(HBO) – The Fair Market on Da River Lake is not only a place for trade and commodity purchasing between the lowland and the highland regions, but also the cultural and spiritual exchanges of river region. You can go to the market to buy a little tobacco, a little salt, sauce and also show your love emotion.
Due to the terrain characteristics, it is
more convenient to travel to the villages along the Da River by means of
waterways than travelling on roads; hence, there are many floating markets.
Almost every commune has a market place of the water wharf, boat harbor, where
ships and boats carry goods from down stream. This is also a place where the
local people sell their special products such as chicken, bamboo shoots, banana
pods, papaya, cassava roots, tubers self-grown, some forestry vegetables, fish
on the lake reservoir. There is every fair market in an approximate river
section of one or two communes and those regular markets are held every day in
turn in a month. The fair market of Tien Phong commune, on the road of Oi Noi
hamlet, along the river bank, is held three times a month, usually on the 10th,
20th and 30th of the month. Tra Ang fair market, in Vay Nua commune (Da Bac)
takes place on the 15th, 25th of the month. Hang Mieng Fair Market
in Quang Minh Commune, Van Ho (Son La Province) bordered on Suoi Nanh, Dong
Nghe (Da Bac) Communes open on the days of 1st, 2nd – 11th, 12th –
21st, 22nd.
The Fair Market is a very unique feature of
Hoa Binh Lake Reservoir. Photo: the fair market meeting in the area of Ngoi Hoa
commune, Tan Lac district.
The fair market areas are large yards close
to the lake or can be where the boats gather along the river. There is a small
bridge for people to see and purchase products. The market is always bustling
and crowded with buyers and sellers, on the habors and on the boats. The items
in the market on the lake are quite diversified. Traders come from many
provinces, most of which are Phu Tho, Son La, Bac Ninh, Hoa Binh, Hai Phong and
Nam Dinh. Traders of each province have their own special products, of which
mountain traders from Son La, Hoa Binh provide mainly brocading products, meat,
fish, agricultural and forestry products. Hai Phong, Bac Ninh, Phu Tho, Nam
Dinh supply mainly dried goods, clothes, shoes, electronic appliances.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Hoa Binh province continues to implement the expanded tourism development cooperation program plan of 8 Northwest provinces with Ho Chi Minh City; deploying digital transformation content in tourism and developing a smart tourism province. Hoa Binh province received about 3.6 million views, an increase of 7.9% over the same period. In which, international visitors are about 380 visitors, domestic visitors are estimated at 3 million 220 visitors.
Spanning thousands of hectares and winding gracefully along mountain slopes, hillsides, and riverbanks, the terraced rice fields of Lac Son District present a stunning and captivating beauty. This region, renowned for its remarkable terraced landscapes, is also the centre of Hoa Binh Culture known for numerous archaeological sites.
The life of Mong people in Hang Kia and Pa Co communes of Mai Chau district has improved much thanks to tourism development.
The man-made Hoa Binh Lake, with a water surface area of approximately 9,000 hectares and a capacity of 9.45 billion cubic meters, stretches over 200 kilometers from Hoa Binh to Son La provinces. With the goal of developing into a national tourism area, the Hoa Binh Lake tourism area is expected to not only become the largest tourism centre in the province but also one of the 12 key tourist destinations in the northern midland and mountainous region of Vietnam.
Da Bia hamlet, now Duc Phong, in Tien Phong commune, Da Bac district, was once almost isolated from the outside as the only way to the hamlet was to get a boat ride across the Hoa Binh reservoir. However, as its tourism potential has been unleashed, the hamlet has established itself as one of the most attractive destinations on the tourism map. It has even received the ASEAN Community-Based Tourism Awards in 2019.
In the first 9 months of 2024, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province welcomed over 684 thousand visitors to visit and relax. In which, over 516 thousand domestic visitors and more than 168 thousand international visitors. Total revenue from tourism is estimated at over 821 billion VND.