Women examining a hemp like fibre in a country market
Highway 4c winds its way through narrow valleys
The main road from Hà Nội up to Lào Cai on the Chinese border, takes many visitors to Sa Pa and the far north-west of Vietnam. But for those wanting to get to the mountains of the north and north-east of the country a choice arises at Hà Giang City where they can turn off and take Highway 4c towards the town of
Mèo Vạc,
and the grand country that awaits them beyond there. Many pages of Picture Posting have been devoted to those northern mountains - you can
click here
for a related table of contents. This page is part of a group showing something of the road that leads towards those mountains, as it passes through the Yên Minh District.
In the west of Yên Minh District, Highway 4c passes from the confines of narrow valleys and runs out onto an open plain. Here an unnamed market gathers at set intervals of the moon's cycle; below are photos taken at that market. Markets are great places for photographers, especially here in northern Vietnam with the endless variety of colourful costumes. They are public places, and, for the most part, their participants know they are on stage, and offer only mild curiosity that anyone could be bothered to photograph them. My thanks to all those who have so indulged me.
The road rather suddenly opens out onto a large plain
There are a few permanent buildings marking site, which is far away from other human habitation. Such 'moon-markets' are tied to the lunar phrases, occurring, for example, at the new moon. To western eyes a less romantic, but very noticeable, feature of all markets in Vietnam is the penchant
for littering as illustrated here
Women walk from their villages to the market, carrying baskets of vegetables...
These, clothes and other household good, are laid out on the ground. For more photos of such ground sales
go to a previous page
Sellers appear to simply stop and sell from where they wish - no doubt the lack of regulation
is a key attraction at such gatherings
Taking away purchases is commonly done with the ubiquitous back basket...
...but plastic bags, as the surrounding litter demonstrates, are in common use...
...while here hands seem (perilously) the only mode of conveyance for the ginger
A better view of one of the back-baskets in use; and of the
decorative attire of its bearer
More on costume. As is common for men everywhere, it seems a matter of less importance
The use of greens, oranges and magentas are common here in the north as shown by these three women
Two orange tops...
...worn in two moods
Probably these three women are from the Dao ethnic group; maybe the Red Dao (with the black dress) and Tunicked Dao with the two blue skirt bands
More exchanges between women, which could...
...do with suggestions for their lost conversations
The market gently underway
These two women taking it in turns to lean on the butt...
...and showing similar jackets from back and from front
This is one of the men's jackets, as worn everywhere in northern Vietnam: black man-made fabric, upstanding collar and cloth toggle fastenings
One of the common back basket is to the right, (as seen elsewhere on this page) a small version in the centre, and (so that
very small children can join in) a child's basket,
just eight inches tall (20 cms), is on the left
A girl with the two blue bands, and the favoured magenta
This man is wearing a jacket of the type shown just above
Another variation: the blue bands with an orange jacket
Bicycles are a benefit on leaving the market. Cycled...
...or wheeled. Here the women have soft rucksacks
Finally a woman with a traditional basket - and no help from wheels. Her way home taking her through, what appears to be, a rather substantial river
Trailers...
The next Picture Posting page is to take you to the district called Quảng Bạ, just near the capital of Hà Giang Province.
The next page
of the Mosaic Section is to be headed 'Economic Migrants'.
Or go to the contents Go to the contents of the Mosaic Section. of the Mosaic Section. Monitors can keep the layout, which phones may need to discombobulate.
The last page had photos from the district capital, Yên Minh Town, and the sale of faggots
To the city of Allahabad in northern India - and some of its markets
...guide to this site