The century-old Dong Van Market located on the rocky desert plateau on the border between Vietnam and China has always been the social heart for ethnic minorities to maintain their livelihood and emotions. With the wave of international tourism, the century-old market deep in the mountains not only retains the human touch and traditional heritage of the lively mountain city, but also reflects the life choices and transformation vitality of the younger generation.
Surrounded by mountains and deep in the rocky desert plateau, only about 3 kilometers away from the Vietnam-China border, Dong Van Market (Đồng Văn) woke up as scheduled on Sunday morning.
The mist has not yet dissipated, and the street across the old street has already been filled with people. The vendors wear embroidered traditional costumes, and the air is filled with the shouts of ethnic minority languages, the neighing of livestock, and the aroma of traditional snacks, making it seem like a carnival.
The bustling market scenery, the sounds and smells of the carnival
At the end of the 19th century, the H'mông, Dao, Tay, Lô Lô and cross-border Chinese from the surrounding mountainous areas gradually gathered here to form a small mountain trading post, where residents of all ethnic groups exchanged alpine medicinal materials, livestock and daily necessities. In the 1920s, the French colonial government established an administrative center in Dong Van and began to modernize the market.
To this day, this century-old market is still the center of livelihood for the surrounding ethnic minorities. On Saturday nights or early Sunday mornings, they push wooden carts and carry bamboo baskets on the rugged mountain roads, walking or riding motorcycles, and gather at the Tongwen Society with handicrafts or crops.
At the far side of the market is the livestock trading area, where tribesmen hold cattle, pigs, and chickens for sale. Vàng Thị Mai, a Miao ethnic minority, has sold seven breeding pigs that day and will buy some piglets to raise and sell later.
In his early 30s, he told CNA that he was too old to work in the city and could only look forward to his children's future. "I just want my children to study. I don't want to do this kind of work anymore. It's really too hard."
Compared to the pig trade, which was conducted in casual conversations, the atmosphere among the group selling cattle was tense and more mysterious. There are only men among the traders, and they sit in groups of three or five, whispering, and commenting on the cattle. Locals told the Central News Agency that cattle sales do not involve open bidding, but a few middlemen help the two parties communicate the price.
Onlooker Tro is also from the Miao ethnic group. He has been selling cattle for 7 or 8 years. He sells the big ones and then buys the smaller ones to raise. He was quick to talk and became excited when he talked about the standards for looking at cattle. He told reporters, "If you see it is beautiful, has thick legs, and the head looks just the right size, you should buy it; if it is not beautiful enough, I will not buy it."
As it is located on the most famous Happiness Road in the Ha Giang Loop and runs through the UNESCO-listed Dong Van Plateau Karst Geopark, it is very popular with domestic and foreign tourists for its stunning scenery, especially among European and American backpackers.
Ushering in the international tourism boom, the changes and unchangedness of a century-old ethnic market in the mountains
Therefore, Dong Van Market has not only seen an influx of local Vietnamese tourists coming by chartered bus in recent years, but also a significant increase in the number of young foreign tourists wandering around the market taking photos curiously with their mobile phones. At the same time, there has been a sharp contrast between local tradition and internationalization.
The traditional Dong Van Market is undergoing profound changes. Huang Thi Mui said, "The changes are really great. There have been many changes every year recently. Seeing more tourists coming, it means that the business has become better."
Azhuo, who raises cattle, feels differently. He lamented, "This market has not changed. It is almost the same as before. However, there are fewer cattle breeders. No one is raising cattle this year. Everyone has gone to work, and only the elderly are left raising cattle."
There are fewer cattle sellers, but there are more peripheral vendors selling handmade embroidery, batik fabrics, and mountain tea and coffee. However, unlike tourist markets such as Sapa, this place still focuses on local daily necessities.
Vả Thị Mỷ, a 39-year-old from the Miao ethnic group, is baking buckwheat scones made from local specialty buckwheat flower seeds, which have a solid texture and full of aroma.
Having been going to the market for nearly 20 years, he mentioned the changes in the market and said happily: "Now the market has become more spacious, and everything can be sold better. There have been a lot more customers in the past few years, and now it is much easier for me to sell things than before." However, he is also worried that children may not want to take over the job in the future. "Children probably won't be able to do it. This industry is too hard."
Despite this, many members of Generation Z from ethnic minorities can still be seen in the market. Most of them are helping their families in business, and some are young people who have chosen to leave their hometowns to work in urban areas. They seize the time to visit with relatives and friends.
Nho, a Hmong man in his early 20s, works in a cafe on Dongwen Old Street that combines French colonial style, South China architecture and traditional Miao earth wall structure.
He told Central News Agency: "There are many foreign tourists here in Dong Van, and the economy is developing very well. Now, there are many domestic and foreign tourists coming to Ha Giang and Dong Van and other places, and it is very lively. For us, working here, whether we are operating B&Bs, hotels, cafes, or leading tour groups, is a job with increasing prospects."
A cross-mountain settlement hub, a lifeline connecting neighboring ethnic groups
For the ethnic minorities who have lived in the mountains and ridges of Ha Giang Province for generations, Dong Van Market is far more than a place for buying and selling. It is also a lifeline for them to maintain social connections and cultural identity. It is not only an important base for purchasing daily necessities and exchanging agricultural products, but also carries their expectations of exchanging what they have with the outside world. Even in the current era of rapid technological development, the weekly market, as a social event to maintain friendship, remains an unchanging tradition.
Vừ, who is nearly 30 years old, is a member of the Yao ethnic group. He keeps riding his tailoring cart in the metal fabric and clothing area in the center of Dong Van Market, repairing clothes for tribal people, and his business is very good. He feels that being able to earn enough money for family expenses in his hometown and being close to his children and husband is better than going out to work.
He told Central News Agency that sometimes he lives far away from relatives and friends. He usually stays at home to do things and doesn't go out often, so if he meets someone while going to the market, he will look for opportunities to chat and reminisce.
"Some uncles and aunts would drink while chatting until they were very drunk. After drinking and chatting, some people even ended up sleeping in the market, sleeping until dawn before going home. Many of them are Miao people, and they would drink corn wine with a lot of horse meat soup."
Horse meat soup (Thắng Cố) is stewed with horse meat and horse offal with a variety of mountain spices. It has a flavor similar to beef offal soup and is the most famous traditional food in the market.
Regarding the increasingly international market, Ah Wang is very optimistic, saying, "The more people there are, the further our local culture will spread. People's understanding will be deeper, the scope of influence will be wider, and more people will come to visit us."
As the locals say, people come here not only to buy and sell, but also to get together. The parents' generation has maintained the lifestyle of generations, while the younger generation sees the intersection of the outside world and tradition here. This market is like the beating heart of the plateau people, inheriting the traditional skills and human warmth deep in the mountains. (Editor: Chen Chenggong)
