Vietnamese Vs Thai Fish Sauce: What's The Difference?

Fish sauce is fundamental in a variety of Asian cuisines. The condiment gives layers of umami and savory flavors to dishes from beef and noodles to dipping sauces. However, when you walk down the aisle in any Asian supermarket, you'll notice two main varieties: Vietnamese and Thai fish sauces. So while there are many unique ways to use fish sauce, you need to know what bottle to grab to match the profiles of what you're cooking tonight.

To be clear, there are many other varieties of fish sauces from countries like Cambodia, Japan, and Korea, but the types from Vietnam and Thailand are the most used so that's what we're comparing here. Vietnamese sauce, known as nuoc mam, hinges on anchovies and salt. Meanwhile, the Thai version, called nam pla, also contains fermented fish like anchovies. When you compare the two, Thai fish sauce usually exhibits a stronger flavor and darker color than the one from Vietnam. Both can be used in place of the other, but the differences are still important to know, home cook.

Vietnamese fish sauce features fermented anchovies, salt, and water, but many store-bought versions might also have sugar for a touch of sweetness or preservatives to maintain freshness. To avoid too many additives, buy the pricier bottle for better quality. The delicate process of making Vietnamese fish sauce combines the ingredients in large wooden barrels or ceramic vats. It can be in those wooden barrels for up to a year before it's bottled up and shipped to your local market. Fish sauce is procured across the country including in areas like the islands of Sha Chau and Phú Quốc.

The result of the intricate process is a fish sauce that's light and sweet but still packs that umami punch. Some brands that you might find at the grocery store include Red Boat, which is sold on Amazon for less than $17 a bottle. When you need to use your Vietnamese fish sauce, try it in our easy chicken pho recipe. Either way, it usually only takes a couple of teaspoons of the ingredient to enrich the flavor of your Vietnamese dishes.

Nam pla as it's called in Thailand is a bit different, but is mostly used in the same ways. It also uses fermented anchovies, but can also be made of other small fish like carp, mackerel, and sardines to obtain that fishy saltiness. A bottle will also contain salt and sometimes sugar for a balance of flavors. That bottle will also appear darker compared to Vietnamese fish sauce, and will pack more of a salty kick than the former variety — so use it wisely.

Fish sauce is an important exported product from Thailand, where it's made in places such as Klong-Darn, where the brand Squid has one of its factories. You might also encounter prik nam pla, which combines fish sauce with Thai chilis for heat, lime juice for acidity, and garlic. When you find the bottle, try it in our tofu pad Thai or Thai chicken curry recipes.