Khau Vai love market festival attracts crowds

Thousands of domestic and international tourists gathered for the 2015 Khau Vai Love Market Culture-Tourism Week, which kicked off on May 13th in Meo Vac district of the northern mountainous province of Ha Giang.
The week, which will run through May 16th, features a wide variety of activities including the northernmost beauty contest, cow fighting festivals, horse races, traditional dish exhibitions, and incense offerings at two temples in Khau Vai commune.
Vice Chairman of the district People’s Committee Tran Kim Ngoc, who is also head of the organising board, said the week aims to preserve and uphold the traditional ethnic minority culture in the province.
The Khau Vai Love Market has its origins in a legend about a couple who were deeply in love but were forbidden to be together because they hailed from differed ethnic groups. The two promised to meet once every year in Khau Vai on the 27th of the third lunar month.
The “Phong Luu” market of Son Vi commune is also a highlight of the event, drawing crowds of local residents and neighbouring Chinese people to join and enjoy the event’s art performances and games, according to Ngoc.
During the event, tourism service quality, social order and traffic safety have been ensured to serve tourists, he added.
The century-old festival, which is held annually in the third lunar month, is a popular meeting place for ethnic groups in the locality, particularly those in love./..