Bac Ha Market – Sapa

Why Bac Ha Market – Sapa is special ?

Bac Ha market is a local spot for trading activities of local people opening every Sunday. Visiting there, the visitors can explore the culture of ethnic people.

The atmosphere is very different to Sapa, and you can walk the streets freely without being accosted by hawkers. To experience a small untouristy mountain town, Bac Ha is an excellent destination.

Bac Ha Market is held every Sunday and is the biggest minority peoples market in Northwest Vietnam. Alive with the bright colours and extravagant costumes of the local people, here you will meet Flower Hmong (Red Hmong), Black Dao, Tay, Nung, La Chi, Phu La and other minority groups who come from far and wide to buy and sell a wide variety of goods and livestock, to exchange news and to renew friendships. In the past the market was a centre for trading horses but now that motorbikes have replaced them it is more common to see buffalo, cows, goats, fish and other livestock being traded. The market opens at around 7.30am and closes mid-afternoon, so an early start is advisable

Source: sapaochau.org

What to explore at Bac Ha Market – Sapa?

The Bac has market is divided into 7 zones, where each of them sell products of a certain class:

The market area specializing in textile, fabrics and materials for making ethnic costumes

Grocery market

Area of horses (ponies rather)

Market of farm animals (chickens, hens, pigs, buffaloes, etc...)

Area restaurants (Street restaurants of course)

Market of birds

Crafts and forging market

It is not simply a place for buy and sell but also an opportunity for people from different ethnicities to come and meet, for relatives to reunite after a long time missing, for women to demonstrate their beautiful handmade traditional costumes and even for youngsters to find their dates.

How to get to Bac Ha Market – Sapa?

From Sapa, tourists have several alternatives to go to Bac Ha Market: buses or motorbike.

By bus: There are direct buses from Sapa Terminal with the ticket price of VND 80,000; and it will take up to three hours to reach Bac Ha Market.

The Lao Cai to Bac has bus schedules are: 06: 30, 07: 00, 12: 00, 13: 00 and 15: 00. The schedule of the bus from Bac has to Lao Cai is at 06: 00, 07: 00, 08: 00, 12: 10 and 13: 00. The price of the bus fare are 2€ per way. Although the distance are just 60 kilometers, the bus takes 90 minutes, i.e., 1 hour and a half.

We recommend you take the bus to Lao Cai at 7:00 and back on the bus by 13:00.

By motorbike: Tourists can also hire motorbike (Minsk is the most popular) for VND 100,000/day and enjoy the wildly picturesque sceneries on the way to Bac Ha. The route passes through Ban Phiet; then following Highway 70 for about 40-50km, turning left at the three-way crossroad leading to Bac Ha.

Tips: Use our Route Planner Tool (http://routeplanner.vietnamonline.com/) to find the best way to get from Sapa to Bac Ha.

By Minibus tour to Bac Ha market

These tourist minibuses with capacity of 5 to 12 people are hired in Lao Cai travel agencies and hotels. Generallythey tend to leave for Lao Cai around 7: 00 am and return about 12: 00 from Bac has. It takes 1 hour to reach the market and usually minibuses / vans return back to Lao Cai 3 hours later, time more than enough to see the market and do some shopping.

Source: http://www.vietnamonline.com