On January 7, Mr. Tran Ngoc Dung, Director of Seagull Co., Ltd. in Phu Thuy Ward, Lam Dong Province, confirmed that Tin Lang Chai Xua (old fishing village), a traditional Vietnamese fish sauce brand, has been stocked for the first time in the U.S. Costco supermarket chain, a milestone never before achieved by a Vietnamese traditional fish sauce brand.
The journey began a decade ago, when Mr. Dung envisioned establishing the Lang Chai Xua Fish Sauce Museum in Phan Thiet, Lam Dong Province. After ten years of persistence, the museum has become not only a unique cultural attraction in the Phan Thiet–Mui Ne tourism area, telling the story of fishing villages, salt and fish sauce production, and the Whale Worship tradition to younger generations and international visitors, but also reviving the 300-year-old Tin fish sauce brand of Phan Thiet, which had been forgotten for 50 years.
To earn a spot on Costco’s shelves, Tin Lang Chai Xua fish sauce had to pass rigorous quality inspections and production assessments. Two Costco teams visited Vietnam for a month-long evaluation, requiring the company to meet multiple standards before approving the product for import.
Produced exclusively for Costco and certified under HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) and FSSC 22000 (Food Safety System Certification) according to the Global Food Safety Initiative, the fish sauce has already arrived at U.S. ports and been delivered to Costco stores in California, with plans to expand nationwide. This milestone marks a significant step in bringing traditional Vietnamese fish sauce to the global market.
