Vietnam Bac Ha Market: An Explosion of Colours… But a Bit of Disappointment Bac Ha, Lao Cai, Travel to Vietnam 3 (2)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 things cross paths. ethnic minorities of northern Vietnam who come to trade there, among whom are the Flowery 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. Summary hide Bac Ha, a colorful market, or not? Visit the Palace of King Meo Where to eat in Bac Ha Bac Ha, a colorful market, or not?The market being at the end of the street from our hotel, we arrived there shortly after 6:30 on this Sunday morning. But very quickly, I am already disappointed by the atmosphere there.Upon arrival at the market.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 will make up for it by going to see one of these other markets later, Lung Phin's, much closer to what I expected as an atmosphere in Bac Ha. I think if I have to summarize that the atmosphere was somewhere too "urban", I would have liked something more "country".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.Contrary to what one might believe, the dogs for sale here are not for eating but bred to guard livestock!On the other hand, the same cannot be said of the pig in the sack being weighed...It all happened without really coming across any tourists, most of them disembarking from Sapa for a day trip and only arriving from 8am.If the colours and minorities are there, I think that this city market atmosphere displeased us, probably also because of travelling and living in Asia (and we have seen many markets), that of Bac Ha seen as such seemed almost too “ordinary” to us in the end, lacking a certain something that we could define ourselves by, except that we were in agreement, it was not what we were hoping for.But if we were disappointed, that does not prevent us from seeing a small anthology of ethnic groups, mainly these women of the Hmong Fleuris ethnic group with the characteristic traditional costumes, the men being more “soberly” dressed in black.The easy-to-spot "ordinary" Vietnamese mix into this active crowd to give a more cosmopolitan feel to the whole scene.People from the Dzao, Giay, Han, Xa Fang, Lachi, Nung, Phula, Tay, Thai and Thulao ethnic minorities can also be seen there.Can you tell the difference? Not me...We can't stop progress...On the street leading to the market.A little one already ready to haggle.Visit the Palace of King MeoAnd 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.A street in Bac Ha.It is, as the title suggests, a palace. Although Bac Ha is dominated by the Flower Hmong, almost 100 years ago, a person of the Thay ethnic group named Hoang Yen Chao, was named "Vua Meo" or "King of the Hmong"(which, by the way, is spelled H'Mong and not all attached) from the time of the French administration. A puppet title, of course.The French had built this palace around 1920 in a Spanish/French style with the help of a French and Chinese architect, what a mix!Since the rooms are emptied of their furniture, it is especially the architecture in general that we appreciate there, and its terrace.The terrace offers a beautiful view on the surrounding mountains and an artificial lake that was installed just for the king and his three wives. The location of the site was chosen to optimize feng-shui.The beautiful view from the terrace.Coming back to the motorbike; I discover the “Vietnamese style” or how I make the motorbike squat as a seat…The visit is chargeable, 10 Dong per person.Where to eat in Bac HaAfter our visit to Lung Phin Market, we were going back to Bac Ha first. We could have left straight after since it was on the road to the next stage, 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.I'm still trying a traditional coffee although I still can't get used to their taste...Original, a sandwich with all the ingredients to put yourself in the bread.Facade of the restaurant for today's lunch.Street scene in Bac Ha.If you know the Bac Ha market, did you have a similar feeling or were you more “won over”? 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