You’ll find a ‘love market’ here that’s still somewhat of a local secret.

Get ready to discover the captivating Thác Lười Lục Ngạn Love Market in Bac Giang! This incredibly unique matchmaking fair, a vibrant tradition of the Tay and Nung communities, comes alive on the 12th day of the first lunar month, enchanting visitors with the sweet, soulful tunes of sloong hao folk songs.
For a long time, many people have only known about two famous "love markets": Sa Pa Love Market (Lao Cai) and Khau Vai Love Market (Meo Vac - Ha Giang). However, there's another lesser-known love market in Northern Vietnam that takes place only once a year, on the 12th day of the first lunar month.
A Love Market in the Lychee Capital
This is the Thac Luoi Love Market in Tan Son Commune, Luc Ngan District (Bac Giang Province). Today, February 21st, which is the 12th day of the first lunar month in the Year of the Wood Dragon, the Thac Luoi Love Market officially opens its three-day festivities. It's a traditional matchmaking market for the Nung, Tay, and other ethnic groups...

Tan Son - Thac Luoi Love Market.
Thac Luoi Love Market (also known as Tan Son Love Market) is located about 140km from Hanoi, 80km from Bac Giang City, and 30km from Chu Town (Luc Ngan District - Bac Giang). This area is renowned for its lychees and plums.
To reach this love market from Hanoi, you can primarily travel along National Highway 1A to Chi Lang Town (Lang Son Province) and then turn onto National Highway 279 (if traveling by car). Alternatively, if you're on a motorbike, head to Bac Giang City and then follow National Highway 31 to Chu Town (Luc Ngan District).

The singing competition officially opened on the afternoon of February 20th.
On the afternoon of February 20th, the 11th day of the first lunar month, the Thac Luoi Love Market officially began its festivities. Since last night, thousands of people from 7-8 communes in northern Luc Ngan District, including Tan Son, Son Hai, Ho Dap, Cam Son, Sa Ly, Phong Minh, Phong Van, as well as communes in Chi Lang District (Lang Son Province) like Quan Son and Huu Kien, have flocked to the market. However, the main festival day is the 12th day of the first lunar month.
Nung and Tay people from Luc Ngan District flock to the Thac Luoi Love Market at the beginning of spring.

Even the elderly eagerly attend the market (which only happens once a year).
In the past, it was called a "love market" because people came here not just to buy and sell goods, but also to meet and find partners. The "specialty" of Thac Luoi Love Market is "sloong hao" singing (with various styles, such as singing in the market or at home). Young men and women would meet and sing call-and-response songs to find a lover. Even married individuals might sing when encountering a former flame, to inquire about their lives and families, offer encouragement, or express lingering regrets.

Thousands of people gathered to watch the sloong hao singing competition at the Tan Son Commune center on the evening of February 20th.
Nowadays, every year when the market takes place, a singing festival or competition is organized by the local authorities right in the center of Tan Son Commune People's Committee. However, the content and traditional identity have become somewhat mixed and transformed compared to the past – similar to many other festivals in Northern Vietnam. Besides traditional "sli" and "luon" melodies, young men and women also perform live music, pop songs, and other folk tunes. In addition to the "festival" aspect, there's also a "market" for buying, selling, and dining.

From the afternoon of February 20th, residents from various communes flocked to Thac Luoi Love Market to shop, socialize, and enjoy food (roasted pork being a popular dish).

Local authorities encouraged the organization of "country market" style stalls to preserve traditional beauty at the Tan Son - Thac Luoi Love Market.

Many local specialties are brought to the love market for sale.

Tan Son roosters are sold at the love market.
For local residents, this creates a joyful and vibrant atmosphere at the start of spring, but for distant visitors, there might not be many new discoveries. The unique charm perhaps lies only in the distinctive traditional costumes of the Tay and Nung people and the lingering melodies of "sloong hao" songs.
Essentially, the Tan Son - Thac Luoi Love Market still retains its distinct characteristics, hasn't been overly commercialized, and remains relatively unknown to many.
The Unique Ancient Village of Bac Hoa
However, there's still an interesting experience to be had when visiting the love market in Tan Son: exploring the ancient village with a beautiful and impressive name, Bac Hoa, located about 2km from the commune center (where the love market is held).

Bac Hoa Village in Tan Son Commune.
Bac Hoa Village is home to 165 households, all of whom are Nung ethnic people. The unique feature of this village is the abundance of ancient rammed-earth houses. Despite the passage of time, many homes here have resisted modernization and concrete construction, forming a remarkably original cluster (with red earth walls and fish-scale tiled roofs covered in dark moss) that is rarely preserved elsewhere.

Moss-covered dark green tiled roofs in Bac Hoa.
Among them, 17 rammed-earth houses are clustered together in the heart of the village, becoming a highlight that attracts many distant visitors. There are almost no "enclosed" fences between the houses; instead, they are separated by stacked stone walls or bamboo and rattan fences.

Ancient rammed-earth houses clustered together form a beautiful complex.
According to Mr. Vi Van Hong, Chairman of Tan Son Commune People's Committee, Bac Hoa ancient village has preserved its original character because it's nestled at the foot of a mountain, bordering Lang Son Province, making it less known to outsiders. Nearly 10 years ago, leaders of Bac Giang Province visited, recognized the tourism potential of this village, and instructed local authorities to encourage residents to preserve its beautiful architecture and unique culture.
Since then, the Luc Ngan District People's Committee has guided the preservation of Bac Hoa village's beauty, assigning the District Department of Culture and Information to develop a tourism development plan for Bac Hoa village, to be submitted to the Bac Giang Provincial People's Committee. Roads leading to the village have also been improved.
During the two most recent Thac Luoi Love Markets, the Luc Ngan District People's Committee directed the organization of "sloong hao" singing competitions and "sloong hao" courtship singing events right in Bac Hoa village, due to its unique and captivating scenery.

Bac Hoa Village is currently in the season of chrysanthemum greens flowers.
Speaking with an SGGP newspaper reporter, Mr. Hoang Thao, a resident of Bac Hoa village, shared that his village also boasts another unique feature: a large flower field surrounding it. This season is for chrysanthemum greens flowers, followed by sunflowers. On the hillsides, white plum blossoms stretch as far as the eye can see. Young people from neighboring communes often take advantage of their free weekends to visit Bac Hoa for photography.
On the hills above, white plum blossoms stretch endlessly.
Currently, several small tourism cooperatives in Bac Giang Province have also established tours to bring visitors to the ancient village of Bac Hoa.


Tourists visiting Bac Hoa Village.
However, dining, accommodation, and tourism infrastructure services here are either non-existent, insufficient, or still rudimentary. Consequently, most visitors only pass through briefly, not staying overnight, and usually return to Chu Town (Luc Ngan District) or Chi Lang Town (Lang Son).
Bac Ninh 6318 view
Update day : 21/02/2024
Source : saigongiaiphong.org.vn Affiliate links
Monuments close by
See allNearby tourist attractions
See all

























