VietNamNet Bridge - Besides the stunning scenery, fish sauce processing enterprises are also must-see places on Vietnam’s largest island Phu Quoc, in Kien Giang province.

Visitorscan explore the processing of traditional fish sauce that has existed for hundreds of years.

The first impression of visitors at a fish sauce enterprise is tens of giant wooden barrels used to keep chuop (fish mixed with salt at the rate of 3/1). 

The barrels are made of boi loi wood, which comes from the forest of Phu Quoc. Theses barrels are usually about 2m to 4m high, 1.5m to 3m in diameter. Each barrel is wrapped with 6 to 8 large hoops. Each hoop is made from 120 rattan cords taken from the two local mountains of Ong Tam and Bac Dao. The barrels can be used for up to 60 years.

The raw materials used to produce Phu Quoc fish sauce are salt and anchovies. Phu Quoc anchovy is mixed with salt from Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, which has a low level of impurities. Salt must be stored for at least 3 months before it is used to mix with anchovy so that impurities, which create acridity in fish-sauce, will deposit at the bottom layer. The salt at the bottom layer will eventually be discarded.

Salted anchovies are called chuop. Chuop is kept inside wooden barrels for up to 12 or 15 months under traditional methods. Each barrel is numbered for management.

After 12-15 months, depending on each kind of fishsauce, the sauce will be withdrawn from barrels. The fish-sauce withdrawn the first time has up to 30o fishsauce and the one withdrawn the second time 20o protein.

After all protein is withdrawn from chuop, all kinds of fish-sauce are mixed together to create fishsauce of different protein levels.

By pouring the fishsauce withdrawn for the first time into the barrels where fishsauce has not been filtered yet, some producers in Phu Quoc can make sauce of up to 42 protein degrees, the highest achieved by a natural process.

The main difference between Phu Quoc fish sauce and fish sauce elsewhere is its typical brown color, which is completely natural. This color is created because fresh anchovy is mixed with salt in up to 12 months in wooden barrels.

The waters around the island of Phu Quoc has huge resources of anchovy. The use of this fish to make fish sauce in Phu Quoc has a history of over 200 years. In late 19th century, the people on the island of Phu Quoc sold fish sauce to Cambodia and Thailand.

Before 1945, Phu Quoc had nearly 100 fish sauce making facilities, mainly concentrated in Duong Dong and Cua Can areas.

During the war, fish-sauce facilities in Cua Can were devastated. These facilities were then moved to Duong Dong and An Thoi as they are today.

Despite its long history, Phu Quoc fish sauce trademark only became popular in the 1950s and reached its zenith in the years 1965-1975.

In the period of 1975-1986, this industry gradually lost the market, and many facilities had to close. However, since the economy changedtoa free market policy, this traditional trade in Phu Quoc has recovered.

Today, Phu Quoc fish sauce is not only famous in Vietnam but also in many countries around the world.

Along with the development of local tourism, fish sauce producing facilities have also become interesting places to visit on the island of Phu Quoc.

Discover a fish sauce processing facility on Phu Quoc Island through these pictures:

Wooden barrels Chuop: fish + salt Barrels are numbered Fis sauce in a barrel Fish sauce is withdrawn from barrels by these plastic pipes. Processing fish sauce The natural color of Phu Quoc fish sauce Final products Phu Quoc fish sauce is very famous

Pha Le