Meo Vac

Meo Vac sits in a bowl of limestone at the eastern end of the Ma Pi Leng pass in the Dong Van karst plateau geopark, and its Sunday market is the reason to time a visit: families come in from the surrounding villages - H'mong mostly, with Lo Lo, Giay and others - to trade livestock, cloth, tools and produce, eat thang co, and meet, and the market is a social event before it is a commercial one. There is also a livestock market on Sundays where buffalo change hands. The town itself is small and functional; the plateau around it is the attraction.

What you actually see

• A Sunday market - families in from the villages to trade and meet.
• Livestock trading - buffalo and other animals changing hands.
• The end of the Ma Pi Leng pass - the road over from Dong Van.
• Limestone plateau country - the Dong Van karst geopark.

When to go

September to November and March to May, arriving Saturday for the Sunday market. Two days.

Honest expectations

The market is a working event and photographing people at close range without asking is resented. Roads in the plateau are winding and demanding. Accommodation is basic. Cold and fog are frequent in winter.

Nearby

Ma Pi Leng and Dong Van are west; Lo Lo Chai is beyond them.