When mentioning the "White Plateau" of Bac Ha, everyone immediately thinks of the pure white color covering the hills and mountains every spring. But equally striking is the vibrant colors of the Bac Ha market. The market is filled with warmth and hospitality from the radiant smiles of the people. The Bac Ha market is like a painting reflecting the character, culture, and lifestyle of the ethnic minorities here. Follow VietNamHiddenCharm to explore and see what makes the Bac Ha market so enjoyable that everyone wants to visit at least once!
A few things about the Bac Ha market:
The Bac Ha market is located in Bac Ha town, Bac Ha district, Lao Cai province. It is about 65km from the center of Lao Cai city. The market only meets on Sunday mornings weekly, usually ending at 2 p.m. The market is famous for retaining its pristine appearance and carrying the distinct characteristics of the ethnic groups in the Northwest highlands.
The Bac Ha market is a place for exchanging local goods with goods from other provinces. It is also a place for cultural exchange and meetings between ethnic groups in the area. When going down the mountain, people always wear colorful traditional costumes to go to the Bac Ha market.
The Bac Ha market is divided into small market areas with specific characteristics such as: the brocade market, the culinary market, the horse market, the poultry market, the food market, the bird market, the forging market. Each market area is rich, diverse, and deeply imbued with the local ethnic identity. Especially, the Bac Ha market is the best meeting place for young men and women of ethnic groups to meet each other after a week of hard work.
How to get to the Bac Ha market?
Bus
Customers can take a bus from the center of Lao Cai, which takes about 2 hours to reach the Bac Ha market.
Motorbike, Car
The total distance from Sapa to the Bac Ha market is about 135km. If traveling by motorbike or car, it will take about 4 hours to arrive. The road to the Bac Ha market is quite easy and safe, so tourists do not feel tired upon arrival.
What to do at the Bac Ha market?
The Bac Ha market is the largest market in the Northwest. Here, tourists can admire and shop for a wide variety of products. From clothes to poultry, livestock, daily necessities, food, agricultural tools,…
Not only diverse in goods, the Bac Ha market is also a gathering place for the essence and identity of many brotherly ethnic groups. It is also a place for couples to meet and confide after a hard week's work.
When coming to the Bac Ha market, tourists will have the opportunity to try interesting experiences here.
Enjoy the mountain specialties:
When arriving at the Bac Ha market, you don’t need to know what souvenir to buy or what gift to bring back for relatives and friends. But you must definitely fill your stomach with the local specialties here.
Men men: A dish made from corn – the main agricultural product of the people in the Northwest highlands. The corn is ground into flour, and when eaten, it is mixed with water and steamed. A simple but very delicious dish.
Thang Co: A famous dish of the Northwest region. Bac Ha is the cradle of this dish, and it’s hard for any other region to compete in terms of flavor and color… Thang Co is made from horse offal and meat. After being marinated with spices and forest leaves, it is cooked over a charcoal fire. Eating Thang Co on chilly days, accompanied by a little corn wine, is very fitting.
Corn cakes: The cakes are made from corn and placed in a large basin. When customers want to eat, the seller cuts them into small pieces and adds spices to make the dish more attractive. You will surely feel a very different flavor compared to cakes made from rice flour.
Bac Ha plums: Also known as "hau" plums, they are a specialty of the Bac Ha market that many people love. Bac Ha plums are easy to eat, sweet to the last bite. Unlike Lang Son plums, which turn red when ripe, these plums have a pale yellow color, but when cut in half, they have a beautiful golden hue.
Bac Ha pho: When visiting the Bac Ha market in Lao Cai, you must try the pho here, especially the famous and delicious sour pho. Bac Ha pho is made from red rice, a type of rice that can only be grown in the Bac Ha and Lung Phinh areas. It is usually eaten with pickles, meat, salt, and herbs.
Chat and take photos with the people of Bac Ha:
To preserve the atmosphere, the people, and the memories here, you can take photos and chat with the locals. They are very honest and simple, which will help you feel that life is more meaningful and comfortable.
Visit the dog market – a characteristic of the Bac Ha market:
The Bac Ha dog is a famous highland dog breed. In the past, it was considered a specialty of Bac Ha, very intelligent, loyal, and obedient to its owner. There are many types of dogs such as fluffy dogs, large dogs, short-tailed dogs, long-haired dogs…
Buy brocade products
When coming to the Bac Ha market, tourists should not forget to buy some Northwest highland specialties to bring back as gifts. The popular specialties here are usually fruits, wine, ethnic jewelry, brocade skirts, or seedlings…
Especially for female tourists, the area selling jewelry and bamboo baskets should not be missed. The brocade products sold here not only carry the strong ethnic identity of the Hmong, Red Dao… but also have high artistic value.
Tips when going to the Bac Ha market
To have a meaningful visit to the Bac Ha market, you should note the following:
- Choose the appropriate time to visit. That is the weekend because the market meets on Sunday. In addition, you can come in spring when hundreds of flowers bloom, or during festivals when it is very lively.
- When taking photos with locals, you should buy them a small item, even if it’s of little value.
- You should bargain for goods because many traders sell at high prices to tourists.
- There are cases of children pestering tourists, so you need to be careful.
- Be careful when buying items because many Chinese goods are also sold here.
