7-day Lao Cai fair market of the week
To be one of the localities with many unique fair markets, Lao Cai attracts tourists because the difference lies in opening market days. The special feature that attracts tourists to Lao Cai more than other Northwest provinces is that every day there is a fair market in this province, a market that does not open every day, only open on fixed days. The Lao Cai upland market is not only a place to exchange, buy and sell goods, but also a place to exchange emotions and meeting of boys and girls, of confidants, a place for dating and making friends.Monday – Ban Phiet market
Ban Phiet market in Ban Phiet commune, Bao Thang district. The market is held on Monday every week. Compared with Lao Cai market, Ban Phiet market is quite small and not too crowded but is a place to exchange and trade of ethnic minoritie groups in the region. Most of the people who go to Ban Phiet market are white H’mong. The market is simple with a number of roofed stalls, the rest of the H’mong people lay a few plastic sheets on the ground to display goods for sale. Although the scale is not large, Ban Phiet market is impressed with many colors because the main products here are dresses, towels, hats, belts for women.
The market starts early when the cold is still mixed with the mist. It's always the same in the mountains, the most beautiful and colorful clothes are always chosen to wear market or festival day.
Ban Phiet market - Bao Thang.
Tuesday - Coc Ly market
Situated in the middle of the hills, hidden in romantic floating clouds is a bustling scene of Coc Ly market held every Tuesday. Coc Ly Market, about 35 km from Bac Ha town, is a meeting place for making friends, exchange and buy and sell goods of the Chinese H’mong, the Black Dao and the Nung. The market is divided into separate zones. The products with rich mountain flavors such as vegetables, herbs, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear fungus, honey, corn wine, upland rice, household appliances, jewelry and brocade products with colors, vivid motifs are gathered into one area, displayed on plastic sheets placed on the ground. However, the most prominent place is still selling cattle and poultry such as buffaloes, cows, pigs, chickens, dogs, horses and cats ... The atmosphere in this area is very bustling, buyers, sellers, standing, sitting scatterly and negotiate in selling and buying with each other
Based on local language, Coc Ly means plum root and the beauty of this market is not simply that people come here to buy, sell or exchange goods (using goods in exchange for goods) but also for excursions, meet each other and sing love songs together
Wednesday - Cao Son market
Cao Son Market is the market of the H’mong, Phu La, Dao and black Han people of Muong Khuong district. The market is only held once a week on Wednesday. When entering the market, right from the early morning, all the streets it can be seen that people coming from villages to the market one after another. They go in groups, teams, pairs and sometimes one by one. People pick up goods, use horses to pack goods, people go to the market by motorbike, bicycle ...
Cao Son Market looks more beautiful thanks to people, goods and natural scenery. In the vast, immense space of mountains and forests, people buy, sell, and exchange goods indifferently. People buy rice, people buy brocade, people buy vegetables, fruits and vegetables, people enjoy some specialties in upland areas.
Thursday - Lung Khau Nhin
Lung Khau Nhin Market in Muong Khuong district, held every Thursday morning, is one of the famous markets in the vast Northwest. The buyers here are the ethnic H’mong, Nung, Kinh ... and the main products are agricultural products such as: corn, rice, soybeans, peanuts, vegetables, fruits ... and brocade.
Coming to the Lung Khau Nhin market, you will see many close, familiar and necessary items in every family displayed for sale such as: The insect-spraying pot, hoes, carriers, house brooms, bowls, dishes, teapots. , cup ... Then bustling scene of exchange, purchase, visit ... all make the unique attraction for visitors to Lung Khau Nhin market.
Friday – Chau market
From the nineteenth century, Muong Khuong district had upland markets to exchange goods. Besides famous markets such as Muong Khuong, Cao Son, Pha Long, Ban Lau ..., Chau market in Lung Vai commune has long been a famous trading center in the East of Thuy Vi commune. The market is not only a place to buy and sell, but also a place to meet and exchange feelings of soulmates, dating places for men and women in the villages. Coming to Chau market, visitors can also discover the majestic Muong Khuong with many national cultural traditions and rich identities that still exist today.
Saturday - Can Cau market, Pha Long market
Can Chau fair market is a typical market of ethnic minorities (mainly Giay, H’mong, Hoa). Located along Road 153 - a unique land road connecting Bac Ha town with Si Ma Cai border town, located in Can Cau commune, Si Ma Cai district, Lao Cai province. The market is usually held on Saturdays, public holidays and New Year's day, lasting from early morning to late noon. This is also the largest buffalo market in the Northwest, Vietnam with hundreds of buffaloes traded in each market.
Pha Long Market (Muong Khuong district) is the trading center of the people of Pha Long, Din Chin, Ta Ngai Cho and Ta Gia Khau communes of the district. When the market is in session, the ethnic H'mong, Lo Lo, Tay, Nung, Giay ... gather here, making the market scene bustling and crowded. In which, the most bustling, noisy and eye-catching is the brocade sales area. Pha Long Market is also famous for the Gao Tao Festival when Tet comes.
Sunday – Bac Ha market, Sa Pa
Among Sunday markets in Lao Cai, the most prominent one must be Bac Ha market, which was voted as one of the 10 most unique markets in Southeast Asia. Bac Ha Market is also the only market in the country with a dedicated horse trading area with hundreds of horses being traded each session.
Bac Ha Market - one of the 10 most beautiful markets in Southeast Asia.
Bac Ha Market is the only market in our country that has a dedicated horse trading area with hundreds of horses: black, white, and zebra ... enough to be bought and sold each session. Bac Ha also attracts tourists by specialties: Ban Pho corn wine is very famous cooked in high spring water, with an altitude of more than 1,200 meters and distilled from yeast fermented with forest leaves. Visiting Bac Ha market, visitors can also enjoy the specialties of Lao Cai, which is cooked by the H’mong people from the intestines and horse meat together with fruits and herbs, creating a very unique flavor. Just taste it once and you will remember forever.
Sa Pa fair market is located in the heart of Sa Pa town. On Sundays, you can buy rare and precious pharmaceuticals, forest and native products, traditional products of the ethnic groups such as handicraft; ethnic dishes with many precious forest products here. This is also an opportunity for people from upland to go to the market and young men and women of different ethnic groups meet and sing love songs to find out their partners through love songs, flute, pan-pipe, and lips-music instrument.
In addition, you can visit Lung Phinh market (Bac Ha), Muong Hum market (Bat Xat) on Sundays of the week.