Located on the Chay River, about 35km from Bac Ha, Coc Ly market is held every Tuesday morning. Although Coc Ly is not a big market, its authentic and traditional beauty is captivating with the presence of the Hmong flower ethnic minority and their colorful costumes.
Coc Ly market plays a very important role for the ethnic minorities in the western part of Bac Ha. It is the place where different tribes from the surrounding mountains of Nung, Black Dao, Tay, Phu La and especially Flower Hmong gather. They exchange local specialties, traditional handmade clothes, accessories or herbs from the forest. Seen from afar, the market looks like a brightly colored palette of minority costumes in the green of the jungle.
Early in the morning, groups of different ethnic minorities, in traditional costumes, arrive on foot, horseback or scooter, sometimes after a long journey on small roads from the surrounding villages. They bring products of the mountain like corn, manioc, tea, fruits, honey, wine, handicraft…
Going to the Coc Ly market is an opportunity for the inhabitants to do business, but also to meet people, share good moments together and eat.
The market is divided into several stalls, for fruits, vegetables, domestic animals, handicraft weaving and traditional clothes, etc. The buffalo selling area is the most lively as it is the most used animal in Bac Ha to plow the rice fields in this mountainous region.
Site of interest for visitors, it is undoubtedly the gastronomic area where you can taste traditional dishes in full of smells as the “thang co”, a specialty of several ethnic groups of the North, the soup of rice noodles “pho”…
After the market, you can visit the Tay ethnic villages or take a pleasant boat ride along the Chay River.
Coc Ly market has and still has all the authentic characteristics of the ethnic mountain markets in northern Vietnam. So don’t miss to discover Coc Ly market during your stay in Bac Ha.
