On Vietnam's southern Phu Quoc Island, there is a family that has protected fish-sauce (nuoc mam) making across six generations. The old-fashioned method of fermenting nothing but anchovies and salt in wooden barrels for over 10 to 12 months is still carried on by some producers. While there are long-established makers who export to Europe, including France and Germany, the number of cooperative members in operation has fallen sharply over the past decade due to a shortage of successors.
Only anchovies and salt, in wooden barrels for a year
Traditional nuoc mam is made from nothing but fresh anchovies and salt. No frozen fish is used, and no additives are added. Fermentation uses litsea-wood barrels bound with rattan rope, aged for over 10 to 12 months. Slowly matured fish sauce has a high protein concentration and is said to have a more concentrated flavor than standard products.
Founded in 1895, exporting half its output to Europe
The long-established "Nuoc Mam Hung Thanh" was founded in 1895. The family business has been carried on down to the current head, Dang Dinh Van (69). It produces roughly 2 million liters a year and exports half of it. Its export destinations are Europe, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands, and Europe is its only market. It also meets the EU's export approval standards. The table below summarizes the key points.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Method | Anchovies and salt only / litsea-wood barrels / bound with rattan |
| Fermentation period | Over 10 to 12 months |
| Hung Thanh founded | 1895 |
| Annual output | About 2 million liters (roughly half exported) |
| Export destinations | Europe, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands |
| Cultural heritage | Recognized as national intangible cultural heritage in 2022 |
Six generations of makers, and a nearly severed line of succession
The family of 46-year-old Ha Thanh Thai has made fish sauce over six generations since the mid-19th century. But Thai is single, and no successor has been decided. As for Hung Thanh's Van, his two sons have no interest in the family business, and his younger brother might be able to carry on "for another 20 to 30 years" — such is the situation. Both are putting effort into activities to convey the appeal of fish sauce to younger generations.
Cooperative membership halved, few in operation
The Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Cooperative has 45 registered members, but only about 20 are actually in operation. That's a sharp drop from 100 a decade ago. The producers who continue the labor- and time-intensive traditional method are limited, and the region as a whole is trending toward contraction. It was recognized as national intangible cultural heritage in 2022, but securing successors remains a challenge.
A lens for thinking about "domestic fermented seasonings"
Phu Quoc's fish sauce is a fermented food made with only its raw ingredients and salt over the course of a year. The way a labor-intensive primary product is valued in the European market, even as the difficulty of succession comes into stark relief, is instructive for makers dealing with regional traditional foods. How to convey the value of the method to the next generation and overseas is the key to the region's survival.
Summary
Phu Quoc's six-generation fish sauce, with its strengths of barrel fermentation and European exports, faces the realities of a successor shortage and a shrinking cooperative. The 2022 intangible-cultural-heritage recognition is a tailwind, but securing makers is a challenge going forward. How to bridge to the next generation a traditional method that engages with raw ingredients and time is the question at hand.
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Source:The Star / The craft lives on: Vietnam fish sauce / The Star / ASEAN Plus News
