Previously, horse racing in Bac Ha took place simply. The only reward is a bottle of wine or a piece of linen. Although the reward is not high, the horse racing movement of Bac Ha is still very exciting. Especially the boys train horses, eagerly waiting for the race day to compete with each other. On race day, people around the area also came to cheer a lot, creating a crowded and bustling atmosphere.

The road that is often chosen for racing is starting from the district center, the destination is the road starting to turn into Thai Giang Pho commune. On that road, there are both flat and bumpy sections to test horse skills and riders. The destination is a tall tree with a red cloth hanging. The winner is the person who reaches the finish line first and gets this fabric prize.

Not only normal horse racing, Bac Ha people also have shooting horse racing. In addition to the ability to ride a horse, having a good horse, the participant must also be a marksman. When they reached the finish line, they had to accurately shoot the blue cloth stuck to the cliff.

In 1975, Bac Ha held a parade with over 200 horses to celebrate the liberation of the South and reunification of the country. In the spring of 1980, the Bac Ha district team organized a horse race, shooting to choose good horsemen and gunners to join the militia to transport food.

After many years, the horse racing festival was lost, no longer popular. In the 90s of the last century horse racing began to be restored, there were a few sporadic horse races organized by the locality. The track is no longer a natural trail but is incorporated into the stadium. In 2004, for the first time, the horse racing festival was held on a fairly large scale, attracting jockeys from localities inside and outside the province to participate. The biggest milestone was in 2007, marking the development of the horse racing festival starting an annual activity. Since then, it is time to reschedule the Bac Ha traditional horse race held in early June every year. Horse racing is now not only limited to Bac Ha district but also attracts other provinces to participate.

Phan Phuong