Bac Ha Sights, POI and Things to Do

There’s no doubt about it, the main attraction to see in Bac Ha is the Sunday Market, which is one of the liveliest ethnic minority markets in the country.

Bac Ha Sunday market

From all around Bac Ha, tribes from surrounding villages and hills come down on foot, horse, water buffalo and motorbike and set up early in the morning.

Don’t expect to see many tourist items for sale as it is mainly directed at the locals and therefore low prices. It starts from 7.30am and goes up to 5pm and if you can get there as early as possible then you will beat the tourist buses which flock the area from 9ish.

Sprawled out over a large area, you will find lots of local produce on offer like clothing, handicrafts, food, livestock and plenty more. We stopped at one of the drinks stalls and grabbed a coffee and rice cake which costs us only VND20,000. From our stall we watched men barter for animals including buffalos and pigs and even people getting haircuts. This is a good chance to see the beautiful and striking Flower H’mong dresses, which are to do with the main tribe in the area.

Other markets in Bac Ha

There are also a few other markets that we found outside of Bac Ha. The closest one is Lung Phin Market, which is 12km and is open from 6am–1pm on Sunday. This market has a very local feel about it and is less busy than the others and is a good one to move onto after the tourist buses arrive in Bac Ha.

The next closest is Can Cau (20km) and this takes place on Saturday from 6am–1pm and is about as busy as Bac Ha market. We found lots of food stalls, livestock and clothes on offer and we tried a local rice whiskey drink called ruou, which blew our socks off.

The last one is Coc Ly (25km) market and this happens on Tuesday mornings and although is a quieter and smaller than the others, your visit can be combined with a trip down the Chay river.

Trekking around Bac Ha

A great way of seeing the markets, trekking the gorgeous surroundings and a boat trip is by selecting the 2-day trip from Bac Ha, which is ran by Green Sapa Tour and costs roughly USD130. They will take you to see the markets and local villages, go on a boat trip and try some local foods and drinks.

Also, there are half-day treks to local villages like Ban Pho, Na Hoi and Nam Mo and these prices range from USD25-70.

Another way of trekking safely around the mountains was hiring your own 1-to-1 guide and this is what we did and it felt exclusive and personal. You can hire guides at most hotels and the average price for a two-day trek was around USD100.

Hoang King palace

For the historians, a good place to check out is the Hoang King palace, which was built in 1921 and was seized by the domination of the French colonialists. Its intimidating position overlooking the Bac Ha valley gives it a somewhat ghostly and haunting appeal and we both enjoyed the experience.

We also took a dip in a nearby waterfall, though we heard Thu Pho waterfall was a lot better for swimming and it can be found 12km west of Bac Ha.

Massage & spas in Bac Ha

Being in a relaxed environment we decided to visit a spa and massage place and have some down time. A massage can range from USD2-10 and the steam room and saunas are from USD5-10. There is also a gym, tennis courts and swimming pool to use and you can find this place down by the lake, close to the market.