A bottle of fish sauce ‘Hương Làng Cổ’ (Ancient Village Savour) brand is produced at Nam Ô fishing village in Đà Nẵng City's Liên Chiểu District. The fish sauce is the only representative of Đà Nẵng displayed at the Foodex Japan 2023 in Tokyo on March 7-10. Photo courtesy of Trần Lê Lâm

The handmade fish sauce ‘Hương Làng Cổ’ (Ancient Village Savour) will be the only representative product of the central city participating in the Foodex-Japan 2023 – the largest international food and beverage exhibition in Asia on March 7-10.

A source from the Japan-Việt Nam Gastronomy Association (JVGA) confirmed to Việt Nam News that the Đà Nẵng-based fish sauce and unique products from 62 provinces and cities of Việt Nam had been selected to display at the exhibition in Tokyo, Japan.

JVGA said the Nam Ô Village-built fish sauce was seen as the only fish sauce product of Đà Nẵng had qualified tests in terms of culture, natural landscape promotion and food safety for showcasing at the exhibition, and the fish sauce is available ready in Tokyo for the food and beverage show.

A promotion of Nam Ô fish sauce at Foodex Japan 2023. It's the first fish sauce from Đà Nẵng to feature at Asia's largest food and beverage exhibition. Photo courtesy of Japan-Viet Nam Gastronomy Association

It said the exhibition would be a gateway to the Asia market and a rendezvous of producers and customers.

The handmade fish sauce brand, produced by the four-generation fishing family in Nam Ô Village in the central city’s Liên Chiểu district, has kept the traditional formula of the family for more than half a century.

A bow of fish sauce. The sauce is a vital ingredient in the meals of Vietnamese people. Photo courtesy of Bùi Văn Phú

The fish sauce – which qualified for the premium certificate from the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang in 1958 – will be on display at the Tokyo’s exhibition with two classes, including a one-year and two-year well-fermented period, according to Nguyễn Thái Nhật Huy marketing and sales representative of the fish sauce.

The fish sauce trade of Nam Ô Village was also recognised as a National Intangible Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and villagers annually produce 100,000 litres of fish sauce from 200 tonnes of anchovies.

Bùi Văn Phong, a fish sauce maker in Nam Ô fishing village, checks fermented jars of anchovy and salt at his family. Photo courtesy of Lê Lâm

The village has built safe and healthy fish sauce production standards such as non-chemical, zero-plastic, environment-friendly bamboo filters, terra-cotta jars, and glass bottles. — VNS