Settled amongst the mountains in the far north of Vietnam is Bac Ha, a small and relatively untouched  hillside town that for most of the week is quiet and sleepy. On Sunday however it’s all change, the surrounding hills are home to something like 10 different hilltribes: the Flower H’mong are the most vibrant, but other groups include Dzao, Giay (Nhang), Han (Hoa), Xa Fang, Lachi, Nung, Phula, Thai and Thulao and come Sunday morning the hills are alive with the sound of markets.
We headed there from Sapa another larger hillside town but it wasn’t easy, first we had to get a very early bus to Lao Cai and then from there a local bus to Bac Ha, which takes all day. There are tour buses that do the trip but because of the distance they charge a small fortune and this puts many tourists off. Anyway the local buses are always much more interesting and the road is very scenic if not a little rough!

The Sunday morning market starts early and it’s impossible to miss, what was a dusty, quiet town square turns into a car park for local buses and throngs of Flower H’mong people stroll past the few guest houses in town on their way to sell their wares. With their baskets strapped to their backs full of fruit, vegetables and textiles it makes for a wonderful scene and we didn’t see a single piece of tourist tat anywhere. Georgie loves a market and generally I do NOT but once your there it’s such an attack on the senses that I couldn’t help myself, I sat and smoked with some serious looking men what I hoped to be tobacco… A few coughs on my part soon had them laughing and within minutes I’d managed to reduce a whole crowd of serious tobacco buyers to a fit of coughing and giggling… Time to move on!
It is a real market in every sense of the word, it has wet parts and textile parts, livestock arrives and leaves on the back of motorbikes and the buzz about the place is almost overwhelming. Everything can be bought here from puppies to rice wine and if I recommend one thing it’s to sit down and try some home made hooch… It will certainly wake you up! I tried to chat with some men about which pig was best and which ones they were after but they were busy men and I probably stank a little too much of homemade moonshine from another stall.

The market lasts all day and unless your planning on staying in Bac Ha longer to explore the mountains around it then you will have to wander around to find a local bus with spare seats going your way. For some people this may be a bit hardcore because if your not on these buses the next ones will be a week later but to be honest the locals won’t see you stranded.
What struck me most about Bac Ha was it’s authenticity, even getting there was only possible the same way the locals do and once there we were in at the deep end. It’s not a market for tourists as such although there are bargains to be had but its a great way to spend a day and really get to see how some of Vietnam’s hilltribe people live…

Off the beaten track: Vietnam-Bac Ha was originally posted on our Travel Blog - HappytimeBlog | Backpacking around the world on a budget.

Related posts:

1. Full Width Pictorial: Bac Ha Market, North Vietnam.
2. The death bus to Bac Ha
3. Bac Ha market madness

How to get to Bamboo Island:

-Go to the pier on Koh Phi Phi (where all the boats are).
-There’s a small ticket office which has standardised the price on many day trips.
-There will be loads of boat drivers waiting for business.
-Try to bargain for the best deal that suits you.
(We took a boat all day and stopped at Maya bay and hidden lagoons on Phi Phi Ley then
Snorkelling around Phi Phi Don, finally dropped at Bamboo Island (3500b) incl pick up the next day.
-They will bargain but you have to be hard about it because there are so many of them.
-Don’t forget that once on Bamboo Island you have to pay a national park fee of 200b each and a tent fee of 400b for a 2 man tent or 500b for a 4 man.
-The boat driver will help and explain to the park ranger that you want to camp.

What to Take:

-Enough Food - Because Bamboo Island is a National Park paradise you cant bank on being able to have a fire to cook on (we did once) but the rule is generally NO Fires.
-Drink – There is a small hut on the island that stocks beers but they cost a fortune and the rangers sometimes go to bed early so take enough with you.
-Snorkel and Mask – The coral just off the beach at Bamboo Island is some of the best I’ve ever seen! We missed it the first time but when the boat drops you off you will see a roped off section of water IT’S THERE and IT’S BEAUTIFUL!
-Money – There is a small fishing community on the island, the rangers will probably tell you about it and they can if you need it sell you plenty of Squid and fish for a BBQ, offer the ranger a beer and he will cook it up on the Island BBQ.

I can’t stress enough how much more you see when you camp on Bamboo Island, as the sun sets and the tourist boats leave it starts to get almost too beautiful, in the morning there’s no better way to wake up than with a dawn snorkelling session…

First on the Off the Beaten Track list is my favourite place in the world – Bamboo Island just off Koh Phi Phi:
Phi Phi is a place on most peoples list if they’re planning a trip through Thailand and honestly, although Phi Phi has a lot to offer the reality is that the beach isn’t great and there are far too many boats about to enjoy the water (see Nomadic Matt’s post about Koh Phi Phi). But therein lies the key to Phi Phi, the boats are there for a reason and that reason is the stunning national park islands that surround Phi Phi Don. Most people head out on a boat trip to see Maya Bay where the beach was filmed and to do a spot of snorkelling, often these trips are readily available in most travel agents but the key is to go down to the main pier where the ferry brings you in and deal with the longtail boatmen yourself.

Personally I think Maya bay is a must and so is a short trip around some of the stunning hidden bays filled with glowing emerald water but don’t be tempted to stay a night at Maya bay (camping is offered for one night), instead get the boat driver to drop you on Bamboo island, 45 minutes in the other direction to Maya bay it is a small and stunning island fringed with some of the best coral and marine life I have ever laid goggles on. The rangers will throw a tent up for you and there is a small settlement of fishermen who will be only to happy to sell you the catch of the day and help you cook it up. We have been lucky enough to go there and camp twice, both times we were the only people and by 4 pm the tourist day boats had gone and we had the island to ourselves… Once to watch a storm roll in and once to get hammered with the rangers… Good times.

So there you have it, look out for the “Off the beaten track” category and I will keep adding our favourites to it.

Off the beaten track: Bamboo Island Camping Thailand – Koh Phi Phi was originally posted on our Travel Blog - HappytimeBlog | Backpacking around the world on a budget.

Related posts:

1. Bamboo Island Camping
2. Picture of the day: Bamboo Island Koh Phi Phi
3. Bamboo Island, Koh Phi Phi… Paradise!!!