At an altitude of 1,200 m and not far from the Chinese border, this is one of the biggest markets in the region. The numerous horses you see here belong to the Hmông fleur (one of the 6 groups of the Hmông minority), whose goods they transport to the market and take back when the Hmông return to their remote mountain-top villages. Bac Hà is a Vietnamese name derived from Pac ha, in the Tay language, meaning "a hundred bundles of grass". Until the 90s, Bac Hà, still isolated, had a sulphurous reputation due to its thriving opium poppy cultivation. It was eradicated thanks to the promotion of alternative crops, and today it's the plum blossom (flowering in February) that gives Bac Hà its charm. Once a small town lost in the mountains, Bac Hà has grown rapidly over the last decade, to the detriment of its scenic beauty and sylvan calm. Visitors come here mainly on Sundays to see the market, where no fewer than 14 ethnic groups are represented - the Hmông fleur being the most numerous, but also Kinh, Dao noir, Tay, Nung, Phu La... Other small markets - often more interesting, as they are less touristy and more authentic - are also accessible within a radius of a few dozen kilometers. On weekdays, the small, deserted town seems dull and depressing, but Bac Hà can also be used as a base for trekking through magnificent landscapes, where the minority villages are just as many stopovers. The Bac Hà horse race, very popular in the region, is held every year in the first half of June. Young men and women from the surrounding villages - Hmông, Tay, Nung... - compete, transforming their pack horses into racehorses.

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Pictures and images Bac Hà

Hmông fleuris du village de Bac Hà. Yukiko Yamanote  - Iconotec
École du village de Bac Hà. Yukiko Yamanote  - Iconotec
Route des cimes dans les environs de Bac Ha. Ann-My Varella
Paysan Hmông du village de Bac Hà. Yukiko Yamanote  - Iconotec
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