Bùi Văn Phong, the owner of ‘Hương Làng Cổ’ (Ancient Village Flavour) fish sauce shows off a bottle. Photo courtesy of Bùi Văn Phú

ĐÀ NẴNG — The Geographical Indication (GI) of ‘Nam Ô’ has been officially awarded to a fish sauce of Đà Nẵng.

The family-owned ‘Hương Làng Cổ’ (Ancient Village Flavour) fish sauce is the first product of the city to get the premium rating from the Intellectual Property Agency of Việt Nam, under the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Bùi Văn Phú, manager of the family’s traditional fish sauce business, said the certification resulted from decades of work in creating healthy fish sauce.

He said the sauce had originally earned premium certification from the Pasteur Institute in Nha Trang in 1958, with the trade later transferred down from his father.

The 19th century Nam Ô Village, has more than a hundred households practising the traditional technique and supplying the sauce.

The village, situated at the foot of the Hải Vân Pass, 17km northwest of downtown Đà Nẵng City, still earns its main livelihood from fishing and making fish sauce, despite rapid urbanisation.

The village’s fish sauce has been used as an official ingredient at the five-star Furama resort Đà Nẵng’s kitchen, served daily to visitors at the beach-front vacation site. The fish sauce brand is currently sold at the Go supermarket under the Central Retail Corporation in downtown Đà Nẵng – the first locally made fish sauce on sale at a supermarket.

The Nam Ô Village trade has also been recognised as a National Intangible Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2019, with the village now being seen as an eco-tour and craft destination.

A bowl of family-owned ‘Hương Làng Cổ’ fish sauce, a traditional product made in Nam Ô Village in Đà Nẵng City. Photo courtesy of Bùi Văn Phú

Last year, the fish sauce was the only representative product of the central city participating in the Foodex-Japan 2023 – the largest international food and beverage exhibition in Asia. VNS