The artisans of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village, with its history of more than 700 years, are not only devoted to preserving their village and craft, but also nurture the aspiration of bringing their products further afield, reaching both domestic and international customers.
HISTORY OF FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT
The ancient village of Nam Ô, nestled by Da Nang Bay about 3 kilometers from Hải Vân Pass, is renowned for its many legends and historical tales.
According to many researchers, few coastal villages can compare with Nam Ô, which boasts a history of more than 700 years. Equally rare is a village with such a unique location: facing the sea, bordered by a river, and resting at the foot of Hải Vân Pass, famously known as “the most majestic gateway under heaven.”
About two centuries ago, the name of the village was mentioned in historical records in the Đại Nam Nhất Thống Chí, compiled by the National History Institute of the Nguyễn Dynasty. More remarkably, on Hạc Peak within the Phụng Forest, traces of a shrine dedicated to Princess Huyền Trân have been carefully preserved in their original state by the fishing community of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village.
According to many villagers, the Phụng Forest is a primeval forest that once sheltered Princess Huyền Trân in ancient times and now serves as a steadfast “shield,” protecting the people of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village from towering waves and fierce storms.
Records and manuscripts preserved by the elders of Nam Ô recount that in June 1306, King Chế Mân took Princess Huyền Trân, then just 18 years old, as his wife. The bridal tribute offered by King Chế Mân to Đại Việt in exchange for the marriage included the two provinces of Ô and Lý (today’s Quảng Trị and Thừa Thiên–Huế).
Nearly a year after the wedding, in May 1307, King Chế Mân passed away. By September 1307, Princess Huyền Trân gave birth to Crown Prince Chế Đa Da at the Vijaya capital (Đồ Bàn, Bình Định). At that time, in Đại Việt, King Trần Anh Tông, fearing that the princess might be harmed due to the Champa custom of widow immolation, dispatched skilled generals, envoys, and strong troops to Đồ Bàn to bring the princess safely back.
On her journey from Đồ Bàn back to the Thăng Long capital, Princess Huyền Trân took refuge in the rocky forests of Nam Ô to evade pursuit by the Champa forces. During those days, the villagers of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village protected and sheltered the princess until the time came for her to board a boat and continue her return to Thăng Long.
CULTURAL SPACE AND PRODUCTION CONDITIONS
Covering an area of about 2 hectares, Hạc Peak is blanketed by the lush greenery of the Phụng Forest. Large and small trees grow densely, embracing the peak. At its foot lies the Nam Ô rocky shore, where big and small stones rest upon one another, draped in a vibrant green carpet of moss.
According to many villagers, the Phụng Forest is a primeval forest whose importance is considered no less than that of Sơn Trà or Hải Vân forests. Since ancient times, the people have regarded Phụng Forest as a sacred place, where no one dares to cut down a single tree. This is because Phụng Forest and Hạc Peak once sheltered Princess Huyền Trân and have ever since served as a steadfast “shield,” protecting the people of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village from towering waves and fierce storms.
No one in Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village today remembers exactly when the shrine dedicated to Princess Huyền Trân was first built. Though weathered by time, the traces of this memorial shrine still stand tall and dignified, enduring steadfastly amidst heaven and earth.
Right at the foot of the shrine, in 1999, when the villagers of Nam Ô began restoring the memorial shrine on the foundation of the old one, they unearthed a set of three wooden ancestral tablets, painted in crimson, still relatively intact. Buried beneath sand, limestone, and leaves for hundreds of years, the carvings on the tablets remain clearly visible: Chúa Tiên Thần Nữ Chi Vị (Lady Celestial Goddess), Hà Bá Thủy Quan Chi Vị (Lord of the River Waters), and Táo Phủ Thần Quân Chi Vị (Lord of the Hearth). Among these three, the tablet inscribed Chúa Tiên Thần Nữ Chi Vị is dedicated to Princess Huyền Trân.
The shrine dedicated to Princess Huyền Trân has been newly rebuilt by the people of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village in a dignified manner and is always open to welcome villagers and visitors for worship and sightseeing.
Later, when it became clear that the shrine’s location was too far from the residential area, making worship difficult, the village elders convened and decided to relocate the shrine of Princess Huyền Trân closer to the community. The new shrine was built by the villagers in a spacious and dignified manner, kept clean and orderly, with incense offerings maintained regularly.
According to many village elders, the people of Nam Ô believe that in the past, Princess Huyền Trân, on her return journey from Đồ Bàn (Bình Định) to the Thăng Long capital, once stopped at this land. It is precisely this belief that has inspired the villagers to safeguard the Phụng Forest, preserve Hạc Peak, and protect the last remaining vestiges associated with Princess Huyền Trân against the sweeping tide of urbanization.
In addition to the shrine of Princess Huyền Trân, Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village is also home to four ancient Cham wells, each providing fresh and cool groundwater despite being located near the seashore. The village also preserves mausoleums dedicated to dozens of whale skeletons (Cá Ông), along with numerous relics and vestiges discovered by archaeologists, some dating back to the 10th century.
Since ancient times, Nam Ô fish sauce has been renowned throughout the Quảng Nam region. It is regarded as a signature specialty of Quảng Nam, distinguished by its rich, aromatic flavor — a taste that lingers in memory for all those who leave their homeland.
The exact origins of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village remain unknown, as even today the villagers cannot recall the precise year when the craft began. The village elders only remember that around the late 19th century and early 20th century, fish sauce production in Nam Ô flourished significantly. In the mid-1980s, Nam Ô fish sauce was awarded a Gold Medal at the Giảng Võ Exhibition Fair in Hà Nội.
For the people of Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village, their greatest pride lies in the fact that this specialty was once chosen as a tribute to the kings. Through hundreds of years, amid the many ups and downs of history, the villagers of Nam Ô have continued to preserve and pass down the knowledge and secrets of their craft, producing drops of fish sauce with a deep reddish color and a naturally sweet flavor.
PRODUCTION/ EXTRACTION PROCESS
The primary ingredients that create the distinctive flavor of Nam Ô fish sauce are black anchovies (cá cơm than) and salt.
Mr. Trần Ngọc Vinh, Chairman of the Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village Association, stated that the primary ingredients creating the distinctive flavor of Nam Ô fish sauce are black anchovies (cá cơm than) and salt. Each year, the people of Nam Ô produce fish sauce during the third and eighth months of the lunar calendar, in accordance with the anchovy fishing seasons.
The black anchovies (cá cơm than) used for making fish sauce originate from Cà Mau. From the first to the third lunar months, schools of these anchovies follow the ocean currents northward to Phan Thiết and Mũi Né. By early March of the lunar calendar, when the schools reach Da Nang Bay, the local fishermen set out to sea to catch them for fish sauce production. Fish sauce made from this seasonal catch is known as “March anchovy fish sauce” (mắm cá cơm tháng ba).
By the fifth lunar month, the anchovy schools change direction, following the currents toward Huế, Thuận An, and Tư Hiền, and eventually reaching the northern seas. In the eighth lunar month, the anchovies once again migrate into the waters of Da Nang. This time, three types of anchovies appear: black anchovies (cá cơm than), red anchovies (cá cơm đỏ, with red intestines), and cá cơm sùng (with intestines resembling those of cá rầu). Fish sauce produced during this season is called “August anchovy fish sauce” (mắm cá tháng tám).
The delicious taste and distinctive character of Nam Ô fish sauce come not only from the black anchovies but also from the careful selection of salt. The salt used for making Nam Ô fish sauce is sourced from Đề Gi, Sa Huỳnh (Quảng Ngãi), or Cà Ná (Ninh Thuận).
Nam Ô fish sauce is produced using the lộc nhĩ (natural filtration) method, ensuring purity and authenticity from black anchovies, without the use of any chemicals.
CULTURAL AND SPIRITUAL ELEMENTS
When speaking of Nam Ô fish sauce, one cannot fail to mention the Cham people. According to village elders, it was the Cham who first introduced both the craft of fish sauce making and the culture of using fish sauce to the people of Nam Ô. It can be said that Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village is the product of the cultural exchange and interaction between the Vietnamese and the Cham. Over time, the Vietnamese gradually refined and elevated fish sauce production techniques to a more advanced level.
Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village is a traditional handicraft that deeply embodies the character and cultural identity of the local community. The craft originated from the daily fishing activities of local fishermen. When their catches were abundant, they began preserving fish by salting them to make fish sauce and other types of fermented fish products. This not only prevented spoilage but also provided an essential source of food for daily consumption.
SIGNATURE PRODUCTS
At present, Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village has 71 members, including 3 cooperatives, 10 relatively large-scale processing facilities, and 17 establishments registered with their own brands.
Many households have invested in applying science and technology to improve product quality, while also promoting brand development and introducing their products at trade promotion events. To date, three enterprises in the village have had their fish sauce products recognized under the OCOP (One Commune, One Product) program, achieving 3-star and 4-star ratings.
Nam Ô fish sauce has a deep reddish color and a naturally sweet flavor.
In 2024, Nam Ô fish sauce became one of only three fish sauce products nationwide to be granted a Geographical Indication certificate by the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam. This also marked the very first Geographical Indication of Da Nang.
A representative of the Intellectual Property Office in Da Nang stated that the Geographical Indication “Nam Ô” for fish sauce products is not only a source of pride for this local specialty, but also recognition of its reputation, prestige, quality, and origin. It enhances the value of the community brand while serving as an important legal foundation. At the same time, it provides a launching pad to strengthen competitiveness, expand markets, and move toward export.
Since being recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage and granted a Geographical Indication, the number of households reviving the fish sauce making craft in Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village has increased rapidly. Each year, the village now supplies around 300,000 liters of fish sauce to the market, with an average price ranging from 80,000 to 150,000 VND per liter.
Previously, at the end of August 2019, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism issued Decision No. 2974/QĐ-BVHTTDL recognizing Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village, located in the wards of Hòa Hiệp Nam and Hòa Hiệp Bắc, Liên Chiểu District, Da Nang City (now under Liên Chiểu Ward, Da Nang City), as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Nam Ô Traditional Fish Sauce Making Village, closely associated with the Nam Ô locality, holds significant advantages in natural landscapes, culture, and history. These valuable attributes provide favorable conditions for the community to develop and promote distinctive and appealing tourism products.
DANANG CENTER FOR TOURISM PROMOTION
