Phu Quoc to host first fish sauce festival this month

The festival marks a significant milestone in promoting the brand, value, and legacy of traditional fish sauce - a product deeply rooted in the island’s identity and history spanning over 200 years.

The inaugural Phu Quoc fish sauce festival will take place from June 27–29, celebrating the island's centuries-old craft with the theme “Essence of the Pearl Island.”

The information was released at a press conference held in Phu Quoc island city, the southern province of Kien Giang, on June 18 by the Vietnam Association of Fish Sauce and the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Producers’ Association.

Chairman of the city People's Committee Tran Minh Khoa emphasised that the festival marks a significant milestone in promoting the brand, value, and legacy of traditional fish sauce - a product deeply rooted in the island’s identity and history spanning over 200 years.

The festival will feature a range of activities, including a conference on the 10-year journey of managing and using the Phu Quoc geographical indication fish sauce, an exhibition of local specialties and One Commune – One Product (OCOP) items, culinary competitions, folk games, and cultural exchanges.

According to President of the Vietnam Association of Fish Sauce Ho Kim Lien, in the last 25 years, the Phu Quoc Fish Sauce Producers’ Association has made contributions to promote Phu Quoc fish sauce domestically and globally. Phu Quoc fish sauce became Vietnam’s first product to receive EU geographical indication recognition in 2012.

In 2021, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised Phu Quoc traditional fish sauce making as national intangible cultural heritage.

Currently, Phu Quoc is home to over 50 fish sauce production facilities with some 7,000 fermentation barrels, producing up to 20 million litres each year./.