VietNamNet Bridge – At the Na Meo Market in Na Meo commune of Quan Son district in Thanh Hoa province, buyers and sellers can use three currencies, including Vietnam dong, Lao kip and US dollar, in making payment.

The Na Meo Market gathers only once a week, on the morning of Saturday. It is the place where Vietnamese and Lao exchange goods and services. The market is located on the Vietnamese territory, just 300 meters far from the Vietnam-Laos border posts. It is 50 kilometers far from the central area of the Quan Son district and 80 kilometers far from the Hua Phan province in Laos.

While the other border markets have been flooded with expensive goods and electronics, the Na Meo Market remains a village market in the true sense of the word. The goods available at the market are mostly farm produce and the specialties in the region.

There is no shelf for displaying goods or stalls at the market. There are only the areas programmed for different kinds of goods. The products are simply displayed on the ground with the lean-to over the heads.

There are the areas of brocade clothes, farm produce (bamboo spout, mice, fish), garments, footwear, soap and detergent. Both Vietnamese and Lao display goods here at the market.

Since the market gathers only once a week, it has been attracting a lot of people from the two countries. They come to sell and buy products, store goods for one week use.

Especially, the Na Meo market has also attracted the Vietnamese people from the lowland, who bring goods there to sell and buy local farm produce to the lowland to re-sell.

Lao also bring farm produce and other products to the market to sell, from soap to liquor and brocade products. After selling goods for money, Lao buy footwear, vegetable oil, clothes, sea fish and salt to carry to their home villages.

The “village market” there is called “international market”, because the visitors are from different countries, while different currencies can be used in making payment.

Especially, at the international market, the “international language” is used in transactions. The sellers would show the products’ prices with their fingers or the numbers on paper. In many cases, Vietnamese buyers just give bank notes to the sellers. If the values of the banknotes are higher than the actual values of the goods, Lao sellers would give small changes.

Here at the market, Viet people speak Kinh language, while Thai, H’Mong, Lao ethnic minority people and foreign visitors speak their native languages.

Here at the market, petrol has always been the most wanted product for Lao. The filling station at the Na Meo border gate has always been full of Lao. Every Lao visitor to the market brings with himself a 2 liter plastic can. The petrol is much more expensive in Laos than in Vietnam. Therefore, Lao always try to bring petrol from Vietnam to their home villages for gradual use.

However, Lao can only buy petrol in Vietnam in limited quantity. Under the strict control of the Lao and Vietnamese border guards, the buyers have to follow the state’s regulations.

All the Vietnam dong, Laos kip and US dollar can be accepted here at the Na Meo Market. The exchange rates among the currencies are negotiated by the sellers and buyers themselves.

If they cannot reach agreements on the exchange rates, buyers can convert money at the private foreign exchange points at the entrance gate to the market. Since Na Meo is the place where many foreign tourists stay during their trips, the US dollar has also been in circulation there.

Vu Phong