Looking for an ethnic homestay in the northern Vietnam to experience the culture and custom? One of the best destination for you to go is Mai Chau village, Hoa Binh province, just about 3 hours driving from Hanoi capital.
Lac Village in Mai Chau Valley, mai Chau villageLocation: In Hoa Binh Province, approximately 135km from Hanoi and 60km from Hoa Binh City.
Characteristics: From the top of Cun Pass, one can admire the superb panorama of Mai Chau surrounded by a green valley and stilt houses. Many minorities, including the Thai ethnic group, live in Lac Village.
Mai Chau is located in Hoa Binh province, about 135km (83 miles) from Hanoi and 60km (37 miles) from Hoa Binh. Mai Chau is well known for its natural beauty. The valley is home to many ethnic minorities, including the white Thai. From the top of Cun Mountain, the panorama of the lush green valley with its stilt houses is laid out before you.
Coming to Lac Village, you will see stilt houses border both sides of the roads. The houses are quite large with palm leaf roofs and polished bamboo-slat floors. The kitchen is located in the center of the house; the cooking as well as the making of the colorful tho cam, the material used by Thai minority to make their clothes, takes place in the kitchen. The windows are large and decorated with patterns. Each house also has a pond to breed fish.
The Sunday market brings a lot of people into town. People from different minorities living in the mountains come to Mai Chau market to sell their specific products: honey, bananas, corn, and tho cam made by skilled Thai women. The Sunday market is also an occasion to enjoy traditional Thai dishes and to participate in traditional dances.
Traditional dance, bamboo dance in Mai ChauFor an overnight stay in Mai Chau, the performance is a must (and the only) to see in Mai Chau at night. The performance are dances and songs to describe the life of the farmers, seasons of a rice growing year like when they sow the rice seeds until the harvest season, their happiness with the productive season, their hopes, their wishes... The end of the performance is always the bamboo dance which audiences are invited to join with the dancers followed with traditional cereal wine (taste like very light and sweet wine) as a good-bye for the show. If you're interested in the show, just tell the host - she's also the show organizer!
Tour as sampleDay 1: Hanoi - Mai Chau - Pu Luong (L,D) (170 km)Leave from your hotel at 7.00am. Transfer to Mai Chau. We drive on a very nice road and passing through spectaculars on routes. Arrival in PoomCoom village, we take a short walk around Thai village. Lunch will be served here on local house. By 2:00 pm, we take short ride (15 min) to Ma river. Boat cruise about 30 minutes, then we start our walk for 2 hours through beautiful villages, hill sides, magnificent rice paddies, water wheels… And one of the highlight on this walk is to experience the everyday life and culture white Thai people and stay in their traditional house on stilts as honoured guests. Again boat ferries across the river, we hit the road to Sai village where we will be having dinner and stay at their traditional Thai house on stilts.
Day 2: Pu Luong - Mai Chau - Hanoi (B,L)The daily life of the locals here starts early, it will be interesting for you to get up and take part in their activities to experience their lovely colourful life (this is sure with fun!). Breakfast at their house, then at 8 am start our trek inside Pu Luong Nature Reserve, visit an untouched Duom village. After 3 hours walk, driver pick us up and transfer to Poom Coom village for lunch. We should leave Mai Chau at 2.30 pm and return Hanoi by 6 p.m.
Tour cost per person is about 120 usd for 2 day package service.
For your Mai chau homestay tour booking, you can contact s
ales@vietnamhomestay.net - An expert on Vietnam homestay, A Vietnam Homestay specialist -
www.vietnamhomestay.net who can help you experience your great trip.
Have a good trip!
Vietnam travel Specialist
