In its efforts to further promote the collective trademark of Nam O fish sauce, Da Nang will take more effective measures to build up a general plan on restructuring the production area at the namesake time-honoured traditional craft village for better operations. In particular, the formation of separate areas exclusively dedicated to demonstrating the whole process of making fish sauce and displaying products to grasp visitors’ attention should be given a priority.

Residents from Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, visiting a stall displaying Nam O fish sauce products at a fair held in the city last year

The aforementioned solutions were represented at a recent seminar which features discussions about how to promote the collective brand of Nam O fish sauce.

The Nam O fish sauce village, nestled in Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, is facing a number of challenges such as a fierce competition triggered by non-traditional fish sauce products, a shortage of human resources inheriting the traditional profession, high input material requirements and the complicated characteristics of collective factors.

The participants stressed a must-do for production establishments at the village to actively beef up trade promotion activities, as well as enhance product quality and design to meet consumers’ needs, also importantly, ensure that tourists easily buy fish sauce products to preserve their travel memories, or to present to their relatives and friends as gifts as they return home.

Nam O fish sauce traditional craft village, set in Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, has recognised as part of Viet Nam's national intangible cultural heritage.

The village, for the time being, is home to 61 family-run production establishments involved in fish sauce making. A logo and collective trademark have already been granted for Nam O fish sauce by Viet Nam's National Office of Intellectual Property.

The Nam O fish sauce making village has a proud history covering more than 400 years. It is one of a few traditional fish sauce making villages that still operate in the country.

The Nam O brand of fish sauce tastes very different from similar products from elsewhere in the country thanks to its special recipe (fish mixed with salt at the rate of 3/1).

The Da Nang government, in March, 2020, approved a project for preserving and promoting the heritage values of this craft associated with the local tourism development. The intention is to develop Nam O fish sauce into a unique product showing off the city’s distinctive marine culture and generating more socio-economic benefits, especially marine economy.

Reporting by PHONG LAN – Translating by A.T