Since early January, many of traditional craft villages in Da Nang have started to enter their peak production season ahead of Tet Festival which will fall on 12 February this year.

Mrs Pham Thi Hai Nguyet, the owner of the Hiep Hai fish sauce processing facility, packaging her products for sale.

Some rice paper makers in Tuy Loan Dong 2 Village, Hoa Phong Commune, Hoa Vang District, are keeping themselves busy to increase their production capacity in order to cater to the surge in demand from their customers.

These rice paper makers must wake up around 3.00am to prepare for making the rice paper by soaking the rice, making a fire, crushing ginger, and sifting sesame. Then, they produce the rice paper continuously until 6.00pm or even 9.00pm in order to ensure delivery on time.

Dang Thi Tuy Phong, 82, from the Tuy Loan Dong 2 Village, said her rice paper processing faclities used 16 kilos of rice to make around 400 rice papers on average per normal day. Since early 11^th lunar month, her facility has hired some seasonal workers to increase its production capacity in order to satisfy the growing consumer demand for the forthcoming Tet holiday.

Dang Thi Tung, Mrs Phong’s younger sister, has spent more than half of her life on making rice paper.

Mrs Tung said the rice paper made in Tuy Loan village is very different from similar products made in other parts of Viet Nam. It is dried on charcoal fires instead of being dried in the sun, which prevents any mould formation.

Mrs Tung said, in these days leading up to Tet, about 32 kilos of rice are usually used to make over 800 rice papers for the Tet market every day, 3 times higher than usual but still not enough market demand.

A recent survey shows that almost all of the village’s rice paper makers are producing large-sized rice papers measuring 40cm in diameter each to suit customer needs. The products are being supplied to local wholesale markets at between 150,000VND and 170,000 VND for 10 pieces, 10,000 VND-20,000 VND higher than usual.

Likewise, a busy producing atmosphere has been recorded at the Lien Chieu District-based Hong Huong fish sauce facility.

Director of the Hong Huong Fish Sauce Co., Ltd, Bui Thanh Phu, said his company is very busy preparing for raw materials for producing a total of around 5,000 litres of fish sauce in January in an effort to ensure a secure supply for Tet.

Mr Phu remarked that about 3,500 liters of fish sauce have been already ordered by customers who buy these products in order to offer as gifts to their relatives, friends and business partners.

Chairman of the Nam O Fish Sauce Association Tran Ngoc Vinh said, in 2020, 60 Association members used around 250 tonnes of raw fish, mainly anchovy, to produce a combined total of 125,000 litres of fish sauce.

Mr Vinh also said, the Nam O fish sauce village will chuck out more than 100,000 liters to supply local customers for the upcoming Tet.

By MINH LE - Translated by M.D