Mai Chau Valley

Mai Chau Valley has long been the beautiful tourist spot appealing tourists. The majestic nature, peaceful landscapes and enthusiasm of the Thai locals will definitely leave unforgettable impressions in tourists' mind.

About 130 km from Hanoi, Mai Chau is a mountainous district in Hoa Binh province. It is a cultural tourist attraction in Hoa Binh which both domestic and foreign tourists are keen to visit. The path to Mai Chau Valley is relatively steep. The winding roads are seemingly going on an immense sea of clouds among the vast and grandeur of the heaven and earth. Looking down from the high pass, Mai Chau Valley appears beautiful thanks to the evergreen of trees, rice fields and the tiny closely stilt-houses.  All seem to warmly welcome tourists.

Rice field in Lac Village, Mai Chau - Source: Image from Panoramio by Che Trung Hieu

Mai Chau Valley is the concentration of ethnic minorities, and the Thai ethnic people retain the largest number. Mai Chau thus bears the characteristics of the Thai ethnic group. The Thai ethnic groups live crowded and still keep their rich cultural traditions, especially the stilt-houses. Here, the stilt-houses have been constructed along both sides of the road. The houses retain the tall and airy space with palm leaf roofs and bamboo-slat floors. The floor is around 1.5 m above the ground supported by extremely strong wooden pillars. All of houses in the valley also possess looms of colorful brocade weaving. The Thai villages with their traditional cultures have established famous community tourist spots such as Lac Village, Pom Coong Village, or Van Village... In addition, Mai Chau Valley is also home to numerous well known monuments and scenic beauty, namely Mo Luong Cave, Chieu (Afternoon) Cave, Pieng Kem Cave, and archaeological sites: Lang Cave, Khau Phuc Cave...

Spectacular stalactites in Mo Luong Cave - Source: Image from Panoramio by alvincent

Taking part in Mai Chau travel, tourists must visit Lac Village and Pom Coong Village. They have been 2 tourist villages of the white Thai people for 10 years. Pom Coong Village now owns 64 stilt-houses welcoming the tourists; meanwhile the number in Lac Village is 25. Arriving here, tourists will easy to catch the image of the Thai girls plying looms right at the foot of the stilt-houses. It is also the souvenir stalls by the hands of Thai producers such as "pieu" scarf, purse, handbag, and brocade clothes... Going Mai Chau, tourists do not forget to enjoy the regional specialties which are delicious "can" wine (a kind of traditional wine in ethnic group) made from glutinous rice, ginger, other particular ingredients ... and Mai Chau "com lam" (a sort of delicious rice in ethnic minority). In particular, homestay in Mai Chau is professionally organized with well-prepared infrastructure, neat and pure space, good security, and peaceful locals. Therefore, Mai Chau is increasingly attracting much more foreign tourists. Back to the life close the nature, respect for the environment, learn the lifestyle of local people, and develop the community lifestyle are always the first choice of international tourists.

A Thai stilt-house in Lac Village - Source: Image from Flickr

Keep moving to Hang Kia Commune, tourists will have an opportunity to hear the flute with loving and passionate melody, and immerse in the lives of the locals. Setting foot in anywhere at Pa Co market of Mong ethnic people to buy souvenirs, tourists always receive a warm welcome. Mai Chau beauty is actually picturesque. Exploring Mai Chau travel, tourists cannot fail to make a visit to Mo Luong Cave, which is famous for the mysterious stalactites. The stalactites have created the flowers, streams like a masterpiece. Furthermore, in the Mai Chau Valley, tourists find easy to catch lush green rice fields, the blossoming flowers beside the simple life of the villagers, their cultivation, and their daily activities. In the spring, Mai Chau is full of colors of white plum blossoms and scarlet cherries, the pure flower colors amidst the nature... In the summer, the scenery is covered by a lush green of the forests, the paddy fields, and cornfields... Especially, around late fall and early winter, Mai Chau is extremely bright thanks to prosperous and magnificent beauty. The golden rice terraces are in ripe season covering the hillsides and interspersing in the primitive stilt-houses of the locals.

Mai Chau view from Hang Kia - Source: Image from Flickr

The majestic nature, amazing scenery, rich velvety green, along with poetic beauty of the highlander has turned Mai Chau Valley into a wonderland, a wonderful natural painting. Going to the land, tourists will have a chance to take part in the Thai cultural tours, visit rich farms, and join in green tourism routes, a spectacular world of between the heaven and earth. Mai Chau Valley is worth the typical model for developing community cultural tourism of Hoa Binh tourism.