Local people visit Thut market

Similar to Vieng market in Nam Dinh province and Khau Vai Love Market in Ha Giang province, Thut market is not merely for buying and exchanging ordinary goods and agricultural products. The market is unique as customers don’t bargain and sellers don’t overcharge. They sell bad luck and buy good luck. Thus, everyone who visits always buys something as a souvenir. Most of the goods in the market are tools for agricultural production, seedlings and local specialties. Thut market is considered as a place to meet and share family and business stories from the past year between old friends and pray for a happy new year.

Like every year, this year’s Thut market opened on the first day of the second lunar month, with 24 booths representing 24 communes in the province. In addition, the market also features booths of individuals and other businesses.

At this year’s event, a series of folk games, including Con (a colourful fabric ball) throwing, were organised.

Especially, horse racing attracted more than 50 horses from Lao Cai, Son La, Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang provinces. On the first day of the second lunar month, the horses participated in the qualifying round to select the best 32 for the final round on the second day of the second lunar month. This year's tournament only has horse racing, no horse duel. In addition, there were four ethnic women riders running the first round of the horse racing.

Thut market has increasingly attracted a lot of people and visitors. In particular, this is also an opportunity for people in the commune and neighboring communes to sell traditional products.

Hoang Thi Tham, a White Pants Dao ethnic woman in Hung Duc commune, Ham Yen district, said that she weaves and makes products from traditional brocade fabric to sell at Thut market.  The market in the early days was not just about selling and buying, it was simply a place for young women and men to meet, exchange in early spring.

The strength of Phu Luu commune is the specialised orange growing area of the district. The commune's oranges output accounts for nearly 50 percent of the total orange production of the district. Currently, the People's Committee of Phu Luu commune is directing villages to focus on the plan of organising the Thut market festival and the traditional horse racing to ensure the scale, quality, security and local identity, contributing to creating conditions for people and visitors from near and far to enjoy the market and promote socio-economic development in the locality.