U Dai Son Market

(Baonghean) - Dai Son Commune, Do Luong District is famous for the largest wholesale market for buffalo and cows in the country. During the market sessions, thousands of buffalo and cows are transported from all over, creating a bustling atmosphere, changing the peaceful atmosphere of this remote village...

Go to the buffalo market

From Provincial Road 34, through Nghi Phuong and Nghi Kieu communes of Nghi Loc district, no one can help but know the way to U Dai Son market. The road is small, winding and deserted. On both sides of the road are acacia, eucalyptus, green peanut and corn fields. Dai Hue range stands in the south like a wall protecting the small villages.

According to the introduction of Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hai, Vice Chairman of Dai Son Commune: "If there was no U market, not many people would know about Dai Son Commune". The market is held right in the middle of the intersection in the center of the commune. This is a prime location convenient for traveling. From here, you can go up to the district center along Khuon - Tru - Dai road, you can go through Nghi Kieu (of Nghi Loc district) along Provincial Road 34 to Vinh City, you can also turn through Yen Thanh to get to National Highway 7A. The market has been moved to many places, initially the market had all kinds of goods to serve the people. The buying and selling of buffaloes and cows was carried out during these markets. With the advantage of large land, the livestock industry developed strongly, so the demand for buying and selling buffaloes and cows increased day by day. Not only the people in the commune, but also the people around the area, whenever they had a need, also came to U market. The good news spread far and wide, traders from all over came more and more. Realizing this, in 1967, Dai Son buffalo and cow market was established and put into operation. The market meets 6 times a month on the 1st, 6th, 11th, 16th, 21st, and 26th with thousands of buffaloes and cows.

Buffaloes and cows from all regions gather at U Dai Son market (Do Luong).

No one knows since when, the song "Who comes to U Dai Son market/ Buys a buffalo to build a great field" has become familiar. At 5 am, on all the roads, groups of people leading buffaloes and cows poured into the market, their mouths constantly chattering. The buffaloes walked quickly at the urging of their owners, the calves happily ran after them... For traders from far away, to be on time for the market, they had to lead their buffaloes and cows to the market on foot the day before. Trucks with out-of-province license plates were also full of buffaloes and cows, honking loudly to find a way. Mr. Nguyen Van Ba ​​hurriedly urged his buffaloes to go, looking very excited: "There is only one market every few days, it would be a pity not to go. Farmers, with little capital, only have a few buffaloes to bring to the market to sell". For many farmers, going to the market is also a habit to... look at buffaloes and cows. They see this as a pleasure. In addition, the buffalo and cow market is also an opportunity for many people to come to consult market prices and learn about buying and selling experiences, and choosing breeds. Random encounters, handshakes, bargaining, and challenging prices among the hurried crowd… are completely opposite to the inherent peace of this village.

See the appearance of… buffalo

The ancients said: "The buffalo is the foundation of the family business". The choice of buffalo breeds for farmers' draft power is very important, it can predict whether the owner will encounter good or bad luck. Every farmer who goes to the market knows by heart the saying: "Mourning head, hair swirl, jaw sa / In these three things, the door of the house goes out". Mr. Hue - an old farmer who has been attached to the U market for more than half his life shared his experience: "The most taboo is the "laughing buffalo", which means that when you shine a light on the buffalo's face at night, it will show its teeth. The second is the "tam trinh" buffalo, also known as the buffalo with 3 eyes - there is a bulge in the middle of the forehead like a third eye. In addition, "bach nhiet" cows or "dot tail" cows... are the ones to avoid when choosing. The most popular types of buffalo and cows are: "tough bear mouth, jackfruit leaf ears, cage bottom", which are omnivorous and easy to raise. If anyone mistakenly buys a naughty buffalo or cow, they will have to "cosmetically" treat it to fool the public, if not, they will have to sell it at a low price to traders".

Buying beef cattle is quite simple, not as complicated as choosing breeding cattle. However, if you want to enter the cattle trading business, the first thing is to have an accurate and clear view. All bargaining and pricing processes are based on visual observation, without any weighing or measuring. Both buyers and sellers know how to estimate the weight of the animal correctly. With many years of experience in business, Mr. Nguyen Van Sau - an experienced trader in the area said: "The criteria for selecting goods are those with large, hard fur and rough skin because they have a lot of meat but small bones. Often, the "naughty" breeding animals of farmers are a profitable opportunity for traders."

For traders, losing money in trading is normal. For farmers, who always consider cattle as their “capital”, buying “naughty” cattle is taboo. Therefore, when buying a breeding animal, they often ask dozens of people, including relatives and elders in the village. After the market, an intimate meal at home is prepared to thank everyone and welcome the new breeding animal with the hope of good luck in the near future.

Australian Market Trader

Called merchants, they were actually farmers who did business. Initially, due to ineffective agricultural production, they took advantage of the cattle market near their homes to focus on raising cattle for sale. Their experience in buying and selling and evaluating cattle increased day by day, so they borrowed more money to buy and sell on a small scale. Gradually, they traveled to all the mountainous districts such as Tuong Duong, Ky Son and even to neighboring Laos to buy cattle to sell.

Those with less capital "sit and trade". They buy slightly skinny buffaloes and cows, fatten them up for a few weeks, then take them to the market to sell, earning 400,000 to 600,000 VND. Like many other farmers in Dai Son commune, old farmer Le Van Quyen had to put aside his dream of a large farm and turn to trading buffaloes and cows. He can't remember how long he has been in this profession, but he knows that his family used to farm and trade buffaloes, and now this is the only profession. He also brought along his eldest son, who is more interested in herding buffaloes than in studying, and his wife, who has free time, also goes to the market to herd buffaloes for hire. So the whole family makes a living thanks to the buffalo and cow market. Every month, there are 6 shifts to feed 4 mouths for 30 days. And it's not just his family, the whole village and commune are like that. They say they trade, but in reality, they fatten buffaloes and cows for sale. The husband or eldest son goes to find skinny and sick buffaloes and bring them back, while the wife and children stay home to herd and fatten them. Every few weeks, with professional care, the cattle are taken to the market. Once the village has goods to bring to the market, the whole family goes there together. While waiting to see if the goods sell, the children take advantage of the "extra work" by taking on hired cattle for traders. Many families near the market have taken advantage of the available land to build "rac" (temporary barns) as a place for cattle to rest while waiting to be loaded onto the truck. When traders buy enough goods, they have to rent these "rac" (temporary barns) for 15,000-20,000 VND/head. Thanks to the cattle market, many families here have been able to build high-rise buildings, buy expensive equipment, and their economic life has become more prosperous. In the central area of ​​the commune, shops have sprung up side by side. The face of the countryside in Dai Son is changing. Mr. Nguyen Thuc Hai, Vice Chairman of Dai Son Commune, said: “The cattle market contributes to increasing the income of the people in the commune, especially during the off-season. Currently, about 60% of the total of more than 1,800 households in the commune have income from the cattle market. Every year, the operation of the cattle market contributes more than 90 million VND in taxes to the commune budget, creating additional capital to solve local difficulties...”.

The market closed at noon, but the roadside eateries were bustling with the laughter of traders after a successful trading session. Along the way, farmers happily brought home the newly selected animals, and many people admired and pointed…

Nguyen Le