At the 'Love Market'

If only love can be so easily found like a trip to the market...but oh wait, it can! At least in Sapa, where a tradition known as Cho Tinh (love market) is how the H'mong and Dzao minorities find their one true love. The love market is as literal as the name suggests. A few times a year, young H'mong and Dzao people from all over gather at this love market, where they meet up and select their future spouse.

The tradition is as follows--young males gather into a group, in which they perform a song (by flute) and dance to impress their potential mates. Female onlookers will express their interest by approaching the specific male that catches their fancy and cover them with an umbrella. From there, the newly matched lovebirds will go off and do their thing. And that is love.

Of course, as everything is in Sapa nowadays, this old tradition has been converted into a touristy attraction. In the central town of Sapa, a market is set up where this love market performance can be experienced by visitors every Saturday. I visited Sapa on a Saturday, believing that I was going to witness the love market in its natural form, but was disappointed to only be treated to a stage performance by people dressed up as the H'mong and Dzao (I believe that the love market, in its traditional sense, can still be found away from tourists, as it should be). However, I wasn't disappointed for long because alongside the hubbub of touristy tricks was an actual market with many ethnic minorities selling authentic handmade items.

There are distinct circles (of hierarchy) that make up the market. The outer circle is populated by Vietnamese merchants, selling lame tourist shit in covered stalls. I avoided those. These merchants have done nothing but take the traditionally handmade items and mass produced them, stealing business away from the ethnic minorities. Sure, the stuff they sell is perfectly made and beautifully presented, but they aren't authentic and only contributes to deep poverty experienced by the ethnic minorities in this region.

The inner circle is where the authentic items are sold. Laid out in the middle of the market, is a colorful mix match of beautifully embroidered H'mong purses, clothing, and scarves.

It is common to see the sellers busily embroidering their merchandise, only lifting up their heads when passer-byers squat down and express interest in their items.


The dyes used are all natural, extracted from plants such as tea leaves and tumeric. Because it is natural, they easily stain and wear off, making some of the fabric look a bit washed out or dirty. This may deter many people, but this is actually a sign of the authenticity of the fabric. If you look at the hands of H'mong sellers in the market, they are all stained a bluish-black. My fingers were stained from simply flipping through all the fabric (you can set the dye at home in a bath of water and salt).

I bought a lot of stuff. A LOT. I couldn't help myself. Everything they made was so beautiful and handcrafted with so much skill. The very cheap prices also made it all the more tempting. The time and craftsmanship required to embroider and dye the fabric would make these items super expensive in the States. Here, you can bargain down the prices to 10,000-50,000 dong (50 cents to 2 1/2 dollars).

In terms of bargaining, 50-60% the asking price is about how much I paid. For example, if the asking price is 80,000 dong, I bargained for 40,000 dong. If the seller said no then I would move on. The moment I turned around to go somewhere else, the price would drop to 70% and eventually to 50% when held my ground. My advice is to bargain, but be kind. If you see something you really like and you can't bargain down the price, just buy it since it is still very cheap by our standards and you are also helping out the sellers.

All the sellers were incredibly sweet, even as I was bargaining with them. Most of the older women spoke limited Vietnamese, only able to speak enough Vietnamese to bargain. The young girls, however, spoke perfect English. I found the older women more willing to bargain than the younger ones. However, there was this 15 year-old H'mong girl that was unwilling to bargain, but her sweetness made us returning customers.

While I was excited and wanted to buy everything they sold, most of the H'mong sellers making the inner circle of the market did not attract many buyers. Most tourists flock to the stalls. Even after an entire day of selling, many of the H'mong sellers didn't even have enough change for me. It was very upsetting, especially when you see little H'mong kids selling alongside their moms while crowds of tourists pass by and don't even give them a second look.

If you ever go to Cho Tinh in Sapa, I would recommend buying solely from the ethnic minorities and avoid the stalls. To ensure the authenticity of the items, look at the hands of the sellers. They are usually stained from the natural dyes of the fabric. Also, be careful of imposters who dress up as ethnic minorities but are really just Vietnamese (so despicable). You can easily tell who they are since they don't look anything like the other H'mong sellers and they speak perfect Vietnamese. And of course, be careful of pick-pocketers who swarm to this market like crazy. Usually, they are males who act as fellow tourists and follow you around the market. There are a lot of these creeps around, so be careful.

So sure, there is no more love at the love market, but there are some incredibly beautiful and unique items to be bought. It was one of my favorite visits in Sapa, where I was able to interact with some of the H'mong sellers and learn a bit about their culture. And yes, I do have souvenirs to bring back for you guys.