Phan Theit's famous fish sauce. As soon as fishing boats return with their catch, the fish are rinsed and drained, then mixed with sea salt -- two to three parts fish to one part salt by weight. They are then filled into large earthenware jars, lined on the bottom with a layer of salt, and topped with a layer of salt. A woven bamboo mat is placed over the fish and weighted down with heavy rocks to keep the fish from floating when water inside them are extracted out by the salt and fermentation process. The jars are covered and left in a sunny location for nine months to a year. From time to time, they are uncovered to air out and to let the fish be exposed to direct, hot sunshine, which helps "digest" the fish and turn them into fluid. The periodic "sunning" produces a fish sauce of superior quality, giving it a fragrant aroma and a clear, reddish brown color.
The fishing village. After the morning catch, small fish are scattered across the slope and dried in the sun. They will later be used for tasy snacks and seasoning.
Walking through town and on the beach you can catch the strong odor of dried and fermented fish. It sounds terrible, but you get use to it. After a couple of days the smell makes you hungry for the delicious Vietnamese cusine.
The red sand dunes. For a small price children on the beach direct you to the best spot for a slow slide down the red slope. The color of the sand was beautiful.
Yum! Frest squid on a stick. My favorite.
The people of Vietnam were so warm and inviting. This man was so excited to have his picture taken. He waved his hands to get my attention and motioned for me to take his picture. I love the thumbs up.
Guesthouse monkey checks Alex for bugs.
Then stole his sunglasses.
