Bao Loc was a stop over during my motorbike trip in north-east Vietnam. The road from Meo Vac to Bao Lac overlooks a valley and you have a wonderful impression of height over a green landscape.
Bao Lac market is very authentic and varied because of its ethnic diversity and worth visiting. There a real mix of colours on the varied costumes of the local ethnic minorities from the mountains. It sells fabric, plants, roots, rice wine...everything! The atmosphere is lovely.
On the other hand, Bao Lac's restaurants didn't leave me with good memories compared to what I ate elsewhere in Vietnam.
What I remember most, like a lot of little villages that I visited, is the really lovely local inhabitants! It is possible to get off the beaten track - just out of curiosity I went for walk in the surrounding area without a guide and I met lots of people! People are quick to invite you into their houses. A flood of rice wine is the usual sign of welcome into their houses on stilts!