Na Meo Market, located in Quan Son District near the Na Meo International Border Gate, is over 200 kilometers west of Thanh Hoa City. This market operates every Saturday morning, with the busiest sessions being the last Saturday of the year and the first Saturday of the new year.
It attracts people from Hmong, Dao, and Thai communities in Quan Son District as well as Laotians from border villages.
The market, established around 1990, started as a small trading area. As it was upgraded into a marketplace, the number of traders and visitors has grown.
Most people travel to the market by foot or motorbike, with only a few using trucks to transport goods. For some, it can take a day to reach the market, so they start their journey at midnight, gathering their goods in baskets and traveling in groups through forests and mountains to arrive early.
Na Meo Market typically opens around 5 a.m. and runs until nearly noon.
The items sold here are mostly local products sourced from the forest or homegrown.
In the hands of Lo, 38, from Nam Xoi Village in Vieng Xai District, Laos, are bundles of river algae collected from a stream. Although the income from selling these items is modest, she brings them to every market session.
Besides common items like sticky corn, pork and chicken, the market also offers items that cater to local tastes, such as rat meat, lizard, and insects.
Lo shared that while her family doesn't go to the market every weekend, they make it a point to attend the Lunar New Year market session.
"On that day, we'll buy fabric to make new skirts for the spring festival, tobacco for my husband, and clothes for the children", she said.
Two bamboo rats are displayed for sale. In this border region, self-sufficiency remains a tradition.
Many kinds of forest produce, such as palm fruit, bananas, and bamboo shoots, are also available. Pictured is the mac khen seed, a spice popular among ethnic communities in Thanh Hoa and other mountainous provinces.
Mac khen is often used for cooking buffalo and beef or as a dip for boiled chicken.
After selling their products, people often buy essentials like dried fish, salt, or fuel at Na Meo Market.
Labor tools like knives, machetes, hoes, and shovels made by Vietnamese manufacturers are known for their quality and are sought after by Laotians.
In this market, four types of currency are accepted: Vietnamese dong, Lao kip, U.S. dollars, and Thai baht.
Despite language differences, anyone can make a purchase by signaling with their fingers to indicate the price.
Bargaining is uncommon at Na Meo Market; whether they buy or not, people leave happily.
