Typical products of the North in 2012

(Baonghean) -Nam Dan soy sauce product has just been recognized by the Department of Local Industry as a typical rural industrial product of the Northern region - 2012. This honor makes Nam Dan soy sauce makers even more proud of their traditional products and more responsible in preserving and improving the quality of their homeland's products.

Coming to the traditional soy sauce processing village in Phan Boi Chau block - Nam Dan town, visiting the soy sauce making households is easily attracted by the jars of soy sauce drying in the yard, the sweet and fragrant smell of ripe soy sauce, rich like the love of the people here. This year, 68 years old, Mrs. Phan Thi Tam - Phan Boi Chau block is still diligently making soy sauce. She said: Now she is old and weak, but she still tries to produce to ensure there is enough goods to supply customers in Dong Nai, Dak Lak, Hanoi... For decades, every time someone calls to let them know how many cans of soy sauce are needed, Mrs. Tam carefully packs the soy sauce and sends it by bus. At the age of 9-10, Mrs. Tam already knew how to help her parents make soy sauce and since then, the traditional family profession has followed her throughout her life. In the past, they only worked on a small scale to serve the family, when market demand increased sharply, Mrs. Tam's family produced an average of 10,000 liters of soy sauce/year. By 2008-2010, each year 35,000-40,000 liters were produced and sold to the market to serve tourists visiting Uncle Ho's hometown, the market in the province and some provinces in the South and North. The yard was always filled with 40-50 jars of soy sauce, earning a profit of 40-50 million VND each year. Nam Dan soy sauce is increasingly favored by many customers in and outside the province, that joy urges her family to passionately produce with the responsibility, experience and reputation of a family with a tradition of making soy sauce for more than 100 years.

Mrs. Tam is diligent in making soy sauce.

From 1989 to now, Nam Dan soy sauce has strongly developed into a commodity soy sauce. In 2010, after being recognized by the Provincial People's Committee as a Traditional Soy Sauce Production Village, from 19 households, there are now 35 households participating in soy sauce production. Mr. Pham Hai Duong - Head of the craft village, shared: "To maintain prestige and a sustainable brand, all soy sauce-making households in the craft village are determined to maintain quality. During the production process, soy sauce makers in the craft village do not use food additives or chemicals. In addition, the craft village also supervises each other among households and directly manages the soy sauce production to households, including direct management right from the input materials, which must use Nam Dan spring soybeans or summer soybeans grown on the Lam River strip from Hung Nguyen district to Anh Son. Production households must comply with the regulations of the craft village. If any household does not meet the standards and regulations of the craft village, its name must be removed from the craft village."

Every year, the entire Nam Dan soy sauce village produces 250,000 - 300,000 liters of soy sauce/year, bringing in a total income of about 3 billion VND/year. The craft village brings stable income, creating jobs for many rural workers. With abundant raw materials and stable output, production is consumed as soon as it is produced, especially during the tourist season from March to October every year, the craft village cannot produce enough to meet the consumption needs of tourists. Since the establishment of Sa Nam Cooperative, specializing in collecting and consuming high-quality soy sauce products from the people, the output for soy sauce has become more stable. Sa Nam Cooperative has 3 sales agents in Hanoi, and sales points in Dak Lak, Binh Duong, Dong Nai, and Saigon, bringing Nam Dan soy sauce to all parts of the country.

It is known that in 2013, the Department of Science and Technology in coordination with Nam Dan district will register a collective trademark for Nam Dan soy sauce products. Thus, the brand of Nam Dan soy sauce will spread further and have a certain position in the market.

Quynh Lan