Over time, Pac Khuong Love Market has evolved beyond a mere trading hub into a vibrant festival. It is a gathering place for locals and visitors, especially young men and women seeking love and companionship. The market comes alive in the early morning hours, with people and visitors flocking to the market square in Binh Gia’s Thien Thuat commune.
At noon, the market reaches its peak. This is when the lively atmosphere of buying and selling is at its most vibrant. On offer are homemade treats like traditional cakes, sticky rice cakes, and bamboo tube rice, alongside familiar agricultural products such as ginger, turmeric, and lemons. One of the most popular items for sale is wild bamboo shoots, a staple food for the highland ethnic communities.
The love market is a unique feature, where couples and groups come to find old flames and lost loves. Despite past circumstances preventing them from being together, they cherish their shared history and reunite annually at the Háng Pò Love Market without jealousy or rivalry.
The festival also attracts older individuals seeking friendship, cultural exchange, and a chance to reconnect with loved ones and friends. Young people attend, eager to engage in the cultural activities unique to the ethnic communities. Attendees don their finest traditional attire, adding to the colorful ambiance of the mountain setting, with the melodic sounds of ‘Sli’ singing creating a captivating cultural space that draws visitors from far and wide.
Today, ‘Sli’ singing encompasses not only romantic duets but also expressive performances declaring love for one’s homeland and aspirations for a better life. This annual festival, passed down through generations, features a diverse range of cultural and sporting events, preserving the rich cultural heritage of Binh Gia and attracting participants and visitors from neighboring provinces.
The cultural exchange includes performances of ‘Then,’ ‘Sli,’ and ‘Cỏ lẩu’ songs by local art clubs, both in traditional and modern styles. The program also involves enthusiastic participation from local villagers, with performances celebrating love, the beauty of Lang Son, the joy of labor, and romantic love.
The Háng Pò Love Market in Thien Thuat commune is accompanied by a host of cultural and sporting activities, including lion dancing, ‘Quan lang’ singing (a Tay wedding tradition), ‘Co lau’ singing (a Nung wedding custom), a performance depicting scholars, farmers, workers, and traders from Mong An commune’s seasonal festival, demonstrations of traditional wine-making, basket-weaving, and ethnic costume-making, cultural exchanges of folk songs between local clubs, and traditional sports and games, such as rice-sifting and steamed glutinous rice cake-making competitions.
Visitors to this extraordinary love market will be immersed in the fascinating, distinctive, and captivating cultural heritage of Binh Gia and Lang Son, a region steeped in ethnic traditions.
