From voices in international newspapers
Weekend publication The Sunday Times - belonging to The Straits Times system - issue dated April 2026 published a report "Vietnam's traditional fish sauce industry is struggling to survive", in which Phu Quoc fish sauce (An Giang province) is mentioned as a typical case.
Mr. Ha Tan Tai - the sixth generation of his family in the profession - said that in recent years, the source of anchovies - the core raw material - has become increasingly scarce due to climate change and prolonged exploitation. This has increased production costs, while products have to compete fiercely with cheap industrial fish sauce and distribution advantages.
Not only that, the number of traditional production facilities is also gradually decreasing. Many households have to narrow down their scale or stop operating because it is difficult to stand firm in the market. Another challenge is the lack of a successor force, when the profession requires a long incubation period of up to 12 months, heavy labor but unstable income, making young people less interested in sticking with it.
The overall picture of the craft village
Mr. Ha Tan Tai's concerns also reflect the general reality in Phu Quoc fish sauce craft village. At the mid-term summary conference (2022 - 2027) of the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Production Association at the end of 2025, Association Chairman Dang Thanh Tai said that the craft village is facing many systemic difficulties.
Among them, noteworthy is the serious decline in anchovies - a key factor in Phu Quoc fish sauce's reputation.
From 2023 to now, anchovy production has decreased by 30 - 50% compared to before, and quality has also declined. As a result, many establishments can only produce fish sauce of about 35 nitrogen, while 40-nitrogen type is increasingly rare.
In addition, small and medium-sized enterprises face difficulties in accessing policies, unstable product prices, and limited promotion activities. These factors are causing the competitiveness of traditional fish sauce to decline.
Efforts to preserve the profession
Under pressure, many production facilities are proactively adapting by diversifying products, improving packaging, building brands and taking advantage of digital platforms for promotion and consumption.
However, with small scale, traditional establishments still face many limitations when competing with large businesses.
According to experts, traditional fish sauce - especially Phu Quoc fish sauce, the first product of Vietnam to be protected by the European Union for geographical indication - is not only a commodity, but also a cultural heritage associated with history (recognized as an intangible cultural heritage) and national culinary identity.
In the context of integration and market fluctuations, preserving and developing the profession requires synchronous solutions, from protecting aquatic resources, supporting production to building brands. If there are no timely steps, the risk of a long-standing traditional craft fading away is inevitable.
