Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company is managing 33 salangane islands with 173 salangane caves and 28 affiliated units. The company strives to develop salangane islands and natural salangane caves in many coastal provinces nationwide...
On the occasion of "Knowledge of exploiting and processing Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest" being included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage, Vietnam Economic Magazine/ VnEconomy had an interview with Ms. Trinh Thi Hong Van, Chairwoman of the Board of Members of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company, about the potential and advantages of the Vietnamese salanganes nest industry as well as the development orientation of this industry in the future.
Madam, the profession of exploiting bird nests in Khanh Hoa has just been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage. Could you please tell us what this event means to Khanh Hoa Bird Nest Company?
This is a great honor not only for Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company but also for all the people of Khanh Hoa province. The salanganes nest exploitation profession originated in 1328, when Navy Admiral Le Van Dat discovered the salangane islands in the sea of Binh Khang, now Khanh Hoa. For nearly 700 years, this profession has been preserved by the community and developed into a traditional profession with a strong cultural identity.
“Knowledge of exploitation and processing of Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest” was recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage on December 10, 2024, not only recognizing the historical value but also affirming the socio-economic potential of the salanganes nest industry. For us, this is the motivation for the Company to continue to preserve natural resources, while elevating the Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest brand to become a national symbol, from a local heritage reaching out to the world.
What role does the unique ecosystem of the bird's nest islands in Khanh Hoa play in ensuring the quality of bird's nests compared to other coastal areas?
The swallow islands managed by the Company stretch across vast seas, from Cam Ranh to Van Ninh, each with its own unique terrain and ideal ecosystem for swallows to live in. This is a valuable natural resource that is unmatched in scale and quality.
Khanh Hoa is not only the leader in output, accounting for the majority of natural island bird nests in the country, but also in experience in management, protection and sustainable exploitation. The company was honored by the Asian Record Organization as the unit managing the largest number of bird nest caves and the largest natural island bird nest output in Asia. Khanh Hoa bird nest products achieved the Asian record for Khanh Hoa specialty gifts, demonstrating Khanh Hoa's central role in the bird nest exploitation industry in Vietnam and the Asian region.
I am very proud to say that Khanh Hoa is the cradle of Vietnam's bird's nest industry and the center that other localities can learn from to develop this industry.
What are the unique features of the profession of exploiting bird's nests from natural bird's nest islands compared to other forms, according to you?
Harvesting bird's nests from natural bird's nest islands is a special profession, requiring workers to have high skills, intelligence and love for the job. Workers must climb steep cliffs, tens of meters high, facing the waves, wind and rugged terrain to harvest the nests.
Over many generations, the workers at Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company have become proficient in exploiting bird nests in natural caves on islands. In difficult and dangerous conditions, they always find ways to ensure absolute safety and efficiency in exploitation and ensure that the exploited bird nests are intact and of high quality.
This job not only requires health, dexterity, and endurance, but also requires a deep understanding of the habits of swiftlets. Every year, bird nests in Khanh Hoa are exploited in two periods. The first period is in March-April and the second period is in July-August of the lunar calendar. The care of swiftlets after the second period of exploitation is to ensure the yield of bird nests and maintain the development of the flock of swiftlets.
It is the knowledge passed down through the centuries, combining folk experience and modern science, creating a unique value that farmed bird's nests cannot have. Thanks to nesting on cliffs containing many trace elements beneficial to health, the quality of natural island bird's nests is always superior, rich in nutrients and with a distinctive flavor.
What are the specific challenges faced by bird nest harvesters? What has the company done to help them overcome them, apart from protective measures?
I always keep in mind that the workers, especially those who directly harvest bird nests in caves and islands, are the “heart” of the Company. They face great difficulties: climbing cliffs dozens of meters high in the wind and waves, working in harsh conditions, being away from their families for weeks, even months during the harvesting season.
There were times when the sea was rough, they had to stay on the island in the rain and storms, danger always lurked from the height, slippery rocks and isolation in the middle of the ocean. It was a hardship that not everyone could imagine, we appreciate every drop of sweat they put in.
To take care of the workers, the Company has built a comprehensive support policy. First of all, the salary and bonus regime is worthy, higher than the average level to compensate for difficulties and hardships, along with other special allowances. In addition, we also ensure full protective equipment, from safety ropes, helmets to climbing support equipment, minimizing risks.
In terms of living, the Company organizes regular health check-ups, supports comprehensive insurance, and provides accommodation and food for workers while they work on the island. In particular, we have a welfare fund to support workers' families during the holidays, helping them feel secure at work.
The Company's Board of Directors also regularly goes down to the island to listen to their thoughts and encourage them, because without their selflessness, Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest could not have developed as strongly as it has today.
Managing such a large number of islands and bird nest caves is certainly very complicated. What has the company done to preserve and develop this resource, not only in Khanh Hoa but also in other localities?
Managing 173 bird nest caves with 33 islands is not simple, but we consider this a noble mission. In Khanh Hoa, the Company has a team of more than 800 island managers and guards with high professional expertise, coordinating with a high-tech monitoring system to protect the bird nest islands.
We not only exploit but also preserve and develop the population of swiftlets, create food for swiftlets, improve the living environment for swiftlets to live and develop. At the same time, Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company has applied measures such as installing monitoring equipment to ensure security for the island; building basin shelters, breakwaters, wave pressure reduction nets, wintering houses for swiftlets; moving swiftlet flocks to new caves; and at the same time researching solutions to maintain the marine ecosystem to increase the yield and quality of swiftlet nests on natural swiftlet islands in Khanh Hoa.
In order for the bird's nest industry to develop strongly, Khanh Hoa Bird's Nest Company also cooperates to support, restore and develop natural bird's nest islands and caves in coastal provinces stretching from Quang Binh to Con Dao, reviving the potential for developing bird's nest islands and caves in Khanh Hoa and nationwide.
I believe that if the whole country joins hands, the natural island bird nest industry will not only be a specialty of Khanh Hoa but also a common asset of Vietnam. Therefore, this requires a synchronous policy from the Central Government, investment in research; at the same time, raising the community's awareness of conservation.
Madam, how has the Company invested in scientific research to improve the quality of bird's nest products from natural bird's nest islands?
Scientific research is the key for us to enhance the value of natural island bird's nests and meet the diverse needs of the market. Over the years, I have directly presided over many topics, such as "Research on the production process of concentrated extracts rich in antioxidant activity from bird's nests" completed in 2017, helping to scientifically prove the superior antioxidant capacity of Khanh Hoa bird's nests.
Then, in 2018, we developed a cosmetic line from bird's nest extract, opening a new direction in the beauty industry. Most recently, the project "Building a production process for health protection products from bird's nest essence" was completed in 2023, providing nutritious products that support health and beauty. These studies not only increase economic value but also affirm the superior quality of natural island bird's nest.
We continue to invest in laboratories, cooperate with domestic and foreign experts to develop more strategic products, such as functional foods or pharmaceuticals from bird's nest. The goal is to turn Khanh Hoa bird's nest from a traditional product into a symbol of science and innovation, conquering even the most demanding markets.
China is the world's largest consumer market for bird's nests. What does it mean for the Vietnamese bird's nest industry when this country with a population of over 1 billion people opens its official market?
China is not only a large market but also a place that shapes the global bird's nest consumption trend, with more than 300 tons per year and accounting for 80% of the market share. The signing of the Official Export Protocol in 2023 is a turning point, opening the door for Vietnamese bird's nest to access this market legally and stably, instead of depending on informal channels with high risks as before.
According to the Vietnam Bird's Nest Association, in 2023, China imported 557 tons of bird's nests, an increase of 23.4% compared to 2022. In the first quarter of 2024, China imported 145 tons of bird's nests, equivalent to nearly 30% of the bird's nest imports in the whole year of 2023. This shows that the Chinese market's demand for bird's nest imports continues to increase and may increase by about 15% this year.
China's demand for bird's nest imports is increasing, but Vietnam's bird's nest exports to this market are still modest. In the first quarter of 2024, Vietnamese bird's nest enterprises only exported 2 tons of bird's nest to China. Currently, Vietnamese bird's nest exported to this country has to compete fiercely with similar products from Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, which have been popular for a long time. Although the quality of Vietnam's natural bird's nest is better, it is still competing in price with bird's nests from other countries.
If Vietnam only relies on raw bird's nest, it will be difficult for it to compete with countries like Indonesia or Thailand, which already have a foothold in this segment. Therefore, I believe that developing ready-made products (bird's nest in jars, bird's nest in cans, bird's nest essence) is the right strategy. These products are not only convenient and suitable for consumers in China, but also help increase the value by 2-3 times compared to raw bird's nest.
To take advantage of the opportunity, we need to invest in modern production lines, ensuring international standards, and at the same time build a trustworthy brand. If done well, this will be a lever for the Vietnamese bird's nest industry to affirm its position, not only in China but also to develop strongly in neighboring markets.
As the leader of the Company, how do you orient the bird's nest exploitation industry to continue to develop, with Khanh Hoa as the center?
I always set a dual goal: to preserve heritage and develop a sustainable economy. With Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company, we will continue to expand the international market, currently our products are available in 30 demanding countries such as the US, Japan, and China. At the same time, we invest in research to create new products from natural island salanganes nests, such as cosmetics or functional foods, to increase value.
However, the core is still to protect and develop the bird nest caves. I hope Khanh Hoa becomes a model, where the knowledge of bird nest exploitation is passed down and upgraded through each generation, combining tradition and modern technology.
In the long term, I hope that the natural island bird nest industry will not only develop in Khanh Hoa but also spread to other coastal provinces. As the center, Khanh Hoa is responsible for leading and coordinating with localities to build a national strategy on bird nest conservation and exploitation. This will not only help protect natural resources but also create more jobs and improve the lives of coastal people...
The full content of the article was published in Vietnam Economic Magazine No. 9-2025, released on March 3, 2025. Readers are invited to read it here:
https://postenp.phaha.vn/tap-chi- Kinh-te-viet-nam/detail/1295
(According to vneconomy)
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dua-yen-sao-viet-nam-chinh-phuc-the-gioi-2379575.html
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