Will in Vietnam: ‘Fish sauce is to the Vietnamese what wine is to the French’

The Western guy loves Vietnamese cuisine - Tiktoker, YouTuber Will in Vietnam has gained amazing experience in the Chin-su Phu Quoc barrel house and can not help uttering that “maybe fish sauce is Vietnamese wine”.

For Western diners, maybe to fall in love with this unique flavor for the first taste. However, the more they experience and learn, the story of fish sauce creates a fondness, a special love. Will in Vietnam shares: "Fish sauce is an essential part for me when enjoying Vietnamese dishes. From banh cuon, bun cha to cha gio, com tam,... from someone who was once unfamiliar with fish sauce, I have become a devoted fan without even realizing it."

Returning from a visit and experiencing activities at the Chin-su Phu Quoc fish sauce barrel house, Will said: "I have always wondered how fish sauce is made, and with the trip to visit and learn about the entire fish sauce production story at the Chin-su Phu Quoc barrel house, I feel even more passionate and fond of fish sauce."

Starting from the An Thoi port, Will is introduced to various types of anchovies and the meticulous selection criteria involving freshness, dryness, and the ratio of impurities in the fish. The anchovies are caught far from the shore and are then directly salted on the boat with high-quality grain salt from Ba Ria. This ensures that the anchovies retain their freshness and quality. This is a prerequisite for producing high-quality fish sauce.

The batches of salted anchovies that meet the input quality standards are taken to the Chin-su Phu Quoc fish sauce factory. Here, the salted fish undergo a natural fermentation process in wooden barrels for 9 - 12 months to create the renowned fish sauce. It's known that this factory covers an area of over 22,000 square meters with nearly 500 fermentation barrels that can hold more than 10,000 tons of fish each year. The temperature is maintained at around 27.5 degrees Celsius to serve the fermentation process, combining traditional methods and international standards to produce high-quality fish sauce for demanding markets like Europe, the United States, and Japan.

In his first glimpse of the Chin-su Phu Quoc fish sauce factory, Will couldn't help but be surprised: "The scenery here immediately reminds me of the wine cellars in France." Will further adds: "The process of making wine and fish sauce is almost identical. Just like wine, it all starts with high-quality grapes, and fish sauce starts with high-quality anchovies. The fermentation process is also carried out in traditional wooden barrels, requiring a long period of time and stable weather conditions. The only difference is that wine prefers a mild temperature, while fish sauce thrives in warm weather. I think fish sauce is to the Vietnamese what wine is to the French."

If the rich flavor of fish sauce captivates Vietnamese food enthusiasts, then the breathtaking scenes at the Chin-su Phu Quoc fish sauce factory further affirm the immense potential of this "miraculous" seasoning in the international market. "I believe that one has to set foot in the Chin-su Phu Quoc fish sauce factory to fully appreciate the pure essence of Vietnamese fish sauce. Perhaps in the future, when enjoying any Vietnamese dish with fish sauce, these will be the images that come to mind first," concluded Will in Vietnam after his journey to explore the Phu Quoc fish sauce factory.

Not only is Chin-su fish sauce a beloved domestic brand, but it is also now being embraced in the international market. Alongside popular Chin-su fish sauce products already present in the international market, such as Chin-su Salmon Fish Sauce and Chin-su VIP Anchovy Fish Sauce from the East Sea, in October 2023, a container of the latest addition to the Chin-su fish sauce "collection," the Chin-su East Sea Anchovy Fish Sauce 720, has also been exported to various markets, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, and Japan.

With the "Go Global - Around the World" strategy, all Chin-su fish sauce products will be aggressively promoted through distribution channels, alongside advertising campaigns to introduce the products, opening the door to promoting fish sauce to friends across the five continents, asserting and spreading pride in Vietnam's precious culinary assets on the global food map.