Currently, Phu Quoc city has more than 50 operating barrel houses, with about 7,000 wooden barrels for fermenting fish.
The main ingredient to make traditional Phu Quoc fish sauce is anchovies, fermented in wooden barrels with the formula 3 fish - 1 salt.
Fresh anchovies caught in Kien Giang waters.
Phu Quoc fish sauce makers put salted anchovies into fermentation tanks. The fermentation time is from 12 to 15 months to produce the finished fish sauce.
Most of the large-scale fish sauce factories in Phu Quoc City are concentrated mainly in Duong Dong and An Thoi wards, where there are quite a large population, fishing ports, and favorable conditions for sea and river trade (Duong Dong River).
Wooden barrels for fermenting fish sauce in Phu Quoc are crafted by artisans using wooden planks, reinforced with rattan, and are large enough to hold 12 - 15 tons of salted anchovies.
Fish sauce products usually have 25 degrees of nitrogen or more, the original fish sauce reaches over 40 degrees of nitrogen. Every year, Phu Quoc produces 20-30 million liters of fish sauce to supply domestic and foreign markets.
To be recognized as a heritage, the fish sauce making profession in Phu Quoc has gone through many ups and downs in history. Craftsmen have inherited and promoted the profession for hundreds of years, constantly researching, learning, and improving techniques with the goal of increasingly improving the quality of fish sauce.
Phu Quoc fishermen transport salted anchovies to the barrel house.
Fishermen use a seine net to catch anchovies in the waters of Kien Giang. In recent years, the amount of anchovies caught has tended to decrease quite sharply.
The shortage of anchovies is a big challenge for the traditional fish sauce making industry on the island. However, people still stick with the profession and maintain a fairly stable production.
Phu Quoc traditional fish sauce has gradually become one of the few famous fish sauce brands in the country. Many international tourists also know about Phu Quoc fish sauce and choose to buy this product when coming to the pearl island.
Finished Phu Quoc fish sauce products are bottled and branded according to strict standards, in an effort to build trust with consumers. The Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Association was established many years ago. This is a professional organization that brings together fish sauce makers on the island. From there, members have the opportunity to exchange and learn professional experiences.
Kien Giang authorities regularly organize activities to recognize, promote and advertise the Phu Quoc fish sauce brand to local people and domestic and foreign tourists. This traditional fish sauce making profession was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage at the end of 2022.