For tourists visiting Hanoi, exploring the attractions around Hanoi is an option preferred by many tourists. In such destinations, Lao Cai is a place not to be missed. Not only is it attracted by the spectacular natural scenery and poetic, Lao Cai also attracts tourists by the highland markets carrying cultural identity. Bac Ha market is the upland fair that holds many footsteps of tourists and is a destination that is hard to ignore if visitors ever set foot in the land of this plateau.
Bac Ha Maret is situated in Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province. This is the largest fair in the mountainous area of the border. Along the way, visitors will encounter the high mountains, deep valleys, and terraced fields. Tourists sometimes have to stop to collect the majestic natural beauty into the lens and will meet each ethnic group telling and laughing with their carts to bring to market. To keep up the fair, they must go very early even go from the previous day to the next day to come to the fair.
Previously, Bac Ha market was organized on a gentle hill, then the market was built on a concrete floor and is split up into different sale areas, therefore, to some extent, it has lost its original beauty. Bac Ha market is the place that exhibits all the products of the highland area, the requisites for ethnic people such as plows, hoes, shovels, knives, vegetables, fruits, honey.
But attracting ethnic minority women and tourists most is selling area of the jewelry, skirt, brocade and even charming rattan baskets. Here, you can optionally choose brocade products and be dizzy with vibrant colors of the dresses of the Hmong and Red Dao girls. Foreign tourists usually admire the paintings woven with vivid patterns, harmonious and beautiful colors.
For men, the highland market is also a place that they can meet and drink together each week. Wine specialty of the Hmong in Pho village is known by the high level and characteristic bitter taste. Area of selling horses attracts men most. They come from remote villages, even those from the provinces of Bac Giang, Ha Tay come here to wholesale horses to the plains.
In noisy trading, somewhere tourists can hear the sound of khene and singing voice of the young man like calling girls. Traveling to Bac Ha, visitors will enjoy new discoveries about life and customs of the people here.
In the trend of commercialized highland markets today, Bac Ha is one of the rare places that still retain its national identity, its own unique features of the old fair. Arriving Bac Ha, travelers will not see scenes of sellers trying to make customers buying their products, just see the gentle faces in colorful ethnic clothes. Apart from the purpose of buying and selling, they go to the market to play with the market, with the customers. In the late afternoon, the market has a few guests; the image of a man who is excessively drunk sitting on horseback and a woman leading her horse to the village will be a picture remained in the mind of visitors.
Discover Bac Ha Market, visitors will gain a better understanding about the daily life of ethnic highland, enjoy the special cuisine, and admire the beautiful traditional costumes. Guests can also buy souvenirs from this place to friends or for their beloved ones.
