The weekend flea market in Quan Ba Town is a signature event in Ha Giang where visitors can buy local products made by ethnic minority communities like the Hmong, Dao, Giay and Tay.
Behind the market is a 200-square-meter yard where the Hmong bobtail pups are sold. The dog is used as hunter, herder and guard dog by the Hmong people in northern Vietnam.
The Hmong bobtail dog is recognized by the Vietnam Kennel Association.
About 30 sellers, mainly Hmong people, bring the pups to the market every Sunday. The pups are kept in cages or on a makeshift leash. Each seller has two to five pups for sale, usually.
The Hmong bobtail dogs are square and muscular. Their most notable feature is a docked tail.
A Hmong seller said the dogs are highly intelligent and loved for their ability to guide their owners along challenging routes through the mountains.
They are known for their hunting instincts and for being loyal companions to their families.
Giang Thi Sai, a 50-year-old Hmong woman, has brought two pups to the market.
"I walked more than 3 km to get to the flea market. People mostly sell pups that are 2-3 months old," Sai said.
Depending on their appearance and size, the price of these pups range from a few hundred thousand to millions of dong (VND1 million = $40.37).
Tho Thi Thoa has walked half an hour from her home to the market to sell four pups.
"This white dog I just sold for around VND500,000," said Thoa, whose main job is working on rice fields.
After being sold for VND600,000, a pup (R) is kept in a plastic bin, waiting to be shipped to its new owner.
A dog trader said many people from other provinces also visit this flea market to buy Hmong bobtail dogs.
