Le Gia owner and aspiration to 'export culture'

A journey of perseverance and passion

Le Anh, the owner of the Le Gia Fish Sauce brand in Thanh Hoa, is a man who always seems to be in a hurry. At times, he travels with his staff from one trade fair to another; at others, he transforms into the brand's "representative face" at promotional events or works like a true laborer in his fish sauce workshop. For the last eight years, Le Anh has sustained that same enthusiasm.

Le Anh welcomed me under a cone-shaped dome in the experience area, where children often come to learn how to make fish sauce, play traditional games, and listen attentively to stories about the over 200-year-old Hoang Phu craft village. That space was filled with the scent of salt, fish, and the sea’s salty taste. For Le Anh, to live is to return to the roots and to carry on the essence of the ancestors in every drop of the hometown's fish sauce.

"Le Gia is not just a place where we make fish sauce. When people come to Le Gia, we hope that they will feel the rhythm of life in the craft village and see that every drop of fish sauce embodies the sweat, effort, and life stories of generations past and of those like us who continue the craft," said Le Anh.

Le Anh once turned down a thousand-dollar engineering salary to return to his hometown's traditional fish sauce craft. He has experienced times of financial loss when fermentation batches went bad and days spent with his wife coming to tourist sites, carrying bottles of fish sauce to tables, and quietly walking away when no one paid attention. Yet, in his eyes, there is not a trace of weariness.

He shared, "When I rented tens of thousands of square meters of land to build the processing facility, few believed I could succeed." People feared he would fail for being too daring, boldly submitting land lease applications at a time when the fish sauce profession was going through its hardest days.

In 2017, Le Anh founded Le Gia Fish Sauce during a period when "dirty media campaigns" severely impacted traditional fish sauce. Consumers turned away, and the market was in turmoil. As a newcomer with no reputation or backing, Le Gia could only brace itself and endure.

But Le Anh never gave up. Quietly and steadfastly, he continued his journey, guided by the motto of "Clean, natural, wholesome products." He chose his own path, producing baby fish sauce, a niche product that seemed small but opened the way for the business. "The market welcomed it because it contains no preservatives, no coloring matter, and is rich in protein. That product became the foundation for Le Gia to firmly stand to this day," Le Anh said.

For Le Anh and his brand, perseverance and passion have been a way of life since the beginning. "Without perseverance and passion and without keeping the flame of passion, there would be no today’s Le Gia," he shared.

Spreading human values

Inside the 12,000-m² factory, hundreds of Boi Loi wooden barrels stand in neat rows, filling the air with the mingling scent of wood and fish sauce. According to Le Anh, each barrel is handcrafted by local artisans; every nail and binding rope is measured with care, as a single mistake could ruin the entire batch.

"Fresh anchovies are salted right on the boat and brought here. It takes at least 18-24 months to produce true fish sauce. All products are natural, traditional, and free from preservatives, flavorings, or coloring matters. Each drop is the crystallization of fish, salt, sunlight, wind, and the spirit of our coastal people," said Le Anh.

Next to it is the processing area, where the aroma of shrimp paste, fermented shrimp sauce, and kho quet (caramelized sauce dip) spreads warmly through the air. Le Anh added, "Le Gia has expanded into producing pork floss, minced pork cooked with shrimp paste, and even baby-friendly seasonings to meet consumer tastes. Our baby fish sauce line, which is low in salt and rich in amino acids, became the key product that paved the way for the brand to enter mother-and-baby retail chains and large supermarkets, where it has been highly favored by consumers."

Two years ago, Le Gia successfully exported its first shipment to Japan, after passing the partner country’s strict documentation and inspection requirements. At that time, Le Gia was among the few enterprises in Thanh Hoa to export to Japan, notably with a traditional product from the homeland.

According to Le Anh, even though fish sauce is now an export item, Le Gia does not chase sales figures because fish sauce not only is a product but also carries the nation’s cultural story. "We have not thought about profit from Le Gia’s export products. The valuable thing is that Vietnamese fish sauce has reached out to the world. Le Gia wishes to help spread the Vietnamese ‘culinary passport’ to international friends. We believe that culture is a nation’s soft border, and fish sauce is the soul of Vietnamese cuisine," said Le Anh.

Driven by the aspiration to spread Vietnamese culinary values, Le Anh has turned his factory into an experience tourism site, where the story of the craft comes alive amid giant barrels of fish sauce. In the courtyard, two large conical hats made from palm leaves seem to shelter the entire space and are the symbol of the hardworking yet resilient Vietnamese woman, evoking memories of the coastal village. Beneath their shade, tourists can enjoy traditional dishes and take part in folk games such as o an quan (mandarin square capturing) or bamboo dance. There, Le Anh is both the owner and the storyteller of his craft village.

There is a concept that Le Anh often mentions in his business philosophy, which is the "Zen ratio." He explains that it is the ratio between the positive and negative impacts one creates through work and life. Simply, it reflects his wish to make things better than they were and his daily effort to achieve that goal.

"The Zen ratio is Le Gia’s method to measure the good we bring into the world. For us, success is not a destination but a journey, which is measured by the positive things we contribute to those around us. Le Gia strives every day for that ideal," said Le Anh.

In 2023, Le Gia was recognized by the UNDP as a social impact enterprise. The company has built a close linkage chain with hundreds of local fishermen and salt farmers, purchasing raw materials at prices higher than market rates to ensure stable output. The factory employs over 50 workers, most of them middle-aged women from surrounding communities, earning VND 8-15 million/person/month.

Currently, Le Gia's fish sauce and shrimp paste have both been awarded the national 5-star OCOP certification, while its fermented shrimp paste achieved 4 stars, and its tiger shrimp floss has been rated 3 stars. This is an impressive achievement, as Le Gia is the only 5-star OCOP enterprise in Thanh Hoa province.

In addition, Le Gia's products have achieved numerous domestic and international certifications, including FDA, HACCP, ISO 22000, GACC, and FSSC 22000, as well as the "High-Quality Vietnamese Goods" title for multiple consecutive years. Thanks to its quality assurance, Le Gia’s products are now present in many international markets, including the U.S., Japan, South Korea, South Africa, Panama, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.

* USD 1 = VND 26,075 (Source: Vietcombank)