Visitors to the Northern border province Lào Cai can not go without a trip to Mường Hum market which meets every Sunday, the busiest day in the mountainous Bát Xát district. From Lào Cai city, we travel by car (20km) to Bát Xát, then continue 24km more to Mường Hum.
The market lies in a small valley surrounded by high mountains. Week-end market day is for selling, buying, meeting and mutually entertaining of ethnic minority groups: Hà Nhì, Mông, Hoa, Giáy, Dao Đỏ... Even not on market-days, visitors will be joyful to see natural landscapes, on market-day, it’s crowded along stream near the market, horses stand awaiting their owners dressed in colours, sometimes they (the horses) start neighing and make the scene more merry.
In the market, you will get surprised to see colored costumes worn by minority girls. Young boys and girls go to the market not only for selling or buying something, but to find their lovers and they always dress beautifully as if to be for holidays. Mông minority girls look very sensual in their skirts, they like to wear fade hair made of wool and they look like walking flowers while the Dao Đỏ young girls put on dark-blue clothes spotted with flowers on their chests, red-scarves with sparkling silvery buttons. Children of Dao minority group, carried on their mothers’ backs also get well-dressed.
Market-goers to Mường Hum have chances to try local products: shan tuyết alcohol, thắng cố (a kind of food), fish caught from pia ngờ stream... It’s kind of small fish but taste well when fried or grilled and you can not forget its smell.
Visitors to the market have time to admire natural beauty, otherwise, they can live in the atmosphere of the community.
HẢI ANH
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