Markets are a source of life, and in its most authentic meaning, people shop at markets for essential ingredients to sustain living. Markets are among the best places for travel photography in Vietnam. Especially this helps to bring out the local culture. And the markets in the mountains of Vietnam are the most colorful versions of the kind. These markets are great inspirations for travel photography in Vietnam.
Wandering in a mountain market of northern Vietnam is a must for any travel photography lover. It fulfills one’s collection of Vietnam travel images. These markets are where the locals find rendezvous, apart from buying and selling. And it’s where one would be dressed in the best traditional costumes in hope of finding a lover.
In this article, I will be listing out the different mountain markets in northern Vietnam for your travel photography.
Mrs. Lo Thi Mai woke up from 4:30 am, her 2 year-old son is still asleep. Today is Saturday and she’s heading for the weekly market of Can Cau – a great market for Vietnam travel photography. She is a farmer, making a living from growing corn and distilling corn liquor. And Can Cau market is one of her best selling places. Her home is 1.5 hour by motorbike from Can Cau market. Her husband loads up 02 cans of liquor onto his scooter. After finishing, the couple quickly have some breakfast. Then, Lo Thi Mai puts on her most well-kept set of colorful traditional H’mong dress. She keeps this dress for the market sessions only. Then, they went to the market.
The two are among many sellers at Can Cau market. And people like them bring along probably all what they make or grow at home that can be sold.
Scenes at Can Cau market market
From early morning, the vibe is incredibly amazing: Group of people checking out a buffalo, next to some grunting piggies. Over there, a long line of embroidery shops with colorful costumes brightens a corner of the market. Smoke rising from the small food stalls with people gathering next to their bowls of steamy noodles. Men are often seen in groups, sitting next to their bottle and cups filled up with rice liquor. Also, there are stalls selling cellphones, radio, torches, bags, and probably anything else you would need for living in the mountain. The market features such a multitude of photogenic activities. Therefore, this is a photographer’s dream in terms of capturing all the great images for travel photography in Vietnam.
This is another great place for travel photography in Vietnam. Bac Ha market takes place right in the heart of Bac Ha town, accessible on foot if you’re staying in town.
The market is only on every Sunday. This is when the whole town center brightens with colors of a thousand traditional dresses. While the market is as colorful as Can Cau market, there’s often a crowd of travelers coming in with their big camera. So yes, expect it to be more touristic than other market. But well, it’s in downtown, eventually. Still, there are many opportunities to shoot, you just have to work a bit more on separating your subject.
Both of Can Cau and Bac Ha market are in Lao Cai province. It takes around 4.5 hours to drive from Hanoi to Lao Cai. From here, Bac Ha is about 2 hours away and then another 1 hour drive north will get you to Can Cau. They both are what you cannot miss on your Vietnam travel photography trip.
Ha Giang is the northernmost province of Vietnam to the north. The land is home to some of the country’s most mysterious landscape. The combination of Karst formations and caterous valleys here is probably the most striking in the whole country. While there’s a city of the same name, most of the people living along the mountain ranges. There are some 20 minority groups in Ha Giang, making a living from agriculture along with forestry.
After all, this is simply something you can’t afford skipping if you’re looking for some great travel photography in Vietnam.
The market is about an hour of extremely scenic, smooth drive from Dong Van town – being the center of Dong Van district. Along the way, don’t miss capturing the small paved roads winding their way along the hillsides. There’s something that this region is famous for: Rocks. Everywhere there are formations. And it is mind boggling to think about how life finds away in such a barren looking land. Yet, life thrives. People grow corn along the rocky cliff and build their houses out of earth.
Sa Phin market meets once a week, like most mountain market. However, you need to contact sales@momentlives.com to see when the next market session will be, as it doesn’t happen on a fixed day. The locals use the lunar calendar to time the market. This market is located right in front of the former H’mong king’s house.
Sa Phin market is not centrally located. It’s quite a distance from nearby communities in terms of walking. While people manage to get here on scooters, a lot of ethnic people have to be on foot to get here. Any this can easily be several hours. Despite of the fact that scooter is among the most popular vehicle in Vietnam, life can be of a different extreme somewhere else. And it happens here in Ha Giang.
Most of the market participants are the H’mong, or black H’mong to be exact. The H’mong people had had a long history BC, when they struggled in their battles in what is nowadays China. Different failures got them divided and scattered around the surrounding regions. Some 300 years ago they began reaching Vietnam. And you can see the H’mong in most, if not all, mountainous provinces in northern Vietnam.
Among the travel photography highlights is the authenticity of Sa Phin market. Here, the H’mong are seen in their traditional dress, which is black pants and shirt for man and colorful skirt with white blouse for women. The products are things they grow at home: Corn, apples, herbal medicines, piggies. The whole chaos is so interesting and photogenic at the same time.
The market meets from early morning. So you might want to consider arriving at around 6:00 or so to capture it in the best light possible. And it’s easier to compose your shots when the market is a bit less crowded. Given that there are lots of local food stalls, but I’m not sure any of those food taste too fantastic for you. So you might want to pack along some food. 
While each section of the market offers something for your travel photography. Things that might interest you would be:
At Momentlives, we bring you a great sense of mountain markets photography on some of our tours. Check out HERE and join us!
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