Bac Ha is famous for its Sunday market, it is a trading centre and
meeting place for couples, friends, and relatives every Sunday.
Every Sunday, Bac Ha hosts the biggest fair near the mountainous highlands and the Chinese border.
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, the 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.
Rounding the corner and pungent
fumes of alcohol accosted our senses of smell, from corn whiskey, a Bac
Ha specialty. The potent moonshine is decanted by vendors from large
white plastic jugs to used bottled water containers. If you doubt the
ability of a vendor's hooch to peel paint or light your senses on fire,
you can try a shot for free.
At the fair, adventurous gastronomes can try thang co blood porridge, a popular dish of the H’Mong and other local people.
