Bac Ha market has long been known as one of the unique markets of Bac Ha, Lao Cai with full of traditional cultural features and colorful life of the Mong, Tay, Nung, Dao, Phu La ethnic groups. This place is also an attractive tourist destination for domestic and foreign tourists every time they set foot in Bac Ha. Especially when coming to Bac Ha market, visitors will enjoy the famous Thang Co cuisine, drink cups of corn wine with the scent of heaven and earth, or sip the bitter, sweet taste of the cool pots of Panax notoginseng flower tea, Ban Lien tea...
Bac Ha market is located in Bac Ha town, Lao Cai province, 70km from Lao Cai city, Bac Ha market is located right in the center of town. This is a place for exchange, buying and selling, meeting of ethnic minorities. Every week, on Sundays, groups of people flock to Bac Ha town to hold the market, going to the market has become an indispensable cultural feature of the ethnic group here... Looking down from above, Bac Ha cultural market is like a colorful mobile flower garden of ethnic minority women's dresses worn to go to the market, blending with the fresh colors of the market stalls.
Previously, Bac Ha market was held on a gentle hill, later the market was rebuilt on a concrete foundation and divided into areas, with many sales areas. An area selling livestock and poultry, an area selling groceries such as plows, hoes, shovels, knives. An area selling brocade, jewelry, an area selling local vegetables, tubers, fruits and agricultural products and an area of food stalls with steaming pans of thang co, spreading the aroma.
What makes this market special is the culture and customs of the ethnic people living here. When visiting the market, visitors can hardly miss the dishes imbued with national identity such as "thang co", "Bac Ha sour pho", "corn rice cake", "day cake" and "banh trung de"... these are all famous specialties of the Bac Ha plateau.
Another product that cannot be ignored is the brocade market, where brocade items are sold that are embroidered, hand-woven, and woven by the local ethnic people with their own skillful hands. Coming here, visitors can choose to buy some small, beautiful, brightly colored dresses, scarves, bags, etc. hanging in the stalls as gifts for family and friends. Or visitors can visit and admire the traditional musical instruments. Coming here on the weekend, it is not difficult to hear the gentle sounds of the panpipe, flute, and mouth harp that touch the heart.
In the current trend of commercializing highland markets, Bac Ha is one of the rare places that is still trying to preserve and maintain the national identity and unique features of the old markets. Bac Ha market has a strong community life of the ethnic people in the Northwest of Lao Cai, helping the people here to preserve the unique traditional cultural values. Currently, this market is still attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to visit and explore .
Photo: Long Ho
Heritage Magazine
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