Meo Vac is a small highland town at the eastern end of Ma Pi Leng Pass, about 22 km from Dong Van, sitting in a bowl of bare limestone mountains near the Chinese border. It is known for one thing above all: its Sunday market, the largest weekly market on the Ha Giang Loop, which starts before dawn with a cattle trade and is winding down by late morning.
Most loop itineraries pass through Meo Vac around midday on the way off the pass, which is too late for the market. To see it, you need to be in town on a Saturday night or drive over the pass very early on Sunday.
Cross Ma Pi Leng and come down into Meo Vac by car
A private car, a mountain driver and a licensed local guide, with the schedule moved to catch the Sunday market if your dates allow.
★Ha Giang Loop by Private Car — 3 DaysThree days around the Ha Giang Loop in your own car, from Ha Giang city — Heaven Gate, Lung Cu, the Sky Path on Ma Pi Leng and a private boat on the Nho Que. · 3 days, 2 nightsSee the tour →Ha Giang Loop from Hanoi — 4 Days by Private CarDoor to door from Hanoi: four days on the Ha Giang Loop with your own car, a licensed local guide and a good hotel every night. · 4 days, 3 nightsSee the tour →Where Meo Vac is and what the town is like
Meo Vac lies on the far side of Ma Pi Leng from Dong Van. The road between the two towns is the cliff section of National Highway 4C, and the 22 km take about an hour by car without stops, closer to three with the lookouts, the Sky Path and a boat on the Nho Que. Our Ma Pi Leng Pass guide covers that stretch stop by stop.
The town itself is not old or especially pretty. It is a working market town of concrete shophouses, a few hotels and government buildings along a valley floor, with steep karst on every side and maize planted in pockets of soil between the rocks. Most people in the surrounding villages are H’Mong, with Dao, Tay, Giay and Nung communities too, and on market day you see all of them in town at once.
| From Meo Vac to | Distance | What the road is like |
|---|---|---|
| Dong Van | about 22 km | Ma Pi Leng Pass, cut into the cliff above the Nho Que |
| Nho Que boat dock | a short drive down from the pass road | Steep descent to the reservoir near the Nho Que 1 plant |
| Khau Vai | about 22 km | Winding mountain road, close to an hour |
| Du Gia | about 75 km | Narrower road south, including a tight M-shaped pass |
Like the rest of the old Ha Giang province, Meo Vac has been part of Tuyen Quang province since July 2025, and the former district was reorganised into communes. The town and the road signs still say Meo Vac.
The Sunday market, hour by hour
The market fills the streets around the covered market hall every Sunday. It has three parts: a livestock market on the northern edge of town, the indoor hall for food and cooking, and the streets around it for clothes, tools, seed, herbs and household goods. Bring cash in small notes; nothing here takes cards.
| Time | What is happening |
|---|---|
| 05:00–06:00 | People walk cattle in from the villages or unload them from trucks; the livestock square fills first |
| 07:00–08:00 | The busiest hour: thousands of people from the surrounding communes, in their own clothes, trading and meeting |
| 08:00–10:00 | Breakfast and drinking in the food hall; tour groups arrive from Dong Van |
| After about 10:00 | Stalls pack up; by early afternoon the town is quiet again |
The livestock square
This is the part people remember. Hundreds of cattle stand tied in a large square while buyers check teeth and haggle; pigs, goats, chickens and ducks change hands around the edges. It is a real trade with real money, not a show, so keep out of the way of animals being led through.
The food hall
Inside the hall, cooks work over open fires. The dish most associated with the market is thang co, a long-simmered stew of offal and meat, traditionally horse and now often beef or buffalo. There is also noodle soup with chicken or beef, and sticky rice dyed in several colours and sold from bamboo baskets. Circles of women selling corn wine from plastic jerry cans are part of the scene; men who came in the morning often go home late in the day on unsteady feet.
Dong Van holds its market on Sunday too, so you pick one. Meo Vac’s is bigger and has the livestock trade; Dong Van’s is smaller and sits next to the old quarter.
How to fit the Sunday market into a loop
The timing is the whole problem. The market is at its best between six and nine in the morning, and a standard loop reaches Meo Vac around lunchtime on the day it crosses Ma Pi Leng. There are three ways round it.
| Plan | How it works | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep in Meo Vac on Saturday | Cross Ma Pi Leng on Saturday afternoon, wake up next to the market | Ma Pi Leng in afternoon light; Dong Van gets less time |
| Early drive from Dong Van | Leave Dong Van at first light on Sunday and be in Meo Vac by about 07:30 | Fog on the pass is common early, especially December to February |
| Swap for Dong Van market | Wake up in Dong Van on Sunday and walk to its market before breakfast | Smaller market, no livestock square |
On a private trip any of these is a change of order rather than a different tour. Tell us your dates when you book and we will check whether a Sunday falls in the right place. The general route and how the days fit together are in our Ha Giang Loop guide.
Khau Vai love market and Pa Vi village
Khau Vai, once a year
Khau Vai is a commune about 22 km from Meo Vac town. Its love market is held once a year, on the 27th day of the third lunar month, which falls in April or May; in 2026 it was on 13 May. The story behind it is of two lovers from different communities who could not marry and agreed to meet there once a year after each had a family. Accounts usually date the custom to 1919, and in 2021 it was added to Vietnam’s national list of intangible cultural heritage.
It is now a large festival with a stage, stalls and heavy domestic tourism. Rooms in Meo Vac and Dong Van sell out that week, and it is worth planning around rather than stumbling into.
Pa Vi, just north of town
Pa Vi Ha is a H’Mong village about 5 km north of the town, rebuilt as a community tourism village from late 2016. Around thirty households live there, with homestays, weaving and a small cultural house. It is the easiest village visit from Meo Vac, and more arranged than most.
Meo Vac on our trips
On the three-day loop from Ha Giang city, Meo Vac comes on day two. The car crosses Ma Pi Leng in the morning, you walk the Sky Path, take a private boat on the Nho Que River through Tu San canyon, and pass through Meo Vac in the afternoon on the way south to Du Gia for the night. On the four-day trip from Hanoi, lunch on day three is in Meo Vac after the boat, before the long drive back to Ha Giang city.
Neither trip sleeps in Meo Vac as standard. The town has mid-range hotels and homestays; there is nothing upmarket, and our routes use Dong Van and Du Gia instead because the rooms are better and the evenings quieter. If you want the Sunday market, we can put a night in Meo Vac into the plan.
Ma Pi Leng in the morning, the Nho Que at noon, Meo Vac after
Three days from Ha Giang city or four door to door from Hanoi, private for your group, with the order changed to catch a Sunday market on request.
Ha Giang Loop by Private Car — 3 Days3 days, 2 nightsSee the tour →Ha Giang Loop from Hanoi — 4 Days by Private Car4 days, 3 nightsSee the tour →Questions about Meo Vac
What day is the Meo Vac market?
Sunday, every week. It starts around 05:00, is busiest between about 07:00 and 08:00, and is mostly packed up by late morning.
How far is Meo Vac from Dong Van?
About 22 km over Ma Pi Leng Pass. The drive takes about an hour without stops, and most visitors spend two to three hours on it with the lookouts, the Sky Path and a boat on the Nho Que.
Is the Meo Vac market better than the Dong Van market?
It is bigger and has a large livestock square, which Dong Van does not. Both are held on Sunday, so choose one; Dong Van’s is easier if you are already sleeping there.
When is the Khau Vai love market?
Once a year, on the 27th day of the third lunar month, usually in April or May. Khau Vai is about 22 km from Meo Vac town, close to an hour by road.
Should I stay the night in Meo Vac?
Only if you want the Sunday market or Khau Vai. Otherwise Dong Van has more character in the evening, and Du Gia is quieter; Meo Vac has mid-range hotels and homestays but nothing upmarket.
Your own car over Ma Pi Leng to Meo Vac
Car, driver, licensed local guide, rooms, meals, the Nho Que boat and the permit for your group, tailored on request and free to cancel until 5 days before.
★Ha Giang Loop by Private Car — 3 DaysThree days around the Ha Giang Loop in your own car, from Ha Giang city — Heaven Gate, Lung Cu, the Sky Path on Ma Pi Leng and a private boat on the Nho Que. · 3 days, 2 nightsfrom$354/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$975BOOK →2 guests$1,075BOOK →3 guests$1,315BOOK →4 guests$1,415BOOK →See the full tour page →Ha Giang Loop from Hanoi — 4 Days by Private CarDoor to door from Hanoi: four days on the Ha Giang Loop with your own car, a licensed local guide and a good hotel every night. · 4 days, 3 nightsfrom$543/ person›
Choose your group size · price is the group totalSolo traveller$1,515BOOK →2 guests$1,640BOOK →3 guests$2,045BOOK →4 guests$2,170BOOK →See the full tour page →Market times, distances and the Khau Vai date were checked in September 2026; markets shift with season and local events.