Sunday, April 23, 2006

Vietnam - Bac Ha - Hmong Tribe Market


First thing that striked me in Vietnam was the comunist propaganda in Hanoi...It felt like a trip back in time, seeing the same old mother, child and daddy with the ax working together for a better future.

Fortunately for us, we'd read about the Sunday's locals market in Northern Vietnam in a tiny place called Bac Ha. It was said to be one of the most colourful in Asia. Who can pass that out? Airport - train station - tickets to Bac Ha - 4 hours roaming around Hanoi - overnight train to Lao Cai - 50 year old bus to Bac Ha...

In less than 24 hours we were in the middle of these fascinating people, children running around empty bottocks at 10 C. men casually smoking pot and driking the local firewater (looked and smelled just as our Palinca), 2 month old piggy backs, everyone selling everything but the shirt on their back. On of the cruel things was that puppies were sold alongside with piglets and chicks (i don't mean to say I don't care about baby pigs, but, please, not the puppies...)

Funny enough they were ingoring us most of the time with a few exeptions of women trying to sell me knitted bags. That part was the best, being ingored I mean (that turned to be a pest in later in Sapa where we couldn't get the locals off our backs). We had our cameras and without being too obvious, we were snapping away...

This was my abosolute favorite thing about Vietnam, so following are some of my shots!:) - Carmen








2 comments:

heather said...

These are great! You live such an interesting life.

Carmen said...

Thanks! The place was fantastic. Waiting to see some of your best shots too. :)