Pha Long Market (Saturday only)

Located: It belongs to Pha Long commue, Muong Khuong District. Pha Long mean big market. This is centre exchange culture and goods of people in commues Pha Long, Din Chin, Ta Ngai Cho, Ta Gia Khau of Muong Khuong District. It is opened on Saturday.

On the very early Saturday, from every paths, roads, mountain you can see people from villages come to market, they go with their group, couple or even single with their goods behind their back or even they use horses to carry goods go to market… they wear their nice clothes with colourful umbrellas which make a romantic and beautiful picture.

Pha Long market is beautiful because of people and goods, they sell their products inside the camps on both side of road. It is very clowded people from ethnic minorites H’mong, Lolo, Tay, Nung, Dzay… They meet, sell their products and talk to each other, the noise make market more pretty and more vibrant.

The horses carry goods will be tied in one place maybe it comes up to hundreds. Buffalos, cows, pigs, chicken is brought to market to sell. They sell Coins, rices, soybeen and other goods you can not count all.

The famous product here is “Séng Cù” rice which is aromatic and delicious, one of the thing can not be lack here that is chilly and chicken-boned sugarcane.

The most attractive area is brocade area, go to Pha Long market, many people would like to choose a most beautiful dress so they choose very carefully, they try on and check, very clowded and noisy places. The food area has a lovely smell from buffalo meat, horse meat, beef with smell of coin-wine of H’mong people, the Coc Ngu wine of Pa Di people is made from good coins in the border area. Besides, porks from black pig are very aromatic and delicious here.

The most wonderful time to visit Pha Long market is after Tet on 3rd to 6th Lunar month, the Gau Tao festival means Climbing Festival people come from surround area, even from Bac Ha town, Sapa town, Mu Cang Chai in Yen Bai province or even people from China gather festival. To start festival , a Shaman will pray around 2 bamboos which decorated with wine, meats. After that, inside round old people will sing a song to praise ancestors, tell story; outside round young people will sing to each other, dance with trumpet… Festival will be vibrant with other games such as raise horse, birds flighting, play hard… until sun goes down people will join to group around kitchen and sing whole night.

The colourful clothes from many ethnic group combine with green of forest is impression of people come to Pha Long market. Go to market as a traditional and custom of people in the north of Vietnam.

(Sourced by: www.myvietnamtravel.net)