The Nam O fish sauce craft village in Hoa Hiep Bac and Hoa Hiep Nam wards, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang was formed in the early 20^th century. Not only does this time-honoured profession bring about economic efficiency, the Nam O fish sauce with its strong aroma, natural sweetness, eye-catching colour is also a unique cultural and spiritual product imbued with historical value, expressing the identity of the local coastal community.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Vinh, Chairman of Nam O Fish Sauce Craft Village Association (right), is proud to be a person who spreads passion for preserving the craft of fish sauce making. Photo: THANH TINH

Experiencing many ups and downs, despite the time passage, the profession of making Nam O fish sauce has still existed and developed. The know-how and recipe for making fish sauce is preserved and empowered through generations.

The 4^th generation makes fish sauce

A male teacher who once got to know a lot about IT in Da Nang is now very involved in making traditional Nam O fish sauce. He is Bui Thanh Phu, 35, who took over the family’s business whilst a few young people in the namesake village would and, by doing so, he has kept the centuries-old Nam O fish sauce making craft going, especially protecting it from gradually falling into oblivion in the context of rapid urbanisation.  The man has built up the brand of Huong Lang Co fish sauce.

Phu said: “My family has been making fish sauce for 4 generations. However, when I expressed my intention to follow this craft, my family dissuaded me because the job of making fish sauce was hard. With strong efforts, I have finally convinced my family to develop the Huong Lang Co fish sauce brand.”

According to Mr. Phu, based on his family's many years of experience in making fish sauce, this craft is not really difficult for him. The most challenging task is how to promote product brands. With his acumen, creativity and dynamism, Phu has done his best to constantly improve the quality and design of products.

Thanks to that, the name Huong Lang Co gradually became highly familiar to customers inside and outside the city and make its presence in many trade fairs and events.

“Success is not merely profit but also must be measured by spiritual and cultural values. Every day, I always take care of every step of production, from choosing raw materials to processing and bottling. This job is hard work, but it is the traditional profession of our forefathers, so the next generation like us must join hands to preserve it. Therefore, I am happy when the reputation of Huong Lang Co is flying high as well as contributing to the prosperity of the traditional craft village of my homeland", Mr. Phu shared.

The small fish and salt are the only materials needed to make what is considered by many the best fish sauce in Central Viet Nam. Nam O fish sauce is made from long-jawed anchovies with high protein content. To create the sauce’s delicious taste, the fish must be freshly caught and of medium size. The taste depends on the right mixture of fish and salt.

The mixture is compressed, sealed in either wooden barrels or big clay jars and left under the sun for months. Every day, the liquid is siphoned out through a small tap at the bottom and poured back into the container right away from the top to ensure it zigzags through layers of the fermented fish and distills out all the nutrition.

Mr. Phan Cong Quang, the Chairman of O Long General Service Cooperative O eagerly showed off bottles of O Long fish sauce that are not only sold at food stores across the city, but it is also represent in many provinces and cities nationwide and exported to Thailand and Japan. Established in 2016, this cooperative annually produces 15,000 - 30,000 litres of fish sauce.

Mr. Quang explained the fish is caught fresh, not iced, and mixed with salt in jars for about 11-12 months. However, O Long cooperative extended this process to 18 months with its special recipe (fish mixed with salt at the rate of 3/1). In particular, the salt used is the large-grained white salt sourced from the Ca Na region in Ninh Thuan Province.

Currently, the products of O Long cooperative are present at 800 stores in the city and many other stores across the country.

Inheritance of local villagers

Nam O is a small fishing village located at the mouth of Cu De River, at the foot of the Hai Van Pass.

Despite his age, Mr. Tran Ngoc Vinh, the Chairman of the Nam O Fish Sauce Craft Village Association, said that his love for fish sauce has not faded. "Me and the members of the Nam O Fish Sauce Craft Village Association always strive to encourage people to preserve their professional experience to produce delicious and eye-catching batches of fish sauce," said Vinh.

The recognition of the traditional fish sauce making craft in the Nam O Village as part of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is really good news for this time-honoured village. Vinh said that he was very happy and more confident in his entrepreneurial path.

He hoped that the traditional craft village would see a more prosperous future and keep pace with the modern development trends.

Reporting by THANH TINH – translating by ANH THU