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Private tailor-made journeys of a life time
Jul 19, 2023
By Ms. Anh Thu
You are planning a trip to Mai Chau, and do not know what to do in Mai Chau Vietnam? In the northwest of Vietnam, in the province of Hoa Binh, is the rural district of Mai Châu which is about 135 kilometers far from Hanoi. There are numerous people coming to Mai Châu for its scenery. Read on to learn more about this destination and know what to do to have the best experience for your Northern Vietnam trip!
You may get a really excellent view of Thung Khe Pass from this location when traveling from Hanoi to Mai Châu. An outstanding mountain pass in Mai Chau is Thung Khe Pass (which is also called White Rock Pass). Between Tan Lac and Mai Chau, on Highway 6 in Hoa Binh Province, pass Thung Khe. Early in the morning, Thung Khe Pass, or White Stone Pass has bright skies, sunny afternoons with sunlight, and foggy evenings and nights.
Chieu Cave, one of Mai Chau's top tourist destinations, is located southwest of the town, around 350 meters from the nearest neighborhood. Chieu Cave is one of the magnificent caves to be visited on the Mai Chau trip because of its gorgeous stalactites. Tourists will undoubtedly be astonished by the stunning beauty and glittering sceneries of the exceptionally beautiful location every afternoon.
Lac Village looks to be a dreamy and attractive environment despite being more than 100km from the metropolis of Hanoi. When you get here, the village looks like a tranquil town with rows of stilt dwellings strewn around a lush valley of paddy fields. White Thai culture is found in Lac Village, Mai Chau, and is represented by the Ha, Lo, Vi, Mac, and Loc clans. The community has been around for over 700 years.
The Go Lao waterfall is 13 kilometers away from Lac Village - the biggest tourist settlement in Mai Chau with resorts and homestays. Thung Cang and Phieng Sa streams combine to create the waterfall known as Go Lao. The waterfall is located in a corner up against the mountain and is around 30 meters high. It is the most popular waterfall due to its proximity to Lac Village and ease of access when combined with Hoa Binh Lake and Thung Khe Pass.
Hoa Ban+ is a handicraft factory located in Mai Chau, Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam. The weaving, dying, and embroidery methods used in all of Hoa Ban Plus Factory's goods are traditional White Thai ones. They are made of 100% naturally colored silk and cotton and are used to make eco-friendly fabrics, clothing, purses, toys, and accessories. Here, you can buy a gift for your beloved ones at home.
The outdoors is Mai Chau's biggest lure; the residents, rice fields, and mountains in the background make the northwest region of Vietnam feel like home to tourists. The environment varies as you bike or hike through Mai Chau's dirt roads, and its minute features give you something to photograph, such as in-season wildflowers, rice paddies that are either green with rice plants or mirror-like depending on the season, and residents transporting cattle. Guides can recommend bicycling or hiking routes that are as challenging or simple as your body and lungs will allow. For a modest cost, your local hotel or homestay can either suggest a bike supplier or lend you one of their own and the cost depends on the number of activities.
Along with the Kinh (Viet) majority, more than fifty ethnic minorities also live in Vietnam. In Mai Chau, the Tai Dam and Tai Kao (also known as the "White Thai" and "Black Thai") people infuse the local tourism experience with their customs and culture. Visitors can choose a homestay in one of Mai Chau's two largest villages, Poom Coong or Lac, where the Tais' distinctive stilt dwellings serve as the region's simple yet elegant lodgings. In a Tai homestay, daily life is straightforward: you awaken to the sound of roosters crowing and farmers working in the dark, sleep on a mattress spread out on the creaking bamboo floor and spend your evenings sipping local wine and taking in a Tai cultural performance.
Tai homes are typically elevated four to five feet above the ground and constructed on stilts. Therefore, despite the advent of more contemporary materials like corrugated iron sheets (replacing the thatch roofs in a number of Tai houses), the fundamental house form has altered little over the centuries. Stilt buildings are more ventilated and better protected from pests and intruders.
We have shown you this destination above, then you know what to do in Mai Chau Vietnam, especially in Thung Khe Pass, don’t you? You'll stop at Thung Khe Pass, a rest area with smoky food shacks and a stunning view of the white cliffs above and the valley below, as your bus navigates Highway 6 from Hanoi to Mai Chau.
You may take a seat at one of the stalls to taste the regional food that the Muong tribespeople of the area are selling while taking in the scenery. Choose from freshly boiled or grilled corn and sugarcane or the sticky-rice dish known as com lam. All of these dishes are inexpensive but satisfying, lacking in the complexity of the food you'll find in Hanoi but pleasantly warm in the face of the region's chilly weather. A dense pea-soup fog that makes it more hazardous to travel on mountain roads is one of the special dangers brought on by the highland cold. Driving across Thung Khe Pass in the winter can be extremely dangerous since the motorist can only see a few feet in front of them and their headlights are making little progress against the fog.
Without a loom, it isn't a true Mai Chau Tai house. Traditional women devote their time to weaving, acquire the craft at an early age, and labor since they are young to create a trousseau for their future marriage, according to traditional gender norms. Traditional brocade, which consists of silk textiles with vibrant colors and embossed designs, is a specialty of the Tai. The Tai women's tight waistbands, worn even while conducting physical labor, are proof that their daily attire heavily utilizes brocades.
Locals in Mai Chau make their own silk brocades by gathering silkworm cocoons, reeling the silk from the cocoons, coloring the threads with natural dyes, and then selling the vibrantly colored completed product in the markets and villages of Mai Chau. All of this entails strenuous effort; reeling, dyeing, and weaving call for deft, knowledgeable hands. Set a fair price while negotiating for their handbags, scarves, and skirts. Prices are structured in that way for a reason!
Mo Luong Cave in Mai Chau
The karst limestone bedrock that gave Mai Chau's sinuously curved mountains their shape is the same type of geological formation that gave Ha Long Bay's dragons' back islands their shape. Caves are common in karst regions, and Mai Chau is no exception. Two of Mai Chau's largest caverns, Mo Luong ("Soldier") Cave and Chieu ("1,000 Steps") Cave, are frequent stops on local hiking paths.
Mo Luong Cave extends roughly 1,600 feet into Mount Phu Ka's interior. The cave, which has two entrances, enlarges into a massive cathedral interior before branching off into four other tunnels. During the Vietnam War, Mo Luong was utilized as an arsenal storage facility. Only a 1,200-step stairway can get you to Chieu Cave, thus the moniker. The interior branches out into two rooms as it descends roughly 500 feet into the mountain.
After knowing what to do in Mai Chau Vietnam, it is time to learn what are specialties in Mai Chau. Typically, the Mai Chau homestay experience involves food along with perhaps a Tai Kao dance performance by a local troupe. Steamed sticky rice, or xoi nep thuong, is the foundation of a Mai Chau feast that includes grilled pork, bitter bamboo shoots, and the preferred local libation, sticky-rice wine (ruou can), which is consumed by a group through straws from a single clay jar. Traditional Tai food pulls significantly on the land. Locally cultivated ingredients are used in the meals given at night, including herbs like coriander and grains like rice, sugarcane, and corn.
If you don't have much time, you may do a trip to Hanoi Mai Chau for 1 day as it isn't far from Hanoi to Mai Chau. Your journey must stay at least 2 days and 1 night in order to properly appreciate the pace of life and participate in communal events over the weekend with the Mai Chau people. The motorbike and passenger bus are the two primary modes of transportation from Hanoi to Mai Chau.
March through early May and September through October are the ideal months to visit Mai Chau. Spring and the emerald green paddy fields of rice are from late March to early May. There is no rain, although the days may get extremely warm. You may view beautiful fields of ripe rice during the harvest season, which lasts from September through October. In general, it is chilly at night and nice throughout the day.
Mai Chau will be your unforgettable destination on your tour to Northern Vietnam. You can book a tour of Mai Chau from Vietnam Escape Tours to have the best experience with a detailed itinerary. I hope with this post, you no longer wonder what to do in Mai Chau Vietnam. So do not wait any longer, pack your bags and enjoy your trip to Mai Chau.
