The northwestern region, far from the plains and cities, is known for its winding roads, wild rivers, bright sunshine and evening winds blowing from the mountains.
These mountainous regions can be reached by train from Folu Station, then change to car and go to the Kankau fair. The road 50 km from Folu passes through the Tyai River along a mountain serpentine. Upon arrival, you will immediately see the Kankau Market in the distance in the form of houses with green roofs, buried in the red flowers of the cotton tree.
The Kankau Fair is located on a small hill on the way between Bak Kha and the village of Simasai. This fair is very famous, so there are always a lot of tourists here.
You will get to the fair in the morning. Everything around will be full of red umbrellas and swirling women's dresses, as well as multi-colored fabrics, bags made of reeds, trays of greens, corn, peppers, melons, etc.
Young girls and boys come to the market with their own goods. Brightly dressed Hmong girls shyly gather in small groups and quietly whisper about something. At this time, the guys are sitting on their horses, looking at the girls with loving eyes, and the musical instrument “khen” is swinging on their back.
By noon, the fair is already empty. Tourists return to the center of Bak Kha County. There are no fairs here, so Bakha is a fairly quiet, peaceful place. In the evening, the city seems empty, the lanterns shine faintly and only the cool mountain wind blows through the streets.
Nearby is the ancient Palace that once belonged to Emperor Meo Hoang A Tuong. The architecture of the Palace is made in a mixture of European and East Asian styles.
The next day you can go to Ban Fo, one of the mountain villages of Bak Kha County. The road is rocky and is a steep serpentine road. Already from afar you can see plum trees, strewn with fruits either still green or already ripe red like fire.
Then the road leads to the village of Simasai, located 30 km from the Kankau market. The road is very difficult: one mountain replaces another. In some places the dense forests part and you can see how dry and red the earth is from the scorching sun.
The Phalong mountain pass is already behind you, and now, like a magical picture, you have a magnificent view of the northwestern region of Vietnam.