Reviving the cultural space of the ancient Coc Leu market

These days, people in the province and tourists are eagerly looking forward to the opening ceremony of the Red River - Lao Cai Festival 2025. The opening of the rich series of activities of the festival week is the program to experience the cultural space of the old Coc Leu market on the banks of the Red River, in Lao Cai ward. This is considered a unique highlight that promises to attract a large number of tourists.

Born and raised in the old Lao Cai town, now 65 years old, Mrs. Tran Thi Minh (Lao Cai ward) still cannot forget the childhood memories associated with her homeland. In particular, the image of Coc Leu market on the banks of the Red River, only about 1 km from her house, always appears clearly as an inseparable part of her memory.

Back then, her mother often took her to Coc Leu market to play, and when she grew up, she was allowed to bring vegetables to Coc Leu market to sell. In her memory, Coc Leu market was busiest every weekend, especially on Saturdays and Sundays. In those days, ethnic minorities from the highlands came to the market to trade, exchange, meet, chat, eat and sing together all night long.

Mrs. Tran Thi Minh recalls old memories of Coc Leu market.

Today, next to the spacious and modern Coc Leu market, a space has been built to recreate the scene of the old Coc Leu market. This is the opening activity for a series of exciting events of the Red River Festival - Lao Cai 2025.

Visiting the space recreating the old Coc Leu market, the familiar image of the old Coc Leu market with rustic, simple shops made of bamboo, thatched roofs, earthen stoves... old memories flooded back, making Mrs. Minh emotional.

Ms. Tran Thi Minh shared: I witnessed Coc Leu market at its most bustling in the 70s of the last century. At that time, each market session had a lot of people from ethnic groups in districts and communes bringing goods and agricultural products to sell. People going to the market all wore the most brilliant new costumes, notably the red costumes of the Red Dao, the black costumes of the Tay and Nung, the green of the Giay, the green of the Chinese...

At that time, Coc Leu market was a town market, but it was as colorful as a highland market. In the market, there were very simple restaurants, on wooden tables there were only chopsticks, a few spoons, a bowl of fish sauce and a few chili peppers. Mong people from far away came to the restaurant to eat, they talked, drank and laughed very happily. I felt like they waited all week, all month to go to Coc Leu market just to meet each other.

Lao Cai Ward urgently completes the old Coc Leu market space.

According to historical documents, since the French colonialists built Coc Leu bridge in 1907, Coc Leu market gradually took shape and became more and more crowded and bustling. This is the most famous market in Lao Cai province - the trading center between the highlands and the lowlands, a place for exchanging, buying and selling goods, meeting and interacting with ethnic groups such as Dao Tuyen, Giay, Xa Pho, Tay, Nung, Mong, Kinh... and even Chinese people from China.

The old Coc Leu market had areas selling agricultural products, fabrics, shoes, clothes; rows selling livestock such as pigs, chickens, geese, ducks; rows selling agricultural tools such as plows, hoes, knives, sickles, etc. In particular, under the market yard there was a place to tie horses and the edge of the Red River was a place to gather and buy and sell forest products such as wood, bamboo, rattan, bamboo, rafts, etc. from the upper reaches of the Red River and Nam Thi River.

In the essay “Old Coc Leu Market”, the late writer Ma A Lenh wrote: “In Lao Cai (can be said to be Lao Cai, or Lao Cai, both meaning old market, old town) there are many markets. Bat Xat has Muong Hum market; Sa Pa has Sa Pa market, later changed to Hong Ho market; Muong Khuong has Ban Lau market, Chau market, district market; Bac Ha has Bao Nhai market, town market, Lung Phinh market, Sin Ma Cai market... but Coc Leu is still the most famous market, because it is the center of the districts in the area and the center between the lowlands and the highlands, and also the place of exchange with the neighboring country of China”.

The earthen stove reminds us of the old rice shops at Coc Leu market.

That is the real space of Coc Leu market decades ago. At the Red River - Lao Cai Festival 2025, Lao Cai Ward People's Committee has been looking for ways to recreate the old Coc Leu market so that people and tourists can experience this unique cultural space.

The space of the old Coc Leu market not only has huts made of bamboo, rattan, and thatched roofs, but is also divided into two culinary areas (Northwestern highland cuisine and Chinese cuisine); an area displaying and reproducing handicrafts and trade; an area for buying and selling agricultural products, farm tools, and groceries; an area for experiencing and displaying images of the old Coc Leu market; and a stage for performing arts rich in cultural identity.

Along with that, in the corridor of Coc Leu B market, there will also be 25 commercial booths of enterprises, cooperatives, and business households serving people and tourists, along with many bustling street activities on the banks of the Red River.

According to Mr. Nguyen Chi Cong - Director of Duc Duy Construction Company, the unit in charge of recreating the space of the old Coc Leu market, in the process of developing the idea, the consulting and design department spent a lot of time reviewing the images and documents left from the old days about Coc Leu market, to research and redesign the space to recreate the old Coc Leu market to ensure the most vivid and realistic. In addition, from the market gate, to the stage and booths, some types of trees were also planted to create a green and beautiful space.

According to the plan, at 6:30 p.m. on November 18, 2025, Lao Cai Ward People's Committee will organize the opening ceremony of the ancient Coc Leu market space. However, since November 15, when the ancient Coc Leu market space is being urgently completed, it has attracted a large number of people and tourists to come and learn. Many young people were excited to see the scene of artisans and craftsmen recreating the shops and stoves, reviving the scene of the market that formed on the banks of the Red River more than 100 years ago.

Vang Bao Khuyen, Bat Xat commune, and his friends are experiencing the cultural space of the old Coc Leu market, saying: Coming here, I can imagine that Coc Leu market in the past was the most famous market in the province. The old Coc Leu market was simple, rustic, not as modern as it is now. I really hope that by recreating the old image of Coc Leu market, it will create a highlight, attracting many people to visit and experience.

Talking to us about the organization of recreating the space of the old Coc Leu market, Mr. Nguyen Van Nhat - Chairman of Lao Cai Ward People's Committee said that this is an important activity in the contents that the ward is implementing to serve the Red River Festival - Lao Cai 2025.

With the meaning of opening the series of attractive activities of the Red River Festival - Lao Cai 2025, with the theme "Where the Red River flows into Vietnam", the re-enactment of the ancient Coc Leu market space promises to bring to the people and tourists the most authentic and vivid experiences of the most famous market in Lao Cai province from the beginning of the 20th century. From there, multiply the pride in the more than 100-year history of the ancient Coc Leu market and the spaciousness and modernity of Coc Leu market today.

Source: https://baolaocai.vn/lam-song-lai-khong-gian-van-hoa-cho-coc-leu-xua-post886899.html