Why is the Tam Giang Lagoon a seafood treasure of Hue
Ideal Brackish Water Environment
Tam Giang Lagoon is the largest brackish water lagoon system in Southeast Asia, where freshwater from rivers and saltwater from the sea converge. Its rather unique geographical location, situated between the lagoon and the sea with only a thin boundary, creates a vast and peaceful habitat for brackish water organisms to reside.
Abundant Natural Vegetation and Food Sources
Mangrove forests, seaweed, seagrass, and various types of plankton are abundant food sources for shrimp, crabs, fish, clams, etc., helping the seafood here have sweeter, firmer, and more fragrant meat than in many other places.
Furthermore, thanks to the frequent rains and floods characteristic of this land, water from large river systems such as the Huong River, Bo River, and O Lau River flows into Tam Giang Lagoon, carrying a large amount of alluvium, organic detritus, and microorganisms from the hills and upstream forests. This is an extremely important natural nutrient source for seaweed, aquatic plants, and plankton – the foundation of the food chain in the lagoon.
Absolute Cleanliness
Thanks to the decrees of the Nguyen Dynasty kings, discharging waste into the river was considered to affect the feng shui of the land, the scenery, and the living quality of the people. Throwing garbage into the river was severely punished (according to the Hoang Viet Luat Le of King Gia Long – the first king of the Nguyen Dynasty – discharging waste into the river would be severely fined, possibly leading to imprisonment and public flogging). To this day, the people of Hue continue to maintain this habit.
In addition, Tam Giang Lagoon is very far from industrial zones. Hue is a scenic tourist city with very few industrial areas, and Tam Giang Lagoon is located extremely far from the nearest industrial zone (30km from Phu Bai Industrial Park). Therefore, the seafood of Tam Giang is famous for being natural, free of heavy metals, and extremely clean. The rock oysters here are small but have sweet, firm, and non-fishy taste.
You definitely must try the seafood pancake here, rolled with rice paper and young mustard greens and fish sauce made from sand shrimp – something unique to Hue. (A little secret that coffee roasters keep is that this is also the special ingredient that makes Hue coffee so different, with a sweet, strong, and slightly umami flavor that originates from this kind of fish sauce)
And if you'd like to visit this place in person, please refer to our Hue Countryside tour here.
