Once a week, local groups from the neighboring villages, including the Hmong, Tay, Nung, and Hoa ethnic groups, cross the mountains early in the morning, sometimes from 3 am, when the fog still hangs in the air up in the highlands, to arrive at the Dong Van for the Sunday market in time.
It’s an entirely local event full of color, with people dressed in their traditional costumes, with distinctive Hmong jackets and berets as an example, and numerous food stalls and other tribal goods and agricultural products for sale like vegetables, meat, fabrics, and many more. Spending money there is the right way of helping these ethnic groups. The market is open every day, but on Sunday it is at its best with people not only trading but also socializing, drinking together in a festive mood. Be sure to visit the market early in the morning as officially, the market operates from 5 am to 10 am.