The entrance gate of Đông Kinh market in Lạng Sơn city

Shopping · Markets of the frontier

Markets of Lạng Sơn

Four centuries of trade at the border, one market at a time.

Where two countries trade

A province built on markets

Lạng Sơn sits on the busiest road between Vietnam and China, and trading runs in its blood. For centuries, highland farmers, border merchants and city shoppers have met in its markets: to sell brocade and star anise, bargain over electronics, or choose the perfect peach branch before Tết.

Keep scrolling to wander from one market to the next.

Potted peach trees in blossom on display for sale before Tết

Chợ hoa đào Tết

Peach Blossom Market

The weeks before Tết · January–February

Peach blossom is the flower of Lạng Sơn. In the weeks before the Lunar New Year, growers carry branches and whole potted trees down from the hills, and Lam Sơn Square and the city's pavements turn pink. The province now marks the season with a Peach Blossom Festival, complete with a peach fair and contests for the most beautiful tree.

Tip Choose a branch with plenty of closed buds: they will open through Tết and keep flowering for days.

Crowds and street-food stalls at Kỳ Lừa night market under colourful lights

Chợ Kỳ Lừa

Kỳ Lừa Market

Since the 17th century · Lạng Sơn city

The city's most famous market was founded by the Lê-dynasty governor Thân Công Tài, who levelled hills and laid out streets so traders from both sides of the border had a proper place to meet. It is still at its busiest on market days, when stalls overflow with brocade, conical hats and handmade pillows, and after dark the street becomes a lively night market.

Good to know Open roughly 8am–10pm. Market days fall on the 2nd, 7th, 12th, 17th, 22nd and 27th of each lunar month.

Chợ Đông Kinh

Đông Kinh Market

The city's trading hub · Lạng Sơn city

Lạng Sơn's biggest market is a multi-storey maze of stalls in the heart of the city. Aisle after aisle sells clothes, shoes, kitchenware, electronics, dried mushrooms, spices and sweets, much of it arriving through the border gates a few kilometres away. Wholesalers and families shop side by side.

Tip Bargain politely and with a smile; first prices for visitors often leave room to move.

Chợ Đồng Đăng

Đồng Đăng Market

In the border town · Đồng Đăng

A sprawling border-town market of dried goods, household wares, spices and snacks, with a distinctly Sino-Vietnamese mix. Traders here often stop at the Mother Goddess Temple to pray for a good year before heading back to their stalls.

Don't miss Sweet, smoky lạp xưởng sausages and a plate of khâu nhục from the eateries around the market.

Stalls of household goods and small appliances inside the Hong Kong trade centre at Tân Thanh

Chợ cửa khẩu Tân Thanh

Tân Thanh Border Market

At the border gate · Văn Lãng

Right beside the Chinese border, Tân Thanh is a shopping town in its own right: a two-storey trade centre, arcades such as the Hong Kong trade centre, and open-air stalls running up to the border line. Clothes, toys, electronics and fresh fruit change hands at near-wholesale prices, and bargain hunters come from all over northern Vietnam.

Tip Check goods carefully before paying, and keep receipts for larger purchases.

A crowded highland market street with traders in traditional dress and stalls under tarpaulins

Chợ phiên

Highland Market Days

On set days of the lunar month · district towns

In the district towns and mountain communes, markets still follow the lunar calendar. On market day Tày, Nùng and Dao families come in from the hills to trade brocade, herbs, knives, piglets and home-made wine, and to catch up with friends and relatives. It is as much a social gathering as a shopping trip.

Tip Arrive early: the best produce and the liveliest trading are over by late morning.

Souvenirs with a story