The Vibrant Sunday Market at Bac Ha, Vietnam

Photo opportunity with a Hmong
woman and baby.  (Baby is trying
to pull Akiko's hair out.)

We've seen lots of markets throughout our sabbatical, but Bac Ha's Sunday Market has to be one of our favorites because it is an actual working market for the local Hmong hill tribes who bring their produce, goods, clothing, and livestock from their mountain villages and spend the day selling, buying, trading, eating, drinking, and socializing with one another.

The major draw for tourists who come in bus loads from Sapa is the vibrant and intricate traditional clothing that the Hmong women are seen wearing at the market that makes this experience seem like we've been transported back in time, except for the ubiquitous presence of motorbikes that bring us back to reality...  

Because we were staying in Bac Ha, we got to the market before too many tour buses started arriving.  It started as a misty, rainy day but that didn't stop business.  We felt a little like intruders, however it was definitely worth experiencing.

View the photos and feel yourself transported to a different time and place!

A DIY Itinerary from Hanoi to Bac Ha, Vietnam

A popular tourist destination is the Lao Cai Province in northwestern Vietnam near the border of China where people from all over flock to view the beautiful rice terraces of Sapa, climb to the summit of Fansipan, and trek to many of the Hmong hill tribe villages in the mountains.  

As with many scenic places, the tour groups have practically taken over Sapa in the past few years and everything we've read cautions travelers to brace for overcrowded trails with a constant stream of persistent villagers trying to sell you something.

Transportation is always a challenge when trying to get around in the mountains, so it's no surprise that the majority of visitors to this region join one of the hundreds of organized tour groups departing from Hanoi.   

After much research, we decided to stick to a do-it-yourself itinerary.  The cost wasn't all that different, but we didn't want to feel rushed and confined to a group itinerary. We definitely have plans to spend a couple of days in Sapa, but we also desired a more quiet mountain town to settle in so we ended up choosing Bac Ha. 

Why Bac Ha? 

• Fresh mountain air
• Very friendly locals
• Sunday market
• Hiking
• Not too many tourists stay overnight
• Easy transportation from Lao Cai train station

Hoi An, A Day at the Cooking School

Where best to take cooking classes than in the culinary capital of Vietnam?  There are lots of cooking schools here in Hoi An.  It seems almost every restaurant offers some kind of class for very cheap.  After perusing through a few offerings, we settled on the cooking class provided by a reputable restaurant in town called Dao Tien River with Chef de Cuisine, Viet. For $25/pp we got a tour through the Central Market to buy some ingredients, then a boat tour of Hoai River and watched the fishermen cast their nets and catch fish (!), then we returned to the restaurant to start cooking.

We had a full day.  You can see our blog entry on the market tour at the start of the day.  We didn't think we were lucky enough to have the chef to ourselves for 6 hours for $25/pp, but we also didn't expect 17 other French tourists who happened to be an hour late for the meeting time either!  Wandering through the market and delivering cooking instructions to 19 people is quite challenging.  As a former educator, I can relate, so we think Chef Viet did an amazing job of keeping us on track, especially since the menu was quite ambitious for a mixed crowd.

The entire upstairs of Dao Tien was set up as a cooking school with 19 stations.  2-3 people shared propane burners. We loved this cooking school because although it took a long time to get through the instructions of 4 dishes with such a large crowd, it was all hands-on.

Hoi An, Central Market and Foodie Finds

Cao lau (Hoi An noodles) street vendor is now open for business!  Of course, red plastic stools are a must for good street food. Everything she needs (including the stools) are carried in two baskets.

As far as we're concerned (and many will agree), Hoi An is the culinary capital of Vietnam.  4 centuries of trade with Japan, China, India, Netherlands, Portugal, etc. have resulted in taking the best culinary tips from these countries and incorporated into the best Vietnamese food we've had. Not to mention foods like Cao Lau that can only be made authentically in Hoi An using one of five well waters here.  Not to mention the BEST banh mi sandwich exists in Hoi An.  Never mind the other unique dishes specific to Hoi An and the greater Quang Nam Province, plus fresh seafood straight off the fishing boats in the South China Sea, that can keep us eating something different every day for the next year!

Here are lots of photos from the central market and a few of Hoi An's food specialties.