The Dong Van Rock Plateau spreads across the four districts of Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van and Meo Vac in Ha Giang Province, which runs just below the China border. The area is home to nearly 300,000 people belonging to 17 different ethnic minority groups, such as Mong, Dao, Tay, Nung, Pa Then, and Lo Lo, and each has their own distinctive customs, attire and culture.
To make it easier for people to purchase goods, weekend markets are usually held in downtown areas once a week, where people flock to shop for local products made by ethnic minorities.
Visitors to these markets can see young ethnic women hanging out with friends in their colorful traditional costumes.
In this photo, local people are gathered at the Ma Le Market, which is around 10 kilometers from Dong Van Town, and which only opens every Saturday.
Vendors occupy both sides of the small street, selling signature specialties of the northern highlands and handmade products made by ethnic minority groups.
Children in colorful ethnic costumes carry buckwheat flowers in their shoulder baskets.
Year-end is the time when ethnic communities in the northern highlands harvest buckwheat, a type of grain commonly used to make cakes and wine.
Unlike the famous Dong Van Market, Ma Le Market is lesser-known to tourists and is held in a large area overlooking corn fields and surrounded by rugged rocks.
A woman brings her domestic pig to Ma Le Market for sale.
In addition to necessities, ethnic minority people also sell brocade cloth, self-made agricultural tools, such as knives, sickles, and plowshares, while some bring their pigs, chickens, horses and dogs to sell at the market.
Located in the downtown area of Meo Vac District, the Meo Vac Market is open every Sunday morning and is busier than others.
This picture shows a food court in Ha Giang that serves some of the unique local dishes, such as banh cuon, Vietnamese steamed rice rolls filled with pork, eggs and mushrooms, and topped with dried shallots. This dish is served with a delicious bowl of bone broth flavored with fresh coriander, chopped scallions and Vietnamese pork sausage.
Some other dishes not to be missed in Ha Giang include sour noodle soup, triangle buckwheat cake and thang den, which is made by mixing glutinous rice flour with sugar, and then shaping it into small balls which are steamed.
