culture 107
dresses and brush hair neatly to go to market. They often save
mountains so the market is considered their meeting place.
glitter shirt, cajuput ten-coloured skirt, and red shoes to wear
Therefore, it is easy to understand that many people come to
only on these important occasions and fairs.
the market without buying anything, or just bring the chickens to charge for foods. At the market, besides trading, they play
Ethnic minority markets on the rocky plateau are always
the khaen and dance. Until midday when Thang Co and corn
bustling like Tet Holiday. We can easily hear the sounds of
wine are all gone and all essential goods are bought, H’Mong
cows, horses, people buying and selling goods or cheering with
people arrange their belongings and come back home after
a bowl of aromatic wine, “thang co”, velvet bean. There are also
saying a few goodbyes to each other.
high-quality mountain products such as honey, mushrooms, vegetables and some modern household items like Television.
Ha Giang market is a place for not only people there but also
Especially, in many markets in Ha Giang, people often use
other ethnic groups and tourists from the lowland. People
objects instead of money for trading. For instance, they can
come here to take a walk, admire the scenery, take a few
exchange the chicken or dozens of eggs for the hoe or bucket
photos, try a bowl of Thang Co, and sip a glass of corn wine.
of water ... Ethnic minority markets are often noisy but not as vibrant as the lowland ones. Everyone does his/her own works
Though simple as it is, the ethnic minority market has
there. The drinker drinks quietly while other people sell and
become a “specialty” of the plateau, which even makes many
buy things without bargaining.
people say “if you have come to Ha Giang without visiting the market, it means you have only experienced half of the beauty
Next to the trading area, there is a food court with the big, hot
of this place”.
woks of Thang Co and aromatic corn wine. Beside short tables and old benches, Thang Co is scooped out and the wine is
“Dangerous, majestic and poetic like the unknown, endless,
poured into the bowl. Men eat Thang Co and drink corn wine
everlasting mountain peaks”, is what people talk about the
while women sit next to their husbands chatting with each
living space of the Mong. On the rocky mountains, H’Mong
other, and spinning.
people always live with tenacious spirit, constantly adapt to survive while building a united community with distinctive
H’Mong people go to the market to meet people. Due to
and unique cultural identity.
geographical characteristics, houses are separated by the
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