Tri Le Market

(Baonghean) - In the days leading up to the Lunar New Year, we traveled along National Highway 48 to Que Phong, a borderland in the Northwest region of Nghe An province. The spirit of spring was already vibrant along the roads, reaching even the remotest villages. The most memorable part of this journey was strolling through Tri Le market, a pre-Tet market that embodies the unique characteristics of the highlands.

Before entering the market to trade goods, shoppers must pass through a "forest" of peach blossoms vying to show off their beauty. These peach branches are brought down from the Hmong villages located on high mountain peaks such as Nam Tot, Muong Long, Huoi Moi, Pha Khom... Growing at high altitudes in cold weather, the peach trunks become rough and grayish. But on the smaller branches, the peach buds are tinged with pink and green shoots have begun to sprout. Therefore, the peach branches evoke an impression of abundant vitality, rebirth, and offering fragrance, color, and sweetness to life. Looking at the peach branches in the market, we think of their owners - the Hmong people living in the high mountains. There, the climate is harsh, transportation is extremely difficult, and making a living is incredibly arduous, yet they persevere to survive and affirm their resilience. Like a peach blossom branch silently accumulating life force during the winter months, so that when the warmth of spring arrives, it will sprout, bloom, and contribute to life and people a vibrant spring color, overflowing with faith and hope...

Customers are choosing peaches to buy at Tri Le market.

Returning to the peach blossom garden at Tri Le market, it can be considered a gathering place for the vibrant colors of peach blossoms from the border region. There are branches with deep pink blossoms, branches with light pink blossoms, and branches with buds still budding, their colors not yet fully revealed... The market is bustling with buyers and shoppers. Buyers have plenty of choices, depending on their preferences and budget. Compared to the lowlands, peach blossom branches at Tri Le market are much cheaper. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, a trader from Nam Dan district, brought his groceries to sell and chose a rather beautiful peach blossom branch. The branch, with only buds and not yet in bloom, cost 500,000 VND. He said: "This branch would probably cost millions of VND in the lowlands, so I took the opportunity to bring it back, both to buy a beautiful branch and to save some money."

Here, we also met Nguyen Thi Giang and Phan Thi Ha, two girls from Vinh City. They strolled through the peach blossom market, admiring each branch with fascination. Giang shared: “We had business in Kim Son Town. We heard that Tri Le market sold many beautiful peach blossom branches, so we came here to see them. Indeed, every branch is beautiful; we really want to buy a few to take back to Vinh, but we don't know how to transport them.” We noticed a man carrying a rather large peach blossom branch and setting it down. Upon inquiring, we learned that he was Mua Ba Re from Muong Long village. He cut this branch from his backyard and woke up at 4 am to carry it to the market to sell. The journey from his village to the market took exactly five hours. Selling the branch would give him money to prepare for a more complete and prosperous Tet holiday. And if the peach blossoms sell well, he will bring another branch down to sell the next day.

The distinctive highland character of Tri Le market isn't just about the Mong peach blossoms; it's also about the abundance of mountain and forest products sold during Tet (Lunar New Year). These include specialties like black chickens, black pigs, small pigs, and Muscovy ducks; as well as purple sticky rice, rice wine, taro, and Mong rice. Along with these are traditional brocade items such as skirts, blouses, scarves, bags, and belts, which are popular among highland women. It feels as if these products have been carefully preserved by the Thai, Mong, and Khmu ethnic groups for months beforehand, waiting to be sold during Tet. Ms. Ho Y Mai (from Xai 1 village), sitting and selling several bags of taro, took a moment to tell us: "This year our village has a good taro harvest; every household has plenty. The taro season ended in October, but we saved this much to sell closer to Tet so we could have money for expenses. We've already sold almost half since yesterday." Sitting next to Ms. Mai was Ms. Vu Y Tru (Huoi Moi 1) with more than a dozen black chickens kept in pretty cages. Ms. Tru said that she had been raising her chickens since the middle of the year, and last month several people came to the village to inquire about buying them, but she didn't sell. She had to wait until now when the price would be higher, so she would have more money to spend during Tet.

The Tet (Lunar New Year) markets in Tri Le are also an opportunity for young men and women from the highland villages to meet, socialize, and date. And from these markets, many couples have found their spouses. We were fortunate to meet the couple Xong Ba Chia and Vu Y Lu. The husband walked ahead, the wife followed behind, they looked inseparable. Xong Ba Chia happily chatted: "I'm from Nam Tot village, my wife is from Muong Long village. Five years ago, I went to the Tet market and met my wife here, and we promised to visit Muong Long during Tet. A few months later, we got married, and now we have two children." At the Tri Le market on the eve of Tet, we met many young men and women from the highlands. Perhaps in the future, many of them will become husband and wife, following in the footsteps of Xong Ba Chia and Vu Y Lu...

Stepping back a bit, the Tri Le market resembles a colorful painting. Alongside the vibrant colors of the goods are the dazzling costumes of the ethnic minorities in the highlands. Tri Le is home to 33 villages and four ethnic groups (Thai, Mong, Khmu, and Kinh). The Kinh make up a small proportion, while the Thai, Mong, and Khmu are roughly equal in size. These four ethnic groups live together harmoniously and peacefully in this border region of the province. And together they contribute to making the Tet market even more joyful, warm, and colorful. Mr. Xong Ba Cha, a local resident, said that the Tri Le market has existed for a very long time. Previously, the market only met a few times a week, but as life improved, the number of meetings gradually increased. For about 10 years now, the market has been open every day of the week, making the exchange of goods much more convenient.

We left Tri Le while the Tet market was still bustling, peach blossoms were in full bloom, and somewhere the lively melody echoed: “Spring has arrived, villagers! Uncle Ho’s poem awakens the land. The sound of the trumpet resounds throughout both regions; Uncle Ho’s call signifies the arrival of spring…” So, Tet has arrived, spring has come, bringing new joy and hope to the highland villages of Tri Le and throughout the country!

Text and photos:Tuong Anh