Bac Ha, BacHa - A century-old colorful market - Vietnam Travel Information - Vietnam Travel Guide

Bac Ha is 350 km NorthWest of Hanoi, BacHa - a small town built on a desolated highland plain NorthWest of Lao Cai, is well-known for the century-old colorful market of the real mountainous people including the Dzao and the Flower-H’Mong. They and the mountains seem to fall in a sleep and time stands still until Sunday mornings when the Bac Ha market occurs. All the young boys and girls wear their most beautiful clothes and go to the market.

Couples prepare forestry products or wine or hand-crafts, etc... and take to the market with bamboo buckets on their backs, not minding the long hard way, so do the elders. There, it is chance and time for them to spend money and enjoy their time. Men drink until being drunk. Women are busy at selling what they take and buying, cloths and supplies for a week. Young boys dance in their Khens’ tones and girls sing with sweet voice to express their deep love. The elderly people drink Bac Ha traditional special strong wine without leaving their eyes away from the young and remind and think and talk about their youth having gone far away. And in the afternoon, it is not surprising to see happy wives back home with their hang-out husbands on their horses’ backs. That is not all to see when Bac Ha dresses in white plum’s flowers or green or yellow of rice in four seasons. It is wise to enjoy the moments of time standing still and flying.