Bac Ha Maket
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.
