Early Sunday mornings, villagers from various ethnic communities gather to sell their products or livestock at the market of Bac Ha, which then transforms into what may well be one of the most colourful markets in Vietnam. Many people arrive on foot, on ponies or if some are rich enough can drive motorcycles or be carried by motorbike carrier.

This Tuesday market is about 70 km from Sapa. You can get here via a fairly good road, or by road and river; hotels in Sapa and Bac Ha can organise trips.Coc ly is a small village on the Chay river inhabited by the Flower H'mong Minority people. The Flower H'mong traditionally wear a distinctive and bright coloured costume. They are a gentle, softly spoken people who live in the steep mountainous country close to the Chinese border. Because Coc Ly is more remote than Sapa, the dress and way of life is more traditional than in the large centers.