Held only once a year from the night of the seventh to the early hours of the eighth day of the first lunar month, Vieng Market draws visitors from across northern Vietnam.
Many believe that purchasing an item in the very first moments after the market opens brings genuine good fortune for the year ahead. From the afternoon of February 23 (the seventh day of the first lunar month), streams of visitors poured into Kim Thai and Vu Ban communes in Ninh Binh Province.
At around 9.30 pm, heavy rain began to fall, yet the crowds remained dense. Roads leading to the market were packed with people and vehicles.
Goods on sale range widely, from traditional farming tools such as knives, sickles, hoes, shovels and bamboo fish traps to ornamental plants and saplings. Many shoppers believe buying such items at this once-a-year market will bring a productive harvest and prosperity throughout the year.
Profit is not the main concern for either buyers or sellers.
Locals hold that simply completing a transaction, whether purchasing a small spring branch, a farming tool or even a second-hand item, symbolises acquiring luck for the new year, while sellers symbolically rid themselves of the misfortunes of the old year.
The “buy luck, sell misfortune” market has become a distinctive cultural tradition in the Red River Delta. Visitors typically leave carrying fresh green branches, believed to dispel bad luck and usher in peace and happiness for the year ahead.
