26/08/2014
Bac Ha is the small mountainous town about 60 kms from Lao Cai. With the altitude of 1200 m from sea level, Bac Ha is not as cold as Sapa with the average temperature of 19°C, Bac ha is so called with the name White Plateau. The first reason is in the past, this was very popular place for growing poppy tree for o***m, that now totally forbidden by the government so the local people now growing plum tree instead. Tam Hoa is the name of the local plum in Bac Ha, which very famous for sweet and fresh taste. Every spring time, the whole area in the white color of the plum flower, that explains why Bac Ha has the name: White Plateau.
There are 14 ethnic minority people living in Bac Ha which Mong people took 47% of the population. The rest are Dao, Tay, Nung, Phu La... Most of Mong people live in Bac Ha are Flower or Variegated – the Mong people with most beautiful and colorful costume. From Bac Ha Town you can take very good hike to Ban Pho – the village of Mong people about 5 kms from the town. This is big village with their house nestled along the valley and very famous for making alcohol from corn – the main diet of Mong people here. The local people had their special know how of using the local plant seed name Hong My for fermenting the corn with their unique source of water so Ban Pho corn alcohol is the most well known one in Vietnam. The hike to Ban Pho can be very interesting with beautiful scenery, hospitable Mong people that you can visit any family along the way you like with a lot of interact and learning experiences with local people.
Bac Ha also have very famous castle was built by French as the present for the Hoang Yen Chao – the tribal Madarin of Tay People under the domination of the French colonialists. The castle located in great location in town, looking out to the valley with the network of walls, bunkers and battlements to protect the mandarin I the castle. Covers an area of 4,000m² in which the main building occupies 420m², the castle is the most impressive building in Bac Ha with great harmony between the Oriental and Western architecture.
Bac Ha is small town but very famous for 3 beautiful markets. Coc Ly on Tuesday, Can Cau on Saturday and Bac Ha on Sunday. The weekly market is very special culture of hill tribe people in the mountain area in the North of Vietnam, in which the meaning of socializing is much more important than shopping. After a week of working hard and having very simple food, it will be the great chance for them to meet their friends, having a good food and great fun with the corn alcohol from Ban Pho. Selling or buying thing only the second meaning of the people to go to market. In here, they can sell their local product such as their traditional embroidery and batik fabric and skirt, corn alcohol, local herbal medicine, knife and ploughshare made by Mong people… Some people from plain also bring household items, to***co, dried fish, western medicine, battery, needle and thread for selling to hill tribe people here. But for me, to most attractive area will be the food section, we you can see the happiness and joy of local people really enjoy their food their and the special part selling horses, buffalos, pig, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and specially the song birds by Mong people. It is always life like and exciting here. To get to the market, many people had to wake up very early and walk for 3 to 4 hours to get to the market. The famous and popular image in Bac Ha is the husband walking in front, taking his wife in her beautiful dress to the market on the horse back. But on the way back, mostly the wife had to take her husband back home lying over horse back as he was totally drunk after having the great fun in the market. If they don’t have the horse, you will see the wife sitting tolerantly beside the husband lying on the ground, waiting for him awake to be home.
