Phu Quoc is known as the “Pearl Island” not only for the beautiful scenery but it also has many products that attract tourists when traveling to the island.
Phu Quoc fish sauce
Phu Quoc fish sauce is famous not only in Vietnam but also around the world. The production of fish sauce has been along-held tradition among locals on Phu Quoc Island for over 200 years. Phu Quoc fish sauce is manufactured from fresh anchovy fishing around the Phu Quoc Island.
Anchovy has best quality from the July or August to December each year. There are many kinds of anchovy, however, in order to have the good fish sauce with dark-brown color, people have to choose Spined Anchovy, Black Anchovy and Red Anchovy. Fish sauce is an essential spice for every kitchen from ordinary to advanced, from the restaurant to the household.
Tourists can visit the tank house in Phu Quoc to learn the process of making fish sauce and buy fish sauce as a gift for family and friends. Phu Quoc fish sauce has begun to apply “geographical indication” label. According to this rule, only fish sauce bottled in Phu Quoc and labeled “geographical indication” is ensured quality.
Fish sauce factory
Phu Quoc fish sauce
Phu Quoc pepper
Phu Quoc pepper is famous for its good quality: plump peppercorn, thin shell, savory peppery. It is considered as one of Phu Quoc’s specialties. Pepper is grown everywhere in the island with total area up to 470ha, the annual yield of 1,250 tons/year (2007). Visitors can stop to take pictures and visit a pepper garden on the way to the north of the island, or visit the pepper garden in the Stone Stream – on the way to Ham Ninh fishing village.
In recent years, Phu Quoc pepper’s price is about 200,000VND per kilo for good quality. Like fish sauce, Phu Quoc pepper is also prescribed to labed the “geographical indications” and oriented to produce based on VietGap standards.
Pepper garden
Phu Quoc Sim wine (rose myrtle wine)
Sim Wine is a specialty wine of Phu Quoc. Although many other areas have Sim trees, Sim trees in Phu Quoc have its own characteristics. Sim is also known as the tomentose rose myrtle fruit. Mostly, pink Sim are used to make the wine
Sim trees bear fruits throughout the year. However, vintners say that the Sim collected during the spring crop is the sweetest and provides the best raw materials for making Sim wine. People go to collect Sim in the forest, then classify Sim to get rid of the rotten, broken fruits and keeping the ripe and good ones. After being classified the fruits will be washed. After being washed, they will be crushed and marinated with sugar to naturally ferment. After fermenting for 40 to 45 days, we will have Sim treacle.
Tourists can buy Sim treacle or Sim wine commercially bottled. Sim is considered a drug with many positive effects; especially sim can effectively treat aches. Phu Quoc Sim wine is a medicinal wine, made from pink sim by traditional methods. Wine is packed with beautiful bottles of 650ml.
Phu Quoc Sim Wine
Phu Quoc pearl
Phu Quoc pearl are attractive products to travelers who prefer classic but gentle beauty. Nature endowed this land of beautiful scenery and good conditions to culture pearls. Therefore, Phu Quoc pearls are ranked in the group most beautiful pearls in the world.
Phu Quoc pearl occupies only about 20% of the pearl market on the island, natural pearls is even rarer. With connoisseurs of pearls, the most important thing when choosing is the color and luster of pearls. Those who love the classic and ladylike beauty of pearls often choose creamy white pearl. This type is very common and easy to match with outfits. More luxurious, you can choose the black pearls.
However, to buy genuine pearls, visitors should go to culturing facilities along the Bac Bai Truong area. You should not buy in the market because it is easily to get fake pearls.
By Mai Phuong
