Bac Ha market preserves many traditional cultural features and colors in the life of ethnic minorities in the Northwest highlands of Vietnam. This place is always an attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign tourists whenever they set foot in Bac Ha. In particular, the occasion of April 30 – May 1 this year coincides with the Sunday market, so Bac Ha is also more crowded with tourists.
Located right in the center of Bac Ha town (Bac Ha), the market is 70 km from Lao Cai city, and meets once a week on Sunday mornings. This is a place for ethnic minorities in the highlands to exchange, trade, and meet.
Bac Ha market is divided into many areas such as the area selling brocade, vegetables, medicinal plants, food, ornamental plants, hoes and shovels… Most of the items are still agricultural products of local people.
On weekends, from early morning, groups of people from all directions return to Bac Ha town to attend the market.
Visitors to Bac Ha market are mainly people from the lowlands who travel hundreds of kilometers, and there are also many foreign tourists who come here to explore and experience the unique and attractive features of life and customs of the people here. Cuisine is an indispensable part of this, so the food stalls are always crowded with diners.
Tourists enjoy checking in with the largest specialized thang co cooking pan in the country, which was ranked in the Vietnam Guinness Book of Records. The pan weighs 1.6 tons, has a diameter of 3 m, is 1 m deep, and can hold 2m^3 water.
Ms. Anne M. Johnson (a tourist from Australia) shared: “When I came to Bac Ha, what attracted me most were the traditional ethnic costumes of the people. And when I came to the market, I was overwhelmed by the vibrant colors of the stalls here. I chose some stuffed animals with brocade patterns as souvenirs for my family in Australia.”
Brocade products for tourists also have two different prices, the cheap ones are industrially produced brocade fabrics, while brocade made by traditional handmade methods has a much higher price.
Coming to Bac Ha market, visitors can also experience beeswax painting to create delicate patterns on Mong costumes. This is one of the traditional handicraft skills preserved to this day.
The Mong flute club of Bac Ha district performed traditional art performances: senh tien stick dance, flute dance… to interact with tourists from all over, contributing to creating a joyful and exciting atmosphere for Bac Ha market.
The livestock and poultry market is held separately from the busy trading area. The most popular dog breed sold at the market is the native Bac Ha dog – one of the four famous dog breeds in Vietnam.
To serve tourists, Bac Ha market will hold cultural and artistic exchange programs in the evenings from April 27 to 30.
Tourists lit a campfire and danced with the locals.