Cultural performances at Ngam Poc market, Yen Thang commune.
Yen Thang is a border commune where the lives of the people are still fraught with difficulties. The land of Yen Thang boasts majestic natural landscapes; the people here still preserve and promote many unique traditional cultural values, most notably the Cha Mun Festival. This unique folk religious festival of the Black Thai ethnic group has been recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The harmonious combination of cultural identity and pristine beauty is an important prerequisite for the sustainable development of community tourism in Yen Thang commune.
In line with the policy of developing community tourism associated with preserving and promoting traditional cultural identity, in March 2025, Yen Thang commune inaugurated the Ngam Poc Night Market. The market is held on the last Saturday evening of each month. Despite being held at night, the Ngam Poc Night Market attracts a large number of locals and tourists for trading. Here, visitors can find a variety of local products such as dried bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, upland sticky rice, honey, etc., or enjoy characteristic dishes of the Thai ethnic minority. In particular, the stalls selling brightly colored brocade fabrics are a highlight, offering a unique traditional cultural experience for visitors to Yen Thang commune.
Ms. Luong Thi Ngoc, a small business owner at Ngam Poc night market in Yen Thang commune, said: "Since the Ngam Poc night market opened, I've sold my goods here at every market day. I hope the night market will continue to be maintained and developed so that people in the commune have the opportunity to interact and trade, contributing to increasing their family income."
The highlight that attracts many locals and tourists to Ngam Poc night market is the unique cultural performances, rich in the Thai ethnic identity. These elaborately staged performances not only provide entertainment but also effectively promote traditional cultural values to visitors from all over.
"I once visited Yen Thang commune and experienced the Ngam Poc night market. Here, I not only got to admire the beautiful scenery and enjoy traditional dishes of the Thai ethnic people, but also shopped at the Ngam Poc night market. The vendors were very friendly, and the prices were reasonable, making me love this place even more. This was truly a very rewarding trip, and if I have the opportunity, I will spend many more days here with my family," shared Ms. Nguyen Thi Hue from Hac Thanh ward, a tourist who experienced the Ngam Poc night market.
Through practical observation, it has been found that despite its relatively short operating time, Ngam Poc Night Market has created its own unique identity as a highland market, attracting a large number of tourists and people from the communes of Tam Thanh, Bat Mot, Yen Nhan, etc. This is an innovative approach by the local Party committee and government, creating an important foundation for exploiting the potential and advantages of tourism development and creating livelihoods for the people.
Speaking with us, Mr. Vu The Vinh, Chairman of the People's Committee of Yen Thang commune, said: To exploit its potential and advantages, the commune has encouraged households with the means to invest in developing tourism services to meet the needs of tourists visiting and experiencing the area. All resources have been mobilized to invest in infrastructure development, with a focus on transportation infrastructure to facilitate trade and tourism development. As a result, tourism in Yen Thang commune has developed effectively, creating jobs for many local workers. By 2025, Yen Thang commune is expected to welcome nearly 20,000 tourists. This achievement is partly due to the contribution of the Ngam Poc night market in attracting tourists. In the future, the commune will continue to maintain and expand the scale of the Ngam Poc night market. We will also encourage performing arts groups to practice many unique performances to present at the night market, serving the needs of tourists. Encourage the people to cultivate and raise specialty crops and livestock linked to tourism development to enhance the economic value for the people. Strengthen the promotion of the Ngam Poc night market model so that people and tourists know about it, visit, experience, and buy goods, contributing to the promotion of tourism development.
Text and photos: Thanh Huong
Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/sac-mau-cho-dem-ngam-poc-278951.htm
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