Khau Vai - the love market that forever calls

Khau Vai is attracting more and more visitors, but it still retains its original spirit: a humane space where people are allowed to confront the past with sincerity and tolerance.

VietnamPlus•19/04/2026

Resolution 80-NQ/TW of the Politburo on the development of Vietnamese culture emphasizes the view that culture should be placed on par with economics, politics, and society, while also defining the task of preserving and promoting heritage values in connection with contemporary life. Festival programs are a vibrant space for practicing these viewpoints.

In the context of national culture, preserving and maintaining the Khau Vai Love Market space – a National Intangible Cultural Heritage – is essentially preserving a "cultural space" to safeguard and spread unique cultural values and humanistic values amidst the flow of modernity.

Khau Vai - "the market of memories"

The Khau Vai Love Market – also known as the Romantic Market – originates from the legend of Ba, a Nung ethnic man, and Ut, a Giay ethnic woman. They were deeply in love, but their love was forbidden due to differences in ethnicity, ancestry, and customs. Furthermore, Ba came from a poor family, while Ut was the daughter of the Giay tribal chief. Unable to be together, they made a pact to return to Khau Vai once a year, on the 27th day of the 3rd lunar month, to meet and share their unspoken feelings.

From that promise, many people liken Khau Vai to a "market of memories," where old love stories have a chance to be continued, even if only for a short day each year.

The market became a rare opportunity for them to pause and reflect on a part of their youthful memories. After that gathering, everyone returned to their lives, feeling lighter and more fully present in the moment. (Photo: Minh Quyet/TTXVN)

From far-flung villages, people flock to Khau Vai. Among them are those who have started families, and those whose hair has turned gray with age. They come not to rekindle old romances in the conventional sense, but to reunite with those who were once close to them for a period of their lives.

Khau Vai Love Market - also known as the Romantic Market - originates from a beautiful yet sad love story between Ba and Ut.

A handshake, a simple greeting, a cup of corn wine by the fire… sometimes, just that much is enough to settle unfinished business. There is no jealousy or prohibition, because for the people of the highlands, the past cannot be erased. They believe that honesty and trust are the solid foundation of a family. This tolerant way of behaving has created a unique culture, rarely seen anywhere else.

From a life perspective, the Khau Vai Love Market is also like a special "moment of quiet reflection" for the community. Throughout the year, people are preoccupied with farming, family, and daily life. The market becomes a rare opportunity for them to pause and look back on a part of their youthful memories. After this gathering, everyone returns to their lives, feeling lighter and more fully present in the moment.

Every year on the 27th day of the 3rd lunar month, the young men and women of the ethnic minority here dress in their finest clothes to come to the Khau Vai Festival Market. (Photo: Minh Quyet/TTXVN)

Over time, the Khau Vai Love Market has evolved from a meeting place for past loves into a space for romantic encounters. Some people come to the love market when they haven't yet experienced love, and leave with a budding romance. Others visit many markets before finding their soulmate amidst the sounds of flutes and love songs.

It is these simple things that create the profound humanistic depth of the Khau Vai love market - where love is not just a romantic emotion but also a bond and sharing between people.

Over time, the Khau Vai Love Market has evolved from a meeting place for past loves into a space for romantic encounters. Some people come to the love market without knowing love, and leave with a budding romance.

Khau Vai is attracting more and more visitors, but it still retains its original spirit: a humane space where people are allowed to confront the past with sincerity and tolerance.

During the ceremonial part of the love market, the people of Khau Vai offer sacrifices to the shrines of Ông and Bà (male and female deities) to remember their origins, the pioneers who settled and developed the Khau Vai village, and to honor the love between couples. (Photo: Minh Quyết/TTXVN)

Perhaps it is this simple philosophy of life that has helped the small market nestled in the mountains become one of the most unique cultural features of the northern highlands. There, love is not just an emotion of the present, but also a memory preserved and cherished over time.

Khau Vai - The Love Market That Keeps Calling

The 2026 Khau Vai Love Market Festival, themed "Khau Vai - The Everlasting Love Market," will be held on May 12-13, 2026 (corresponding to the 26th and 27th of the 3rd lunar month) in Khau Vai commune, Tuyen Quang province.

The festival is organized to honor the unique traditional cultural values of the ethnic minorities in the highlands, while also contributing to promoting the image of the local land and people. Through its diverse activities, the festival not only creates a highlight in tourism development but also contributes to promoting socio -economic development and strengthening cultural exchange among ethnic communities.

In recent years, along with the development of tourism, the Khau Vai Love Market Festival has been organized on a larger scale, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists.

The festival will feature many activities showcasing the rich cultural identity of the ethnic groups, such as: performances of traditional costumes of the Mong, Lo Lo, Tay, and Nung ethnic groups; love songs and folk dances characteristic of the highlands. In addition, there will be a matchmaking ceremony – a ritual with special spiritual significance associated with the legend of the "love market" – along with many folk games such as pao throwing, yến fighting, tug-of-war, stick pushing, etc.

The highland culinary space is also a key highlight of the festival, showcasing traditional dishes such as thang co (a type of stew), men men (corn porridge), buckwheat triangular cakes, and corn wine fermented with leaves. Through this, visitors have the opportunity to experience the unique cultural life of the ethnic minorities in the northernmost region of the country. Not only can visitors enjoy the food, but they can also directly participate in the preparation activities, fully appreciating the sophistication of each ethnic group's culinary culture.

Images from the spectacular art program celebrating the opening of the Khau Vai Phong Luu Market Festival 2025. (Photo: Minh Tam/VNA)

The festival space is further expanded with experiential points such as a stone maze, scenic check-in areas, and tours of Nho Que Lake… creating a colorful journey of discovery for visitors.

In recent years, along with the development of tourism, the Khau Vai Love Market Festival has been organized on an increasingly larger scale, attracting a large number of domestic and international tourists. However, the local authorities still focus on preserving traditional identity, ensuring the original elements of the festival, avoiding commercialization, and thereby maintaining the distinctive cultural values that have been formed over many generations.

The 2026 Khau Vai Love Market Festival is expected to continue to be a significant highlight in Tuyen Quang province's tourism activities, contributing to spreading the image of a land rich in cultural identity, friendly, and with great development potential. At the same time, it is also an opportunity to honor, preserve, and promote the unique intangible cultural heritage of the ethnic communities in the northern highlands.