Nghe An prepares fresh and abundant seafood for the tourist season

At dawn, at Quynh Phuong fishing port (Hoang Mai town), the atmosphere was bustling and busy. Offshore fishing boats, after 5-7 days at sea, docked one after another, bringing with them products of the sea: shrimp, squid, herring, silver pomfret, mackerel, crab...

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Son - owner of fishing boat NA 94551TS, Quynh Phuong ward said: "This trip was 6 days old when it docked at the port. The sea was calm, we had a good catch of mackerel and squid, which were sold right at the port. Currently, the price of squid and fish is quite high, the crew has a good income, so everyone is excited."

For fishermen who have been attached to the sea all their lives, the tourist season is like an extra motivation when the weather is warm and sunny, the sea is calm, fishing is effective, especially because of increased demand and high selling prices, so going out to sea is a "sure win".

“Going to sea this season is more fun. The demand is high, the selling price is high, and the weather is favorable, so everyone is actively staying at sea,” said Nguyen Phung Thu (Nghi Thuy, Vinh City).

While fishermen are actively going offshore to catch valuable seafood, onshore, traders and processing plants are also busy purchasing and speeding up production to serve tourists. In Hoang Mai town, production facilities in Quynh Di and Quynh Lap wards operate almost non-stop to meet orders.

“We are working overtime to meet orders from restaurants, hotels, and agents in Cua Lo, Vinh, and even Hanoi. We process nearly 1 ton of raw materials every day, not to mention individual orders,” said Nguyen Thi Hoai, owner of a seafood processing facility in Quynh Lap.

Seafood processing facilities in Nghi Thuy fishing village (Vinh city) are also racing against time to meet peak season market demand. Mr. Vo Van Tam - owner of a seafood processing facility in Nghi Thuy ward said: "This year, in addition to investing in additional heat dryers and vacuum machines, we have hired more seasonal workers, ready to "run at full capacity" during peak season. On average, I process tons of raw materials every day, mainly mackerel, squid, squid rolls, fried shrimp, seafood spring rolls... During this time, many tourists buy them as gifts. The facility's revenue in the first days of April increased sharply compared to last month."

Not only do they produce more, but they also proactively improve quality to meet tourists’ tastes. From vacuum packaging, full information printing, QR codes for traceability to food safety and hygiene registration, brand labels – all are standardized to target higher-end customer segments.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Tai - owner of a seafood processing enterprise in Nghi Thuy ward (Vinh city) said: “Customer tastes have also changed significantly. Currently, in addition to the factor of “freshness - cleanliness”, what they care about is the origin, processing method, nutritional value - the sustainability factor of seafood. Therefore, we have invested in QR codes to trace the origin, packaging printed with full information from ingredients, raw materials, expiry date ...”.

In addition, many establishments have also created tourist gift combos such as sour shrimp paste, fish sauce essence, stinky shrimp paste... delicately packaged in glass jars, paper bags, priced from 100,000 - 200,000 VND. "Tourists who buy these as gifts really like these combos. We sell directly, accept online orders and are recommended by local restaurants," said Ms. Nguyen Thi Hang - owner of Nghi Thuy shrimp paste establishment.

Some seafood processing villages also combine production - experience - tourism, creating an attractive "3 in 1" model. At Hai Giang Fish Sauce Village Cooperative (Nghi Hai Ward), visitors not only buy products at the display booth but also watch the fish sauce making process, mix the fish sauce, extract the fish sauce, and bottle it to take home...

With more than 80 km of coastline, abundant seafood resources, a large offshore fishing fleet and long-standing craft villages, the tourist season is a “golden” opportunity to affirm the seafood brand in the hearts of tourists. However, to effectively exploit that potential, it is necessary to have the cooperation of all levels of government, businesses and people in upgrading technology, investing in preservation, building brands, promoting products and connecting the value chain between tourism - consumption - production.