Van Phan fish sauce exported

(Baonghean) -Established in 1947, after many changes, Van Phan Fish Sauce Company (formerly Dien Chau Seafood Station) is now known as the province's main seafood processing unit, successfully restoring fish sauce processing technology using traditional methods.

The traditional criteria for evaluating the quality of pure fish sauce is the protein content - the protein content creates a sweet, fragrant flavor. Van Phan fish sauce has a protein content of 10 - 35, the 35 protein level is the premium type, from 14 - 25 protein levels are type 2 and type 1. Especially now, Van Phan also has a type of underground fish sauce, which is especially delicious and has high nutritional value, and can cure some diseases such as stomach diseases and intestinal diseases. Thanks to these characteristics, Van Phan fish sauce is very popular with consumers. Mr. Vo Van Dai - Director of the company said: "Every time we participate in a fair in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, we sell thousands of liters and from there, domestic and foreign orders have increased."



Packaging finished fish sauce at Van Phan Fish Sauce Joint Stock Company.

In 2012, with an output of 1,000,000 liters and a revenue of 10 billion VND, the product produced using traditional technology had the largest revenue in the province. It is worth mentioning that also in the past year, the company officially exported the first container of fish sauce to the Malaysian market. In addition to the 18,000 liters exported to Malaysia, there were also 5,000 liters to Angola, and 10,000 liters to Laos. In addition to strictly ensuring food safety and hygiene procedures, fish sauce exports must also comply with the regulations of each country, such as for Muslim countries, there must be a Holan certificate to ensure that this is a food product that does not use input materials that Muslims abstain from. In addition, the company also meets orders from foreign tourists who favor the Van Phan fish sauce brand. Through unofficial channels, the company has also exported products to the markets of Australia, Korea, and China. Although the quantity of goods is only about 1,000 liters in each country, these are initial successes for these demanding markets.

A current problem of Van Phan fish sauce is that export quality products have not reached low-income consumers, due to competition with industrial fish sauces on the market. Mr. Dai said: “Each liter of fish sauce with a protein content of over 30 requires 5 kg of fish. Currently, each kg of anchovies costs from 12 to 15 thousand VND, not to mention that if imported from other coastal areas, the price is even higher. For the past 2 years, although the price of fish has increased, we have kept the old price. However, it is still difficult to compete with industrial fish sauce in the low-income market!”

Having won many awards such as the 2nd Golden Cup for Aquaculture awarded by the Vietnam Fisheries Association, being honored by the Vietnam Brand Magazine in 2010 and many other prestigious awards, Van Phan is confident in its solid direction.

Thanh Nga