 It
is the colorful market in a
mountainous area where the
Flower H'mong mainly gathers
to exchange their homemade
products.
This Tuesday market is about
35km from
Bac Ha. You can
get here via a fairly good
road, or by road and river;
hotels in Sapa and Bac Ha
can organise trips.
Coc ly
is a small village on the
Chay river inhabited by the
Flower H'mong Minority
people. The Flower H'mong
traditionally wear a
distinctive and bright
coloured costume. They are a
gentle, softly spoken people
who live in the steep
mountainous country close to
the Chinese border. Because
Coc Ly is more remote than
Sapa, the dress and way of
life is more traditional
than in the large centers.
The market deals in fruit,
vegetable, pork and
chickens, in addition to
colourful fabrics and items
of traditional dress. There
is a buffalo sale in
progress and many of these
placid animals are tethered
close to the market. Buffalo
are still widely used in the
growing process, especially
in the mountainous regions.
Horse are an important form
of transport in the North
West and a quite a few,
sturdy ponies were tied to
tree around the market. The
horse carry a light timber
frame on their back to carry
produce to and from the
market.
 There’s
no dancing or singing, but
Coc Ly Market in Lao Cai
Province always turns
colorful and festive on
Tuesdays, when ethnic people
gather there to buy and sell
goods, dine and drink, or
just wander to enjoy the
ambience of the montagnard
market.
Many ethnic traders from Bac
Ha and other parts of Lao
Cai Province dress up in
colorful costumes and bring
horses, chickens, buffaloes,
vegetables or whatever they
can sell to the festive
market in the wee hours, and
will not return home until
1pm.
Certainly, what catches the
eyes of visitors most are
the different colors of the
costumes worn by ethnic
people and the handicrafts
they sell at the market,
about 50 kilometers from Lao
Cai City in the northern
province.
You can see young and old
Hmong women, wearing skirts
and hats with different
types of embroidered
flowers, crowding the market
during the opening hours of
Coc Ly. Scarves, clothes,
decorations and other items
made of tho cam (ethnic
fabric) on sale also add
color to the bazaar by the
Chay River.
 The
colorful items are put on
sale not just for locals but
also tourists, particularly
foreigners. However, you
should remember to bargain
when you want to buy your
favorites, and the items at
the booths located at the
start of the path you walk
on always have higher
prices. Keep walking toward
the end of the traditionally
ethnic market until you find
a real bargain.
A good idea is to stroll
every corner of the
once-a-week bazaar as you
listen to unexpected
conversations, see nice
surprises and learn how
ethnic people sell and buy
farm produce, life’s
necessities and other
things.
After visiting the market,
which is the most fresh and
unspoiled market of the
region, offering a wide
range of different colorful
ethnic minorities such as
Flower C'mon, Black Dao, Tay
, Fula, Lachi, Sandui and
Nung....there will be an
exciting boat cruise winding
you through a breathtaking,
out of this-world landscape
where the mountain grow from
water presenting their most
hidden mysteries, including
caves and tiny minority ...A
picnic lunch box can be
prepared for your most
convenience..
Vietdiscovery(st) |
)
)
)
