Bac Ha adventure Tours:

Every Sunday, Bac Ha hosts the biggest fair near the mountainous highlands and the Chinese border. It is the largest and most colourful market in the area and attracts throngs of villagers from the surrounding hill tribes. Some walk several hours for the weekly opportunity to trade and barter food, animals, clothes and household goods ( many flower H'mong are come from Ban Pho villages, ban pho 1 is some 15km away, but ban pho 2 or 3 that up the top mountains and a full day trekking down to the town ( up to 30km away) )

Bac Ha Market

Many different ethnic groups such as Flower Hmong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay and Nung minorities gather to buy and sell local products that cannot be found elsewhere. This makes the market a portrait photographers dream. Indeed most locals paid little attention to you, rather choosing to focus on their business and the short Sunday-sized window of opportunity.

in Bac Ha Market, all ethnic minority such as Flower H'mong, Phu La, Black Dao, Tay and Nung minorities gather to buy and sell local products that cannot be found elsewhere. The market was very crowded, local products for sale or barter are carried on horseback. Besides the usual items like pigs, cows, chickens, and ducks, Bac Ha Market sold dogs. As dogs were available as cuts of meat, they were also available live, right next to the live pigs, chickens, and other livestock.

Flower H'mong women has a beautyful turban, this make the market become so colorful

In the month of July, if you come to Bac Ha market, you would see Plum fuites at everywhere, Plum trees are grown at all hillside of Bac Ha Mountains, the month of Feb is the season of Plum trees in blossom and a great choice for taking pictues

Bac Ha has a climate is similar as Sapa mountains (just 100km from sapa and driving time for 3hours), winter season from Oct - March, but the coldest months can be in Jan and Feb ( snow comes down in some years)

Travel to Bac Ha from Hanoi, that you need to book a night train depart in evening (at 9.45pm from Le Duan Train station in Hanoi), some train serve for this trip such as Tulico, Livitrans, Et-pumpkin, Victoria Express Train (a luxury train with dinning car), you will arrive Lao Cai town at 5.30 am early morning and should have a breakfast in town, next drive for over 1 hour to Bac Ha town. the Bac Ha Market is just in centre of Bac Ha town.

The Market is most exciting time around from 10 to 12.00am and do not miss this rush hours for a best pictures of Bac Ha Market.

After exploring the markets, next you can do a trekking tour to visit the Ban Pho, a trekking tour of 3 hours or can be longer to visit the Flower H'mong villages, stop over at a local flower H'mong to try some corn wine.

There are some hotels in Bac Ha town for overnight if you do't want to go for Sapa town

Sao Mai hotel, can be a best one in Bac Ha town, just 2km from the market

The H'mong king palace that was built for the H'mong king during the time French occupied Vietnam and Indochina

H'mong King palace or Hoang A Tuong Castle is a unique construction work, which harmonizes the Oriental and Western architectural styles
The castle was built at the beginning of the 20th century (between 1914 and 1921). Its owner was Hoang Yen Chao of Tay origin. He was the father of Hoang A Tuong, a tribal mandarin under the domination of the French colonialists.
The castle covers an area of 4,000m² in which the main building occupies 420m². In front of its arched doors are earthen banks. Occupying a pivotal position overlooking the Bac Ha valley, the castle serves both as the residence of Hoang Yen Chao, then Hoang A Tuong and as a fortress. Its network of walls, bunkers, and battlements were reinforced by a mortar mixed with sugar molasses. In a distance, the white castle jutting out from the valley looks imposing and majestic.

The flower H'mong people are very friendly, they always love to "look and meet" foreigners

A wild couple birds are sold at Bac Ha Market

Cow too for sale

Ethnic Flower H'mong in Bac ha market

Rice paddy terraces in Bac Ha

Bac Ha Market

Flower Hmong going to Bac Ha Market

For Bac Ha Adventure Trips, Please email us at: info@vietnampathfinder.com