Vietnamese island guards a national treasure: fish sauce

The pungent, fermented nuoc mam sauce from Phu Quoc is a staple of the country's cuisine.

from the March 20, 2007 edition

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"Knorr is the first attempt to brand a commodity that's like salt and sugar in Vietnam. It's so integral to daily life," says Mittal.

Today, about one-third of the island's top-grade sauce, or 2,500 tons, is sold under the Knorr brand in Vietnam. But the government hasn't kept up its end of the bargain, says Mittal, as companies that buy in bulk and bottle on the mainland continue to use the Phu Quoc name.

The industry also faces the issue of sustainability. Fishermen are finding it harder to catch the prized black anchovies in the waters around Phu Quoc and are forced to sail further afield. "We have so many fish- sauce manufacturers. I think in future it will be hard to find enough supply" of fish, says Pham Huynh Quoc, who inherited a medium-sized sauce business from his mother.

But there's a new game in town: tourism. In recent years, as newly affluent Vietnamese take more vacations, beachfront property on Phu Quoc is being turned into resorts. The island is abuzz with rumors of foreign investors snapping up land, and local officials are promoting Phu Quoc as the next big destination for holidaymakers in Southeast Asia.

Both Mr. Quoc and Tinh have joined the rush by opening their own hotels, where guests can also buy bottles of private-brand sauce. Both hotels are close to the beach – and far from the pungent vats of fermenting fish.

Inside the open-air warehouse where the sauce is prepared, dozens of tall wooden vats march along the concrete floor. The handmade vats are 10-ft in diameter and can hold several tons of tiny, briny anchovies, which the boats haul in from in the waters off Phu Quoc. For every three tons of fish, a ton of sea salt is added, before the container is sealed at the top. After one year of fermentation, the first extract is sampled – a process that is akin to the first pressing of olive oil.

Traditionally, this is women's work. "Every housewife here knows how to make fish sauce. The husband would go out to fish, and the women would stay home and make the sauce," Tinh says.

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RICH CLABAUGH – STAFF