JA Lens

"Pleeeeaase... let me go! Release meeeee! I beg yooouuuu!" I could almost hear that pleading in oink language; in what seemed to be the loudest and longest wail of a pig's agony I'd ever endured. My heart went for the pig.

Just down from the main road, the irregular-shaped mild slope landing about the size of a badminton court was the pig section. Puppies also shared the space. All over the red earth landing, owners stood and waited for prospects to come and buy their legged properties.  Some leashed to the owners, some to wooden poles sticking out from the ground. At some spots, there was a filled clump of a gunny sack lying on the dusty red soil, with a hairy pig snout jutting out of a fist-size hole at the bottom of the sack.

These beautiful shiny bowls were neatly arranged for display at one of the stalls catering to tourists in Can Cau market, Vietnam. Pleasant to look at, yet makes one wonder if they were made locally or had been imported solely for sale to tourists visiting the area.

The Saturday Can Cau market is a weekly meeting point for the ethnic minorities in the northwest Vietnam highlands, especially the Hmong people. They come to buy and sell farm products, animals, household items, corn wine, farming implements and such amongst the locals. Some come just to relax after a week of hard work, meet up with friends, eat and drink! Like the bowls, the traditional clothes of the ethnic groups are just as colourful and varied.

Behind the Can Cau market, there were stalls and more stalls selling cooked food. The Hmong people groups gathered here for their weekend shopping and enjoyed a good time of catching up with each other. Others, like this Flower Hmong woman, helped a mother to feed her baby, which was strapped on her back.

The Flower Hmong women are easily distinguished by their traditional clothing. Vivid thin line patterns adorn the fabrics used to make their dresses, of which, the majority are pink, maroon and red.