Traditional Markets during Lunar New Year in Vietnam

 

Some markets only open once a year and the special opening falls on Tet holidays. No matter how far away or how busy, locals still go to the market to enjoy the spring atmosphere, to seek lifetime love affairs, seek wealth or simply meet people. Tet markets are not only a trading place but also a place of unforgettable spring entertainment.

 

 

In several border provinces in northern Vietnam, especially Cao Bang and Lang Son, the Tay people usually organise luon singing ceremonies for unmarried persons to find suitable partners. Such ceremonies are called Cho Luon (or Luon markets).

 

O Market is a chicken market in Xuan O Village, Tien Son District. The market opens only on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year and sells only one kind of commodity, black chickens.

 

Legend has it that the market, open in the night-time, is accessible to both the living and the dead. The market only trades absolutely black chickens because only this kind of fowl can go to Hades to explore the situation and then return to the living world and report to the Tutelary God. Villagers believe the black chickens for godhead worship will bring luck and happiness to both sellers and buyers.

 

Besides, the market also trades old things on symbolic basis, with hope of buying in luck and selling out mishaps. Neither bargains nor counts are present in the marketplace.

 

 

* Tam Dong Market: Located in Huong Son Commune, Tam Dao District, Vinh Phuc Province. The market opens only on the 24^th day of the 12^th month of the lunar year. This market is not for trading goods, but is a dating place for young boys and girls. After the conversations, they will join traditional games together, such as skirt dancing, panpipe or folklore singing.

 

* Wedding market: This is a special market day of the Mong people in Tam Long Commune, Binh Xuyen District, Vinh Phuc Province. The market opens only on the 25^th day of the 12^th month of the year. Boys and girls in the village flock to the market to exchange “love words” under the witness of the elderly. A couple can already be love partners, simply acquaintances, or absolute newcomers. They promise a future wedding and then go together to market restaurants before parting. In fact, Wedding Market is similar to a love market in mountainous areas.

 

3.2. Yen Nhu Buffalo Boy Market: Located in Yen Nhu Commune, Yen Lac District, Vinh Phuc Province. The market meets only on the 28^th day of the 12^th month of the lunar year. The market is for buffalo boys. On that day, buffalo boys wear smart clothes to go to market. They gather in the market to form their own marketplace. Their traded goods are cakes, fruits, chickens, baskets, hats and other things made by their families.

 

 

This market is inside Yen Do Village, Binh Luc District, Ha Nam Province. The market opens only on the 25^th day of the 12^th month of the lunar year; hence, the hustling and bustling atmosphere is present from dawn to dusk. Especially in the morning, the elderly organise a poem contest in an adjacent communal house. The winner is granted the best wine in the village.

 

 

The market is open only on the 8^th day of the first month of the lunar year. This crowded market trades all kinds of goods. Apart from conventional goods, the market trades “buying luck, selling misfortune” items. Therefore, all people going to the Vieng Market will buy or sell something.

In fact, several markets in Nam Dinh Province are named Vieng. There are two “Vieng” markets having the same market day, late evening of the 7^th day, and daytime of the 8^th day of the first month of the lunar year. The first one is Vieng Phu Market in Kim Thai Commune, Vu Ban District (the famous one from literature), and the other is Vieng Chua Market in Nam Giang Commune, Nam Truc District.

The legend says the Vieng market worships the gods in heaven. Hence, the people going to the market normally also visit temples and pagodas in the region. With the spirit of “Selling is precious, purchasing is lucky,” most people can find their expectations in the market.

 

 

Villagers in Ha Tien Commune, Ha Trung District go to this luck seeking market on the first day of the first month of the lunar year. The market is near Tam Bao Well, thus the name of the market is Tam Bao. Tam Bao is Three Refuges in Buddhism (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha).

 

Thus, the Tao Bao Market is understood as a “rare and precious” market. The uniqueness of this market is the bargain. If the item costs VND500, the seller must offer at 100 times higher, or VND50,000. However, no matter where the bargain goes, the buyer only pays VND500 for the item. The agreement of “100 times up and down” makes both buyers and sellers happy because the seller can sell at exorbitant price while the buyer can buy rock-bottom price. Both will have luck throughout the year.

The Tam Bao Market is not only for the trading of goods on the first day of the year but also for the exchange of smiles and beautiful words to open a new year full of luck and happiness.

 

 

The market can be open any place along the Nhat Le River in Dong Hoi Town. The market day can fall on one of the three first days of the lunar year. The market trades all kinds of commodities. The speciality is no bargaining in trade.

Several days before the market day, locals erect tents and camps. Traders bring local specialties to the market like handicrafts, shrimp, fish, wild boars, honey, chickens, ducks, cakes, candies, playthings and others. You will greet others although they are absolutely strangers. They all want to come here to seek luck and happiness throughout the New Year. Many traditional games are organised in the market like cock fighting, fat-covered post climbing, etc.

 

 

The market is located in Bich La Village, Trieu Dong Commune, 14km from Quang Tri Province’s downtown. The market gathers on the 3^rd day of the first month of the lunar year. It trades all types of local specialities. The legend says Bich La Communal House is lying on an unknown animal, called Cu. Cu awakes once each year but it has been sleeping for a very long time. If the Cu does not wake, the villagers will suffer crop loss. Hence, on the day, they bring noise-making things like bells and gongs to wake up Cu, hoping for a new year of good weather and bumper crops.

 

From then till now, villagers gather in the market on the third day of the lunar year. The market day lasts for a few hours and the traded items are mainly local products like vegetables, fish, meat, betel and areca.

 

 

Gia Lac Market is in Gia Lac Commune, 3 km from downtown Hue City. The market is open only on the first day of the first month of the lunar year. The market has been existence for nearly 200 years. The founder was Dinh Vien Duke Nguyen Phuoc Binh, the fourth son of King Gia Long, founder of Nguyen Dynasty.

 

The market sells playthings and specialty items like An Cuu fermented pork roll, Hue sesame candy, beef noodle, bloating thin cake, wedding pastry, Nam Giao banana, Nam Pho betel and areca and Huong Can mandarin.

 

The market opens only once in a year and the most crowded session is in the morning. Chess players sit on the high bamboo towers, while the elderly enjoy An Cuu fermented pork roll with local rice wine.

 

 

The alternative name of the market is “pork market,” located in Vinh Loc District, Thua Thien Hue Province. The market opens on the 29^th and 30^th days of the 12^th month of the lunar year. Trading activities are carried on bamboo towers which are erected on the ground of the market.

 

The Tet market in Vinh My Commune, also in Vinh Loc District is open on the first two days of the lunar year on an islet, about 1.5km away from the normal market. Because the market is gathered on an islet, or Con in Vietnamese, it was called Con Market.

 

Explaining why the Tet market is opened on towers but on the old market ground, the elderly say the dead return to market that day; hence, the living give up their places for the dead

 

 

Another name for this market is “Go market,” situated in Phuoc Nghia Commune, Tuy Phuoc District, 8 km off Quy Nhon City. The unique market is open on the first day of the lunar year, by the river banks under the foot of Truong Uc mount.

 

Truong Uc Market took shape 200 years ago. When Tay Son Dynasty’s military erected barracks here, they organised many entertainment activities in the New Year.

 

Truong Uc has become a place of interest for those loving spring travel in the countryside. Market visitors not only buy or sell but also go to pick up luck and seek love affairs. The ancient Long Son Pagoda near Truong Uc mount has long been a place of worship for people far and wide.

 

 

Tet is the most joyful period of the year in Nga Nam floating market in Soc Trang Province. The market is in the junction of five rivers: Ca Mau, Vinh Quoc, Long My, Thach Tri and Phung Hiep. This is the most crowded market in the Mekong Delta. Hundreds of boats dock on the junction to exchange goods. The fresh farm produce are most typical of the market, although other items are displayed here.