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ha giang

Dong Van Town

Sights - Dong Van Town

This is a thriving little town in the Ha Giang province. Famous for it’s market as well as being a trade route, the main focus of the town is near and around the town square. In the daytime it is a place where people serve food and at the weekends to be entertained with wine and traditional singing.

The Old French Quarter in Dong Van is just round the back of the town square. The streets there are lined with Hmong-style houses made from clay bricks or wood with tiled roofs, some are over a century old.

History

One of Dong Van’s most notable historical landmarks is the French Fort, located on a hill overlooking the town. This fort dates back to the early 20th century when Vietnam was part of French Indochina. The area was also famous for its production of opium which made a certain Vuong Duc Chinh and his family rather wealthy indeed.

Market

The market took off here in popularity in the 1950s. Improved transportation, the construction of the loop road, being on a plateau as well as the proximity to China for cross border trade, energised the local marketplace. It was already a strong centre for administration with a colonial past so had connections with other parts of Vietnam already established. The market then became even more important when the regional market at Pho Bang was relocated to Dong Van in 1979.

The market runs every day but its the weekend when it comes alive with sellers from the Hmong, Tay and Dao tribes. Buffalo are traded on saturdays and the main market day when everyone comes is sunday.