Sapa tour- discover highland love fair

Two words “love market” has long been the not-to-be-missed event reflecting special culture of people of marrige. In the various cultures of moutainous areas, this allowed the “Love market” to make itself indispensable. There is no way to thoroughly explain its mean. Because, a “market” always has seller and buyer while “love” is unvaluable. So can we call it “love market”?

Video Sapa Tour to join love market

The day of the prosperous market is alive with different moods: happily meeting old friends and anxious to wait for new interesting friends. It is easy to understand because market is a gathering place for all the cultural activities of the highlands, where local teenagers from the surrounding minority villages gather together to sing, charm each other, and find love! Therefore, the market become a dating place with romance scenery for lover who dare to express their feelings, their fervent wishes for eternal love and more.

Sapa is famed for its “love market” – an attractive destination for visitors such as foreigners and Vietnamese. Set high in the hills in urban district, close to the border with China, 36 km away from Lao Cai province in Vietnam’s far north, Sapa town has a subtropical highland climate with fresh air all year. It has snown in the town itself in 19 February, 2014 which attracted many tourists. Since the market, the place of goods trade and culture exchange are held only once a week on Saturday night, people living in the far mountain villages have to go in advance on Friday to be able to join it. This is one of the main market in the area, where several ethnic minority groups such as Hmong, Dao (Yao), Giáy, Pho Lu… in afternoon, on the street and church front yard, we have already seen lots of woman in embroidered motifs, wearing splendid jewelry with red bandanas and small coin attached on the shoulder shirt. More fascinate is that there are shouts of delight per foot, and sounds from a bunch of lovely copper rattles attached on the head scarf. There soul mate is those Dao (Yao) boys who are in indigo shirt. Romantic melodies fill the night air. In one corner, a cluster of man surround a girl, they bring their cassette close to the girl to record songs in ethnic language. When the girl see a strange boy, she will shyly bow or hide her face, but she still sing romance songs with sweet melodies.

Traveling Sapa to discover the highland unique love market

The customs of Dao (Yao) does not prevent those married people from finding new lover. Girls in thirteen, fourteen are freely joined with their sisters. Young and beautiful girls always interest boys singing love songs, flirting with her and give her a gift. If the girl dislike the boy, she will manage to run away and then be holded back. This movement is called “pull”, an action of his determination on wining her heart. If the girl choose the boy, she may give him a love token. It can be a ring, bracelets, necklaces, combs… and then the crowd went wild.

In Viet Bac, urban district and town in Ha Giang province has a love market too. Khau Vai love market is Khau Vai fair actually, 24 km away from Meo Vac town in the east-south. This market does not as crowded as Sapa love market because of its terrain. The name “slope Sun gate” Quan Ba or Ma Pi Leng summit (Horses breathe smoke) with cloud all year and vertical cliff depresses your will power. Morever, love market in Khau Vai only occurs once a year in spring (about 26^th March). About its characteristic, it is held for those people who missed their predestination. There is a reason, maybe because of the man’s poverty, he can’t marry the one he love. As the result, after 365 days in waiting, he finally has a chance. People who takes part in this love market may not young, they’re all just come there and look for their love.

Khau Vai market-the perfect honeymoon destination

for those looking to escape the heat further south

Pass climbing and wading streams all day long, people don’t lose their will. Follows the custom, man’s wife or woman’s husband has no right to interfere in their efforts in meeting an old lover. In Khau Vai market, people don’t “push”. They’re all just crying or laughing. They give each other a gift when say goodbye, then wait till the next year's meeting.

On the way to Tay Bac moutain, there is a Chau Moc love market of Moc Chau town, Son La province. It is held in 9^th January, seen as the lunar new year of Mong, the only love market in a year. Here you'll find stunning, mountainous ranges and majestic waterfalls, dotted with minority villages such as Lai Chau, Phong Tho, Lao Cai, Son La that have maintained their traditions for centuries, all reached via the Sapatourbooker.

In ancient time, people usually walk or travel by horse all day long to get to market. Nowadays, they mainly use motorbike to get there, for save time. A numerous of people attend this fair, some young men is dressing his new cloth, some fourteen girl is naive in her first time at market. Every girl and every man walks together. Men start to flirt girls remaining a smile with a happy face. This is the day of youth. They hold hands, with shy eyes, loving gestures… It can be said that Chau Moc love market is the start of all true love, all sincere feelings.. That meeting, that agreement is not only the confession but also the engagement that their next year wedding will prove their true love.