Bac Ha Market and the Flower Hmong people

Each Sunday, the Bac Ha Market brings the normally quiet town of Bac Ha to life. The market is filled with the colourful Flower Hmong people, who come into town from outlying areas to trade their goods, whether food or textiles, and to use as a weekly social outing.

Bac Ha, which sits in the lush hills of the Lao Cai province of north Vietnam, is home to the Flower Hmong ethic minority group, so named because of the vivid and vibrant colours of their traditional dress.

Just a two-minute walk from Bac Ha’s town centre, Bac Ha Market starts early every Sunday, and continues through to midday.

This is our experience of Bac Ha Market

Flower Hmong Clothing and Textiles

An example of the colourful clothing the Flower Hmong people have.

The first area we started with was the traditional Flower Hmong clothing and textiles areas. There were bright colours wherever we looked. Vivid pinks, reds, greens, blues, mixed together in both bold and intricate patterns.

And although this is the place where the Flower Hmong people shop for their clothes, it is also a great place to buy a beautiful wall covering.

It was heart-warming to see the locals continue with their traditional dress, given the loss of these types of traditions globally, and more so to see the children continuing on with these traditions.

Horse Meat Stew (Thang Co) and other Food at Bac Ha Market

The large wok of Horse Meat Stew (Thang Co)

The main food attraction at Bac Ha Market is horse meat stew (Thang Co), a specialty of northern Vietnam cuisine.

The main eating area is near the back of the market, and we decided to have breakfast there.

There are a number of restaurants side-by-side, all with large woks outside simmering the cooked horse meat stew. We found a table and ordered some thang co.

The stew consists mainly of horse meat as well as innards, including bowel, heart, and liver. It is cooked in a spicy broth, and is served with a plate of herbs, and a quite tasty dipping sauce.

The taste of horse meat is a little gamey, not too fatty, and not too far off the taste of beef. It was enjoyable especially with the dipping sauce. The innards were plentiful, with some remaining crunchy, and not too bad when teamed with the sauce.

The dish is very popular for the locals and all the eating stalls were full for breakfast. The horse meat stew comes with complimentary rice wine, and the atmosphere in the stalls was, how shall I say, festive.

However, if horse meat stew doesn’t appeal, then there are other food options. The second most popular dish at the market is Pho Ga, a chicken noodle soup, which is more peppery here than in the bigger cities of Vietnam.

There are other noodle soups, as well as the usual assortment of snack foods available such as deep fried battered vegetables and meats, organs, and mushrooms on a stick.

The final dish of horse meat stew served with herbs and a dipping sauce.

Food Produce

There are many small stalls selling local fruits, vegetables, herbs, roots, flowers, spices, and natural medicines aimed at men and their, ahem, prowess.

It was here that we witnessed the social aspect to the market, where the stall holders were using it as a time to catch up, and probably share a little bit of gossip, in amongst selling their goods.

Turmeric can be used as a dye, medicine, or flavour and colour enhancer in food

Live Animal Trade

Live chickens for sale

There is a small area for selling live animals out the back of the market. The animals for sale on the day we were there included chickens, ducks, pigs, dogs (for pets), and buffalos.

To get to the live animal section, walk downhill from the main food stalls, past the line of outdoor barbers, and down the hill slightly.

This would have to be one of the better views while getting a hair cut

On the day we went, there was a vicious wild boar that was being held in a quite constrictive body cage, and was very aggressive when the owner was shoving it with a stick to show the potential buyers its vigour, I guess.

There were a few interested buyers and negotiations were in full swing as we passed.

Caged wild boar sitting on the back of a motorcycle ready to be sold.

To get to the separate buffalo market, we continued down the hill, crossed the river, where there were about 50 buffalo for sale on the day we visited.

There were close to 50 buffalo for sale

Other stalls at Bac Ha Market

There were many other single stalls selling everyday goods and specialty goods for locals. I didn’t know what all of them were for but enjoyed the process of exploring the market.

Tips for visiting Bac Ha Market

The best way to see the market is to stay locally and arrive fairly early when the market is in full swing. It is possible to join a group tour from areas such as Sa Pa, but the buses will arrive mid-morning when a lot of the early energy has dissipated.