The fish sauce, produced by Seagull Co. Ltd., is now available at Costco stores in the United States, the company’s director Tran Ngoc Dung said on Jan. 7. The launch represents the first time a traditional Vietnamese fish sauce brand has been stocked by the US warehouse retailer.

The product traces its origins to Phan Thiet, a coastal area historically known for fish sauce production. According to the company, the brand was revived after nearly five decades of dormancy alongside the establishment of the Lang Chai Xua Fish Sauce Museum, a cultural project initiated about 10 years ago to preserve and showcase Vietnam’s fishing villages, salt-making traditions and fish sauce heritage.

To secure distribution through Costco, the product underwent extensive quality assessments and production audits. Two Costco inspection teams visited Vietnam over a month-long period, requiring multiple rounds of compliance upgrades before approving the product for import, the company said.

The fish sauce meets international food safety standards including HACCP and FSSC 22000 under the Global Food Safety Initiative framework. Initial shipments have arrived in the United States and are being distributed to Costco outlets in California, with plans to expand nationwide.

Traditional fish sauce exporters should focus on packaging: experts

As traditional Vietnamese fish sauce is being sold in more and more countries around the world, businesses need to pay attention to their packaging and help consumers differentiate between traditional and industrial varieties, experts have said.