestors is also my family's wish," Mr. Linh shared.

Not stopping at inheritance, Mr. Linh always wondered how to create a reputable, quality fish sauce product that both ensures the health of consumers and expands the consumption market. From that thought, he discussed with his parents to expand the factory, invest in machinery, and apply science and technology to production. He installed a rough filtration system to remove impurities, equipped a fish sauce bottling line... Along with that, the packaging and labels were also redesigned to be more eye-catching and modern, creating a competitive advantage when bringing products to the market. In particular, Mr. Linh persisted with the "3 no" criteria of the Hong Gia Phuc fish sauce brand: no preservatives, no colorants, no flavorings. Each year, the facility supplies about 80,000 liters of fish sauce to the market. In 2023, his family's Hong Gia Phuc fish sauce product was granted a 3-star OCOP standard certificate by the People's Committee of Tuy Hoa City (old).

Vo Nhat Linh and his wife pour fish sauce into bottles.

Sharing the same love for the profession and determination to stick with the taste of his hometown's sea as Mr. Linh, Mr. Truong Ba Hung - the eldest son in a family with four generations of fish sauce processing - also chose to return to his hometown after many years working in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since 2019, Mr. Hung and his wife have returned to their hometown to continue their family business and maintain the traditional profession. Not only has he maintained the profession, he has also proactively registered trademarks and licenses, improved designs, and expanded the consumption market. Thanks to that, the facility sells about 500 liters of fish sauce each month; in 2023, the product achieved 3-star OCOP. "The most important thing in doing a traditional profession is to be dedicated and take care of both quality and design to maintain prestige and develop long-term," Mr. Hung shared.

Young people like Mr. Linh, Mr. Hung and the elders in Long Thuy village still preserve the flavor of their hometown fish sauce every day - the salty flavor crystallized from the sea, from the sun and wind and from the love of the craft villagers. Thanks to that, Long Thuy fish sauce has spread far and wide, bearing the essence of the land of Nau, creating a position next to famous traditional fish sauce brands from many other coastal regions.

Source: https://baodaklak.vn/kinh-te/202510/vi-bien-trong-giot-mam-que-huong-3ae0eb8/