Buying luck at Vieng Market

 As usual, from 10pm on the seventh day of the first lunar month, Vieng market in Nam Dinh is busy with visitors, who believe it will bring them luck throughout the year.

 

Located in Nam Dinh town, Nam Dinh city, the market is open throughout the year, but is most busy on the first seven days, when people have just finished their Tet (Lunar New Year) holiday.

 

People nationwide visit Vieng market to buy whatever, usually antiques or old things, believing it will bring them luck. During the day, roads to the market are blocked for a 10km radius with cars and motorbikes. Some visitors prefer to leave their vehicles and take a xe om.

 

Vieng market is divided into four parts: Vieng Nam Truc located next to Bi Pagoda; Vieng Lieu De near Trieu Quang Phuc Temple; Vieng My Loc next to Tran Temple; and Vieng Vu Ban next to the Day Palace.

 

Vieng Phu Day is where most visitors go. People like to walk the street around it from 2am to see locals kill and cook pigs and cows. The food is seen as something to bring the eater luck, and is sold cheap.

 

Visitors can eat food on the spot, or take it home. Besides pork and beef, Vieng Vu Ban market is also famous for brown sugar-cane with a yellow core.

 

The most popular shopping items this year are pottery jars and bronze pots to decorate houses. Most of the antiques are counterfeit, although they are as expensive as genuine products. Nevertheless, people still enjoy buying them, as they are bought at Vieng market.

 

Together with “antiques”, traditional items from surrounding villages such as Tong Xa, Bao Ngu, Nam Truc. Le Xa, La Xuyen, Nam Dien and others also are sold cheap.

 

The cheapest things at Vieng are flowers and trees, which bring both the buyer and seller happiness and luck. From around 2am, deals are done under the light of candles or flash-lights. Deals are done quickly, as people believe, to keep the luck.

 

At 6am, local people bring farming tools such as hoes and sickles to sell. Buyers believe that the tools will bring them health and richness.  Vieng market also is also a place to relax. Lovers can find one another and their happy future here.

 

Some pictures from this year’s Vieng market:

 

A stall selling imitation bronze antiques.

 

 

Beef, a specialty at Vieng Market.

A man makes to he (toy figurine).

 

Ornamental trees.

 

Playing chess.

 

Baking rice pancake.

Visitors come to the market to buy some luck for the New Year.

 

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