Vietnamese vegan fish sauce makes inroad into US market

Vietnamese fish sauce producer SEAGULL Co. Ltd. has exported its first batch of fish sauce products to the United States, including vegan fish sauce.

“Spending two years researching the American market, we’ve realized that the plant-based food industry is booming,” said Tran Ngoc Dung, director of SEAGULL, the owner of the Lang Chai Xua fish sauce brand.

“When the company piloted the sale of vegan fish sauce at some Vietnamese markets in the US, it impressed consumers with its flavor,” he stated.

The Lang Chai Xua vegan fish sauce is made out of pineapples, soybeans, and Japan’s shiitake mushrooms.

The first shipment to the US featured fish sauces made from black anchovies and apogen anchovies.

The gray anchovy sauce, known for its robust traditional flavor, is targeted at overseas Vietnamese consumers, while the apogen anchovy sauce, packaged in ceramic bottles, is designed for special occasions or as a premium gift.

CTWS Group, founded by an American Vietnamese, is SEAGULL’s partner in the US

Lang Chai Xua-branded fish sauce products on shelves at a supermarket in the US. Photo: A. Ngoc

Dziem Chinh, CEO of CTWS Group, which specializes in importing Vietnamese specialties into the US market, said that industrially manufactured products from Thailand and Hong Kong are currently dominating the fish sauce market in the US thanks to their low prices.

“Among the three Lang Chai Xua-branded fish sauce products shipped to the US, I have the highest expectation for the vegan fish sauce,” she said.

“Just a few vegan fish sauces produced manually are available in the US.”

The Vietnamese vegan fish sauce is expected to satisfy US consumers, Chinh added.

The first batch of fish sauce products exported to the US included 24,000 bottles, with 12,000 vegan fish sauces.

These Vietnamese products are being widely sold at store and supermarket chains in Asia and on e-commerce platforms.

Lang Chai Xua was a project initiated by Dr. Tran Ngoc Dung to restore the 300-year-old traditional fish sauce-making craft of Phan Thiet City in south-central Binh Thuan Province, with an initial capital of VND100 billion (US$4 million).

Since its introduction on Shark Tank Vietnam in 2019, where aspiring entrepreneurs pitch their innovative products to a panel of investors for funding, the brand has seen significant success.

The brand has launched over 20 products and is now popular on e-commerce platforms.

The company is working to raise its output from one million letters to two million letters of fish sauce per year to meet the demand for export, said Dung.

After tapping the US market, the brand plans to expand its reach to the European, Australian, and Japanese markets in 2025.

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