Adventure the mountain of Bac Ha, Coc ly Market

It’s only a short stroll to the picturesque Flower Hmong hamlet of BAN PHO, 3km from town. To get there head out of town past the Sao Mai Hotel, turning left immediately after the next big white building, which is the local hospital. The road continues up the hill for a couple of kilometres after the village, and affords good views of the valley. From Ban Pho, the Tay village of NA HOI completes the circuit back to Bac Ha. In the opposite direction, the village of THAI GIANG PHO, home to Hmong, Tay and Fula people, is a six-hour round trip by motorbike or jeep from Bac Ha, for which you’ll need a guide. Trips can be organized through the Sao Mai and other guesthouses in Bac Ha, but be prepared for some rough overland driving.

The village of CAN CAU, 18km north of Bac Ha, hosts a market each Saturday, which is every bit as colourful as that in Bac Ha, albeit smaller, and is located in a fairy-tale setting among rolling hills. It consists of a disparate mix of livestock on sale – including horses, ponies, buffalo and cattle – with traders trekking in from as far afield as China in search of bargains, plus many vendors selling bright panels of cloth, which attract the Flower Hmong women, already resplendent in their bright outfits. As with Bac Ha, the busy hours are around 10am to lunchtime, and there are some beautiful items of clothing on sale that make great souvenirs. Relatively few visitors get there so the fair retains much of its authenticity, a situation that is likely to change now that there is a reasonably good road. Other than the market there’s nothing at all to see in Can Cau, but the ride, across a high, empty range with panoramic views on either side, is glorious. To get there, simply follow the main road north out of town the whole way. You can go there on a tour (100,000VND per person in a group of four), but it’s not really necessary if you can ride a motorbike (95,000VND–110,000VND per day rental), as the market is right by the main road. Another option is a xe om from opposite the post office for 80,000VND return. Note that there is a deep ford just outside Bac Ha which becomes impassable after heavy rain.

The Sao MaiHotel in Bac Ha organizes trips to Ban Pho, Na Hoi Tay, Thai Giang Pho and Can Cau, and another to the equally unexplored Tuesday flower market at COC LY, where the Flower Hmong women stand side by side selling carefully selected flowers to neighbouring minority groups. The latter trip includes transport by jeep and a boat trip down the Blue River Valley and costs $30 per person. There are also possibilities of two- and three-day trips costing $15 per person per day, including overnight stays in minority villages.

Further north of Can Cau lie a few other villages – such as the largely Hmong town of Sima Cai – but these are, for the moment, off limits to foreigners due to their proximity to the Chinese border where local conflicts often flare up. Any foreigners who show up are likely to get polite marching orders from the local military.