Hai Nhuan Village, now located in Phong Quang Ward, Hue City, is a coastal community whose life has long been closely connected with fishing, seafood harvesting and seafood processing. According to the source, the village lies about 25 kilometers southeast of the former district center and has developed a community whose livelihoods depend on the sea, from fishing and seafood processing to shrimp farming on sandy land.
For generations, the sea has provided more than food for the people of Hai Nhuan. It has also shaped traditional occupations passed down within families. After each fishing trip, fish, shrimp and small shrimp paste ingredients that were not consumed or sold could be preserved with salt and stored in jars. Over time, local residents developed their own knowledge of fermenting fish and producing different kinds of fermented seafood, with fish sauce becoming one of Hai Nhuan’s distinctive products.
A Fish Sauce Tradition Born from the Sea
Hai Nhuan is a coastal village with various forms of marine harvesting practiced throughout the year. As a result, local seafood resources are diverse, including fish, shrimp and small shrimp used for making shrimp paste.
In the past, seafood was first used to meet household needs, while additional products were sold locally. Surplus fish and shrimp were mixed with salt and stored in earthenware jars or large containers for preservation. Through generations of experience, residents gradually developed techniques for salting fish and transforming it into different fermented products.
Fish sauce became one of the village’s most notable products. Alongside it are shrimp paste, fermented fish, pickled seafood, roasted-rice fermented fish paste, shrimp-based fish sauce and fish-based fish sauce. These products have long been part of local meals and have also been used in neighboring communities.
The fish-sauce craft therefore emerged naturally from the need to preserve and make use of the seafood resources available to a coastal community before becoming a traditional occupation passed down through generations.
From Fresh Fish to a Fermentation Jar
The traditional fish-sauce process in Hai Nhuan begins with selecting the raw ingredients. The fish should be freshly caught, carefully selected and cleaned before being mixed with sea salt.
According to the local source, the traditional ratio is three parts fish to one part salt. The mixture is then placed in fermentation jars, whose openings are tightly secured. The jars are kept in a dry, safe place protected from wind.
The fermentation process lasts around 12 months. Once the fish has fully broken down into fermented fish sauce, the mixture is filtered to obtain the liquid sauce.
This process requires patience. Rather than producing the finished product immediately, artisans must allow the natural transformation of fish and salt to take place over a long period before the sauce can be collected.
The Taste of the Sea in Every Drop
After fermentation, the fish sauce is filtered from the jars. According to the source, the process, combined with the hot climate and abundant sunlight of the coastal region, contributes to the characteristic flavor of Hai Nhuan fish sauce.
The product is described as rich and aromatic, with a distinctive flavor preserved through generations of traditional production. Local residents continue to maintain traditional processing methods in an effort to retain the familiar character of their village fish sauce.
The quality of the product depends not only on fish and salt but also on the experience involved in preparing the ingredients, maintaining the traditional ratio, controlling the fermentation period and storing the fermented mixture.
These techniques have been accumulated through generations of practice and have become part of the community’s traditional knowledge.
Fermented Seafood in Everyday Life
In addition to fish sauce, Hai Nhuan produces a range of fermented seafood products. These include shrimp paste, fermented fish, pickled seafood, roasted-rice fermented fish paste, shrimp-based fish sauce and fish-based fish sauce.
What began as a practical method of preserving seafood gradually became part of the local culinary culture. Fermentation allows residents to make use of seasonal seafood while creating products that can be stored and consumed over a longer period.
These familiar fermented foods have become part of everyday meals among coastal households and have also spread to neighboring communities.
A Traditional Craft Connected with Coastal Life
Fish sauce production is part of a broader livelihood system shaped by the sea. People throughout the village, from women to older residents, have traditionally participated in activities connected with fishing and seafood processing.
Fresh catches provide the raw materials, which are then transformed into products that can be stored, sold and consumed over time. Fish-sauce making therefore creates an additional link between fishing, household production and the local economy.
According to the source, Hai Nhuan’s fish-sauce production continues to follow traditional processing methods while observing requirements related to food safety, environmental protection and applicable regulations.
A Traditional Craft Village of Hai Nhuan
Hai Nhuan Fish Sauce Processing Craft Village, formerly located in Phong Hai Commune, Phong Dien District and now part of Phong Quang Ward, Hue City, was recognized as a traditional craft village of Thua Thien Hue Province under Decision No. 3079/QD-UBND dated December 28, 2018.
From freshly caught fish and sea salt, the people of Hai Nhuan have developed a traditional processing craft shaped by the natural environment and the community’s way of life. Fish, salt, fermentation jars and time form a seemingly simple process that nevertheless depends on knowledge accumulated over generations.
Hai Nhuan fish sauce is therefore more than a coastal food product. Each jar carries a story about fishing, the use of local marine resources and a traditional method of fermentation that has become part of the culinary memory of a coastal village in Hue.
Basic Information
| Item | Information |
|---|---|
| Craft village | Hai Nhuan Fish Sauce Processing Craft Village |
| Current location | Phong Quang Ward, Hue City |
| Former location | Phong Hai Commune, Phong Dien District |
| Traditional occupations | Fishing, seafood processing and fish-sauce making |
| Signature products | Fish sauce, shrimp paste, fermented fish, pickled seafood, roasted-rice fermented fish paste, shrimp-based fish sauce |
| Main ingredients | Fresh fish and sea salt |
| Traditional ratio according to the source | 3 parts fish : 1 part salt |
| Fermentation period | Approximately 12 months |
| Recognition | Traditional craft village of Thua Thien Hue Province |
| Decision | Decision No. 3079/QD-UBND, December 28, 2018 |
| Recognizing authority | People’s Committee of Thua Thien Hue Province |
Cultural Value of Hai Nhuan Fish Sauce Making
Hai Nhuan fish sauce making is a traditional craft closely connected with the sea, local livelihoods and the culinary life of the community. Its value comes from knowledge of seafood resources, traditional salting and fermentation techniques, and practical skills passed down through generations.
More broadly, the craft reflects the relationship between the people of Hai Nhuan and their coastal environment. Fish and salt are transformed through time and traditional knowledge into products that have become part of local cuisine.
The continued production of fish sauce and other fermented seafood allows Hai Nhuan to preserve not only a traditional food but also a part of the cultural memory of its coastal community.
