Discovering a fish sauce village

Discovering a fish sauce village

Discovering a fish sauce village

Tran Le Triet

Nam O Bay is a hub for boats carrying fish sauce materials but this area is currently planned to house a seaside resort

Nam O, an ancient village at the foot of Hai Van Pass in Hoa Hiep Nam Ward, Lien Chieu District, Danang City, is known for its tradition of making fish sauce.

After the old village was cleared to make room for a resort project, authorities of Lien Chieu District and Danang City are zoning a new craft village.

Bay Lu, a woman who has over 50 years’ experience in fish sauce production, stands next to a house which was once her fish sauce production facility. Many people in Nam O want to preserve the craft village .The number of fish sauce making households in Nam O is down from 105 to 50

Fish and salt are kept in jars for one year before fish sauce can be obtained

The main material of Nam O fish sauce is black anchovy. A kilo of anchovy can produce a half liter of fish sauce. The season of anchovy starts in the third lunar month of the year. People catch and ferment fish with salt originated from Ca Na, a central coast location in Ninh Thuan Province, to turn out top-notch fish sauce

Black anchovy and salt are fermented in an earthen jar or a plastic barrel under the average sunlight. Fermentation usually takes a year – PHOTOS: TRAN LE TRIET

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