Like Hanoi and Halong Bay, Sapa and Bac Ha are also a must for anyone traveling to Northern Vietnam. They are known for their magnificent breathtaking landscapes, their mild weather but above all for their colorful ethnic markets as well as for the beauties of mountain customs and customs.
Located in the heart of the “Tonkinese Alps”, and a former French mountain station during the colonization era, Sapa is considered an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Vietnamese poets. This “village in the mist” is a harmonized combination of beautiful natural landscapes, traditional ethnic culture and fresh mountain air.
It is also an ideal place for memorable hikes around the mountainous valley as well as for visiting the isolated villages of different minorities, including those of the black H’Mong and red Dzao…
If Sapa remains the best-known destination in the mountainous region of Northern Vietnam, Bac Ha is the second. Once you reach this place, you will be very impressed by the bustling and bustling activities of local people and tourists arriving at the market. The whole city becomes a place of exchange, negotiation and also meeting between men and girls.
These weekly markets have a very important role in the daily life of local residents. These are the main places for their economic, social and cultural exchanges. They are also ideal places for purchasing local products, the acquisition of which constitutes direct support for mountain populations.
Markets in Sapa and Bac Ha generally spill onto the sidewalks of the main street and spill down the stairs, cluttered with fruits, vegetables, jewelry, clothing and finely crafted fabrics. However, they also sell less romantic products imported from nearby China.
You will certainly not have the impression of being isolated among this crowd because these mountain people, while retaining their traditional clothes, will quickly arrive towards you with a big smile and enter into communication in order to present their local goods to you.
Among all the colorful ethnic markets in Sapa and Bac Ha, Bac Ha market is the largest, liveliest and most colorful. Thus, it is the most touristy market in this region.
Despite everything, the Coc Ly and Can Cau markets are the best known even if they are already much less touristy.
