For generations, the flea market has become a typical image representing the life and beauty of the culture of people in the highlands of the Northwest. The flea market is not always available like the downstream market, such as Can Cau market held on Saturday, Bac Ha market on Sunday, or Sín Chéng market only meets every Wednesday. Perhaps that's why people are more eager, waiting for the day to go to the market. Those who have once had the opportunity to go to the highland market, must also be engrossed in the line of people who do not want to leave soon.
On the rocky plateau land, besides the usual markets, you also have the opportunity to explore the unique and new experiences of the Lui market, the "specialty" only Ha Giang has.
The backward market is not a proper name, it is the way that people downstream to Ha Giang use to call markets that are one day back from the previous market. The market only meets once every 6 days, but because there are 7 days in the week, the next market is planned to be pushed back one day. For example, if this Sunday holds a market, next week it will meet on Saturday. As for the Hmong and Chinese, they calculate the market calendar according to 12 zodiacs, they will meet on conflicting days such as Rat - Ngo, Thin - Tuan, Gradually - Body, Snake - Pig.
Ha Giang has a total of 4 such backward markets. It's the Rat-Day Horse Day; Fox Street Market meets on Thin Day - Dog Day; Lung Phin market meets on Gradually - Body day and Sà Phin market meets on Snake day - Pig day.
The backward markets usually start around 4-5 a.m. People from the villages in the high mountains excitedly came to the market. From the dim light there were silhouettes of people and horses leading each other away. Everyone wears the most brilliant dresses, wears an extra bat behind their back to buy this and that. The children who went to the market were also happy to laugh with all their eyes.
In the market, people mainly sell hand-grown items such as fried pigs, black chickens, cat cabbage, tangles of tobacco leaves or spices such as chili, pepper, cardamom, macadamia seeds, then sickles, knives ,... The most numerous and prominent are still the clothes and fabrics woven by the mothers themselves.
The beauty of highlanders is to go to the market to see friends, to drink, to heal. Going to the market without eating or drinking is a big shortcoming. The dishes don't need to be luxurious, simply a hot bowl, a plate of boiled meat dipped in salt and pepper or a bowl of pork yolk soaked in boiling water is enough to sit until past noon.
Tourists going to the flea market almost everyone are fascinated by cups of corn wine, mèn mén or dishes such as thang co horse, buckwheat cake, thang dat tea.
The market was almost noon. The clubs were now full of things, and the horse scrambled away, followed by a drunken husband and his quiet wife. The market is as simple and simple as the life of the highland ethnic people in this country.
Photo: Internet