Lung Phin market – one of the most typical and unique backward market in Ha Giang Province Vietnam
Most of markets in the north of Vietnam are organized in fixed day such as: Coc Ly Market on Tuesday, Can Cau Markets on Saturday….and repeat weekly but Lung Phin market is held every six days on lunar calendar (days of the Monkey and the Tiger)
You can find Lung Phin market 15 km from Meo Vac, Ha Giang. This is one of the most typical hill tribe markets is Vietnam where tens of thousand of people from Hmong, Dzao and Chinese flock to every week. They go to market with their own product like cows, pics and dogs can be seen on their way to market. Here, various hill tribes from highland villages converge every week to trade.
Map of Lung Phin Market:
The morning begins earlier at 05:00AM than normal day and finished at 3 to 4PM. All of ethnic peoples: H’Mong, Zao, Tay, Lo Lo, Tu Di… start going to the market from the early morning by all means of transportation; walk, horse and even motorbike. They travel in family, a group of young girls and boys and starting making the market vibrant with their best and colorful clothes.
In the market day old people to talk about their family, children, works, a chance for the family to sell their crops, buffaloes, pig, chickens and to buy necessary for their family, crops… It is also a chance for young girls and boy starting their courtship.
Markets is going to end around 3pm when all of barter counter-trade are over, buffaloes, chickens, pigs are sold, ice creams are all bought by young girls, soup are eated by family, rice wine are all drunken by group of friends. No matter if they could sell all of their products as they could bring them home as they could meet their old friends, could drink, chat, sharing their life stories or even a certain courtship seeded.
What a wonderful socialize way that we should not miss!
Going home
Here is the list to calculate the market days!
Lung Phin Market: Day of Tiger and day of Monkey
Sa Phin Market: Day of Snake and day of Pig
Pho Bang Market: Day of Rat and day of Horse
Pho Cao Market: Day of Dragon and day of Dog