Mai Chau is an ideal destination for those who like to explore natural sceneries and the peaceful life of people living in the mountains. It can be said that Mai Chau has possessed various charming attractions, the article below will provide visitors a list of places to visit in Mai Chau.
1) Lac Village
The first place that you should visit in Mai Chau is Lac Village. Lac village in Mai Chau has long become a beautiful destination for people who want to get away from the hustle and bustle of noisy cities and return to the simple life. To reach Lac village, visitors have to go through a winding slope, about 12 km long. The path is really difficult and rough, however, visitors are able to see magnificent and majestic landscapes of nature. Coming to Lac Village, you will be impressed by the slow pace of local people’s daily life, with their main occupations are slash and burn farming along with weaving.
Visitors can easily come across stilts with ancient architecture, Thai women sitting on weaving looms, or bamboo fences and rice fields… After a tiring day, visitors should come to enjoy a warm dinner with the Thai people, sip cups of wine, or try unique dishes of this land, such as free rangers, steamed fish, bitter bamboo shoot, sticky rice, …
2) Pom Coong Village
It will really be a shortcoming if there is no Pom Coong Village in the list of places to visit in Mai Chau. The beauty of nature and local people in Pom Coong have left many impressions in the hearts of tourists.
The houses on stilts here are usually built in clusters and in traditional architectural style, the floor is made of bamboo with sturdy wooden pillars and large windows. Underneath the stilt house is also a souvenir shop for tourists when traveling Pom Coong, which is selling items such as brocade costume, fabric, bags, shirts, bracelets, …
Coming to Pom Coong Village, visitors are immersed in the natural scenery, enjoy the traditional food of the Thai people; experience with ethnic people working in the field, or get involved in processing dishes …
In addition to enjoying the tranquil and peaceful natural settings, visitors can also immerse themselves in the unique culture of ethnic groups here such as Xoe dances, the space of gong culture, sleeping in the stilt houses, drinking fermented rice wine (Rượu Cần), …
3) Thung Khe Pass
The third place that tourists should visit in Mai Chau is Thung Khe Pass. It is located between Tan Lac and Mai Chau. Thung Khe Pass does not have turns like other passes in Ha Giang, or Lai Chau, Dien Bien, but Thung Khe is dangerous by the thick fog every afternoon whether it is in winter or summer. One of the unique and typical features of Thung Khe Pass is the thick mist covering the pass, which makes people feel that they are lost in wonderland.
This is one of the most popular positions to admire attractive places in Hoa Binh. At the peak of Thung Khe pass, tourists may feel the cool air which the characteristic aspect of Mai Chau. From the top of Thung Khe, you can see the entire valley below and welcome the cool breezes. In the middle of this pass, people are becoming small, all nestled between the majestic mountains. Many tourists going through this pass often stop to admire the scenery, enjoy delicacies in rural areas, thanks to which, the items sold are also diverse and abundant.
4) Mo Luong Cave
Leaving behind the city’s hustle and bustle, visitors coming to Mai Chau not only enjoy the fresh air but also feel every moments of relaxation and drop in the beauty of the green mountains. Among the most appealing places to visit in Mai Chau, Mo Luong Cave is a must-see-destination.
Located in the Pu Kha mountain range, Mo Luong Cave has created a sense of wonder for those who set foot in the wilderness of modern times. Mo Luong has four main caves with a depth of about 500 m. This is a natural cave in limestone karsts, undergoing the erosion process of limestone erosion forming beautiful stalactites. The first cave was arranged as a large living room, on the ceiling and the two sides of this cave are beams of stalactites. The second cave is about 10m higher than the first one. After that, passing through the second cave, visitors will enter the third cave, stalactites from the dome drop like huge teeth. Finally, the last cave is very large and has various stalactites with unique shapes.
5) Chieu Cave
Located in the southwest of the town, Chieu cave is one of the places that tourists coming to Mai Chau also want to visit. The first feeling when entering this cave is the cool space and a quite flat path. What make visitors feel overwhelmed are the shimmering and wild stalactites and each stalactite has a different shape, size and color.
To reach the cave, you will have to climb about 1200 stone steps. The cave has two floors. The main cave has various emulsions with many shapes and shimmering colors. Just in front of the aisle on the left, there is a white emulsion block in the shape of the girl sitting waiting for her lover. Furthermore, the stalactites have brought the beauty of a lively natural painting.
6) Van Village
Van Village is a small village, although it is not as crowded as Lac Village, Van Village has made an impression with terraced fields. Therefore, Van Village has become one of the most popular places to visit in Mai Chau. Van village is located 1 km away from Mai Chau town. This is a tourist village that still retains its original traditions for the reason that it is separated from other busy towns.
The villagers are quite friendly and hospitable, many women in Van Village still maintain traditional embroidery and weaving. Since the development of the village as a community based tourism, many people gradually moved to provide tourism-related service. Consequently, annual income from tourism also helps local people to improve the quality of their life, as well as promotes the economic development.
7) Thai Ethnic Museum
In your trip, there is a really fantastic place to visit in Mai Chau that tourists should not ignore, which is Thai Ethnic Museum. This is a place displaying and preserving tangible and intangible cultural values of the Thai ethnic people, helping people understand more about the culture of Northwest Vietnam.
Most of collected antiques are familiar tools in daily life of Thai people in the past, such as food processing kits (consisting of pots, bowls, plates, chopsticks, jars, …); hunting and gathering tools (including traps, crossbows, aprons, …) and other offerings… Each collection is often arranged and numbered scientifically, having an introduction in Vietnamese and English. Those who come here to look at these collections will comprehend more about life, the formation and development of Thai people here.
8) Go Lao Waterfall
Go Lao waterfall, also called Go Mu waterfall, is a beautiful waterfall located in Phuc San commune, Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province, about 15 km away from Mai Chau town. The road to Go Lao waterfall is quite rough and uneven, but after getting through it, there is a beautiful natural scenery. Go Lao is a small waterfall attracting people by its primitive beauty, contributing to the beauty of Hoa Binh. This waterfall is considered as one of the most majestic places to visit in Mai Chau.
Go Lao waterfall has not been affected by people, which is a suitable destination for young people to explore and enjoy the natural beauty. Additionally, Go Lao has undulating rocks, creating spectacular landscapes, definitely, this waterfall will bring fantastic experiences for visitors.
9) Ba Khan
About 100 km from Hanoi, Ba Khan seems to be separated from the outside world. Therefore, whoever has chances to come here must be surprised by charming landscapes. Traveling to Ba Khan, you will have opportunities to admire sceneries where one side is the majestic cliffs, and the other side is the long blue Da river, all have blended into a lively picture, making Ba Khan become one of the most amazing places to visit in Mai Chau. Ba Khan is composed of three hamlets: Khan Ha, Khan Ho and Khan Thuong.
Ba Khan also has an ideal camp site for tourists on the banks of Ba Khan Lake. However, the services at Ba Khan have not developed fully, if you want to camp here, you should prepare your furnishings and food before your trip.
Explore more: Travel Guide About Northwest of Vietnam; Travel Guide About Northeast Vietnam; Motorbike Driving Places in North of Vietnam; Motorbike Driving Places in Central of Vietnam; Motorbike Driving Places in South of Vietnam