In order to study the unique flavor of fish sauce, solve the flavor and quality problems of modern rapid fermentation process, fish sauce characteristics of volatile compounds in recent 20 years were reviewed in this paper. The research shows that research on the formation of fish sauce characteristic volatile compounds is feasible. Odor fingerprint technology and gas chromatography - mass spectrometry olfactometry artificial instrument (GC-O-MS) was used in combination on the formation of flavor characteristics of fish sauce; the smell of fish sauce is a blend of cheese flavor, taste, flavor, sour pickled ammonia, fishy smell and flavor of the meat complex excitant odour, and sulfur and nitrogen compounds are the characteristics of volatile compounds; the species of fish, halophilic microorganisms and enzymatic pathway have great influence on the formation of volatile compounds. The volatile flavor of fish sauce is a very complex system, and the effect is not a simple factor or individual compound transformation which leads to the formation of volatile compounds. Study on volatile compounds of fish sauce can solve the problems in improving the flavor quality of fish sauce.