When we hear about the Bac Ha market, we think of this joyful and colorful meeting place teeming with people, animals and goods of all kinds, a place where all these ethnic minorities from northern Vietnam come together to trade, among them the Flower Hmong.
This is the very reason why Bac Ha has become a must-see place in recent years, but is the market becoming overwhelmed by its success? Ambiance and feeling.
Bac Ha, a colorful market, or not?
The market was at the end of the street from our hotel, so we arrived there shortly after 6:30 on that Sunday morning. But very quickly, I was already disappointed by the atmosphere there.
The reason? When looking for images of the market (on Google Image), what we see is rather tempting and above all… different from reality. “Beginner” mistake? If you like, maybe I shouldn’t have “spoiled” the places in advance, but generally, I still like to have an idea of where I’m going to set foot.
And in these images seen on the net, the market shown by typing this search does not only concern Bac Ha itself, but all the small local markets found in this area.
We made up for it later by visiting one of the other markets, Lung Phin , which was much closer to the atmosphere I was expecting in Bac Ha. To sum it up, I think the atmosphere was a bit too "urban"; I would have preferred something more "rural."
We stayed there for a little over an hour before deciding to try our luck elsewhere, going around to be sure not to miss a more particular spot.
So we would go to the clothing “section”, each one more colorful than the other, the all-purpose bazaar “section”, or more classically, the fresh vegetables and other local produce, including the “pet shop” section.
The whole thing was done without really encountering any tourists , most of whom were arriving from Sapa for a day trip and only arriving from 8am onwards.
While the colours and minorities were certainly present, I think we disliked this city market atmosphere, probably also because, having travelled and lived in Asia (and we saw a lot of markets), the one in Bac Ha, seen as such, seemed to us almost too "ordinary" , lacking a certain something that we could define except that we agreed, it wasn't what we had hoped for.
But if we were disappointed, that does not prevent us from seeing a small anthology of ethnicities, mainly these women of the Flower Hmong ethnicity with their characteristic traditional costumes, the men being, more "sobrietifully" dressed in black.
The easy-to-spot "ordinary" Vietnamese mix into this active crowd to give a more cosmopolitan feel to the whole scene.
Can you tell the difference? Not me...
Visit the Palace of King Meo
And what's there outside the market? A legitimate question, you might ask. And there is still an interesting building to visit, located at the end of the city; if you continue on the main road to go back up north.
As the title suggests, this is a palace. Although Bac Ha is predominantly inhabited by the Flower Hmong, almost 100 years ago, a Thay man named Hoang Yen Chao was appointed "Vua Meo" or "King of the Hmong" (which, incidentally, is spelled H'Mong, not all one word) during the French administration. A fictitious title, of course.
The French built this palace around 1920 in a Spanish/French style with the help of a French and Chinese architect, quite a mix!
Since the rooms are emptied of their furniture, it is mainly the architecture in general that one appreciates , and its terrace.
The terrace offers a magnificent view of the surrounding mountains and an artificial lake that was created just for the king and his three wives. The site's location was chosen to optimize feng shui.
Where to eat in Bac Ha
After our visit to the Lung Phin market , we first returned to Bac Ha. We could have left directly afterwards since it was on the way to the next stop, but I wanted to enjoy a motorbike ride without the bags.
Once ready to leave, we sat down on the terrace of a restaurant for our lunch, just so we could leave with a full stomach.
And to answer "Where to eat", going up the streets coming from the market, you will come across a square, which is probably where you will pass anyway to get to the market.
Most of the restaurants are located around this square, although I readily admit that they are more what we would call "tourist" restaurants, but given the limited choice you will have after going into the mountains, it is not a luxury to treat yourself to a good sandwich.
If you know the Bac Ha market, did you have a similar feeling or were you more “won over”?
