The old female buyer hasn’t bought a new conical hat for a year.

The countryside markets open in certain fixed days of months. They start in early morning and finish in the afternoon. There are 6, 8 or 12 market-days each month depending on each market of each locality. Out of them, there are main market-days and subordinate market-days according to lunar calendar. Vietnamese ancestors  arranged the countryside market-days in many localities so skillfuly that they didn’t take place at the same time. Tan Dan countryside market (at My Hiep Commune, Phu My District), Trung Chanh market (at Cat Minh Commune, Phu Cat District), An Luong market (at My Chanh Commune, Phu My District), Do market (at My Tai Commune, Phu My District), Binh Duong market (My Loi Commune, Phu My District) are respectively open in the first day, the second day, the third day, the fourth day and the fifth day of the first lunar month. In the sixth day of the first month, Tan Dan market will be held again. Such regular rotation  of the market-days form a monthly closed sales schedule.

In the countryside markets, buyers and sellers know one another very well. So, the sellers can’t overcharge their goods. Sometimes, the markets have no or few customers, the sellers have to beg the customers to buy at a reduced prices. They are even willing to sell their goods on credit or feel happy to get back their goods if the buyers dislike. How simple-hearted and honest are the country people!

In the past, main market-days are very crowded and bustling. Many produces and goods from various localities were taken there. If you want to go to the market, you must get up at midnight or dawn breaking. Slim figure of my grandmother on her way to the countryside markets still clings on to my vague momeries of childhood. She was carrying some kilos of wheatflour, some piles of rice cakes, tens of well-ripened sapodilas or brooms made of coconut stems…

I still remember following my mother to the countryside markets. I was very curious and eager to look at colourful To he (a kind of children’s toy made of rice flour, wheat flour or clay) on bamboo flat basket, at wooden flower-pattern clogs, at colourful clothes. When Tet Festivals were coming, my mother would take her children to stalls of the “luxurious goods” to equip each of us a new set of clothe, a new pair of clogs, a new hat,etc.

The countryside market now is different very much. They sells all kinds of goods like markets in cities in spite of their smaller size, their less beautiful and less qualified goods. The sellers sit at random on nylon canvas spreading on the ground. There is no planned stalls or kiosques like city markets. In remote areas far from the markets, mobile sellers bring necessities  with their door-to-door services. Vegetable, meat, fish, fruits, etc. are loaded on motocycles and then distributed to each house, each valleys or small grocery stores in front of residential houses.

In spite of the change of the countryside markets, the country people are still hospitable and righteous. At present, many cities open countryside-style markets so that visitors can “wallow” in countryside environment. However, such the countryside markets have flavour of tourism and commerce. It is hard to find simple and natural nuance of the true countryside markets.

• Written by Hoang Lan
• Translated by To Uyen