Located in Pu Luong commune, Thanh Hoa province, Pho Doan market (also known as Pho Don market) has a history of formation since the French colonial period. To get here, visitors need to travel about 4.5 - 6 hours from Hanoi to Pu Luong.
Unlike trade markets in the lowlands, Pho Doan fair only meets fixedly on Thursday and Sunday mornings every week. The fair starts at 6 am and ends around 11 am. The market is a bustling trading center of Pho Doan residents and neighboring communes such as Co Lung, Lung Cao, Trung Thanh...
Today, Pho Doan market has been renovated to be spacious, with an area of up to about 2,000m2. A solid corrugated iron roof system has been erected, replacing the thin and temporary palm leaves of the past.
However, behind that new appearance, the highland market still retains its unique cultural features. Stepping to Pho Doan market fair, visitors will see images of highland women carrying baskets full of corn, cabbage, sticky rice or pumpkin... going to the market to trade.
Wandering around the market, you will see stalls selling all kinds of mountain and forest products. The market has everything from famous Co Lung ducks, stream fish, forest rats to herbs such as mac khen, doi seeds... Most tourists who come here fall in love with mac khen seeds, a characteristic spice likened to "black gold" of the Northwest region.
Passing the market gate, going deep inside is the world of gifts and cakes with hot sticky rice cakes, fried cakes, banh cuon... fried cakes are sold out wherever they are because they are both delicious and cheap, only from 5,000 VND/piece.
The atmosphere outside Pho Doan market is even busier than inside. Along both sides of the road, stalls of food, agricultural products and clothes are close together. In particular, brocade stalls are always crowded with customers coming in and out.
According to the sharing of a homestay owner in Hieu village (Pu Luong): "The highland market fair is special in that every time you go, you see a new specialty. Sometimes you encounter baskets of wild vegetables and strange fruits, sometimes you see a bunch of sour bamboo shoots or a hot piece of tofu that people have just finished making. Going to the market is like exploring, there is always something to be curious about and choose to buy for a more flavorful family meal".
Pho Doan Market has become a destination for tourists to both explore the cultural beauty of the highlands and choose to buy specialty mountain and forest gifts as gifts when traveling to Pu Luong.
Not far from the market fair, visitors can combine visiting Ban Hieu and admiring the beauty of Hieu waterfall.
