Mai Chau Town & Valley: Location, Weather & Time to Visit

Mai Chau Town and Valley is located in Hoa Binh Province of Vietnam, and is known for its idyllic beauty and rich cultural identity with the white Thai ethnic group. Resting within jungled hills not too far from Hanoi capital, Mai Châu in Hoa Bình offers you a peaceful, relaxed getaway. Read on to find out the best Mai Chau has to offer, and also what to see and do during your stay there.

• Location: in Mai Chau District, Hoa Binh Province, 130 kilometers from Hanoi

Mai Chau Weather and Climate:

Mai Châu Hoà Bình has a “Humid subtropical, dry winter” climate. The highest temperature is about 34.2°C (93.56°F) and the lowest is sometimes 13.1°C (55.58°F), with an average yearly temperature of 23.5°C (74.27°F). Annual rainfall averages nearly 1229.0 millimetres (48.39 inches).

Historical Monthly Average Weather Conditions in Mai Chau Town, Hoa Binh Province.

Highlights of Mai Chau Town and Valley:

As one of the most famous homestay villages in Vietnam, Mai Chau is home to the White Thai ethnic group, a group distantly related to those in Laos and China. White Thai people own special cultural customs and unique farming techniques. One of the most distinctive features of Thai people’s lifestyle is their housing architecture.

Hemmed in the hills, the clusters of stilt houses nestle quietly. Thai stilt houses are primarily made of wooden and bamboo pillars and rise 2-3 meters above the ground. The empty space below is kept for livestock while the upper space is for the family’s daily life activities. Numerous stilt-house homestays can be found in Lac Village, the most well-known village in the area.

Thai people are known as fantastic cooks and excellent craftsmen. It will be such a shame if you miss the chance to taste the mouth-watering local cuisines, which are dishes heavily drawn from the land. Thai women are renowned by their sophisticated weaving techniques. Stocking up on some handmade brocades is a good idea to keep your memories about the northwest cultures in Vietnam.

Beside the tranquility of rice paddy fields, rustic charms of the village and the sophisticated handicrafts, one can also find the large karst limestone caves in Mai Chau appealing. The biggest ones are Mo Luong Cave and Chieu Cave, both of which host exciting hiking and trekking activities.

What Things to See and Activities to Do?

1. Spend the night at an authentic homestay:

Waking up to the sound of roosters crowing is surely an exciting experience. You are welcome to spend the night at any Mai Chau homestay villages: Mai Chau, Pom Coong or Lac. The homestays are owned by the White Thai people, providing both accommodations, meals and cultural performances. Surrounded by idyllic villages, brilliant-green rice paddies, verdant jungles and towering mountain tops, what else can one ask for?

Spending the night, you will be most stunned about the local delicacies prepared by the hospitable hosts. The signature cuisines are sticky rice steamed in bamboo cylinders, roasted “man” pig and bitter bamboo shoots. You will “experience” drinking wine in a way you never tried before: sipping through straws from a clay jar. For your information, “Can” liquor is widely known in Vietnam for its unique taste and intriguing drinking practice.

Also, sleeping on a mattress on the bamboo creaky floor is also a brand new experience to most tourists. Don’t worry, mosquito nets and blankets are available in most homestays. Stilt houses are extremely well-ventilated, so you won’t need air-conditioning at all.

The cultural performances include Tai dances from the local troupes, featuring Thai girls dressing in their best costumes, singing and dancing along traditional folk songs. You are almost certain to fall in love with the one-of-a-kind cultural characteristics of the Thai ethnic group displayed here.

2. Cycle or hike around the village:

Hotel and homestay owners are bound to assist you with bicycle rentals and itinerary. Cycling around the rice paddies, enjoying the scenic setting, inhaling fresh countryside air, you will surely have a lot to capture on camera. Come to Mai Chau in spring and you’ll see wildflowers blooming, one of the most significant draws Mai Chau has to offer.

The roads in Mai Chau are dirt roads, but they are perfectly okay for biking or hiking. Refer to a local guide for the suitable biking/hiking trails for you and your family.

3. Explore Mai Chau’s caves:

Mai Chau’s two largest caves are Mo Luong Cave and Chieu Cave. Both are based on karst limestone bedrock, the same kind of geological formations that created the islands of Ha Long Bay. Mo Luong Cave is a cave inside Mount Phu Ka, stretching about 500 meters. There are two entrances to the cave, connecting to a large cathedral interior, before branching out four different caverns.

Chieu Cave can only be reached by a 1200-step staircase. The interior extends about 140 meters in the mountain and branches out to two chambers. For a full day trip, you might go far away on a kayaking excursion near the Hoa Binh Lake. There is a beautiful body of water surrounded by jungled hills. Not satisfied yet? Go as far as the Pu Luong Nature Reserve. A wander into the forest is promising for adventurous ones.

4. Shop for local crafts:

Traditional customs define different roles for Thai men and women. Women are assigned to weave clothing for the whole family and in the recent days, for sale. They specialize in weaving brocades: silk fabrics rich in color and raised patterns.

The process is handmade from beginning to end. They start with harvesting silkworm cocoons, reeling the silk from the cocoons, dying the threads using natural colors, and ending with selling them on the markets. You will find looms in each and every of Thai people’s household.

Regarding brocade purchases, you are expected (and even welcome) to haggle in the market. However, be polite and understanding, as the whole process to produce a piece of brocades is extremely sophisticated, fully manmade and very time-consuming. Supporting locals with a reasonable amount of money spent on souvenirs is a way to support preserving their magnificent cultures.

How to Get to Mai Chau Valley and Town?

To travel to Mai Chau, local buses are readily available at your choice. From Hanoi, you can choose one of the 4 buses that go to Mai Chau Town, a short walk from Lac and Pom Coong Village. You might want to rent a car or motorbike to enjoy a private experience, but please take into account the weather. It will be very foggy during winter and early spring, thus not safe for driving or biking on your own.

Where to Stay in Mai Chau Town, Hoa Binh?

you planning to go to Mai Chau to get rid of the urban hubbub and discover the Thai and Muong dances around the houses on stilts? The peaceful Mai Chau village of Hoa Binh is perfect for spending unforgettable moments over a few days in a group or family. Are you looking for good places to stay in Mai Chau? Luxury hotel, budget hotel or homestay, what is your style? Get inspired by this selection of accommodation types in Mai Chau which helps make your stay unforgettable.

- Mai Chau HideAway:

• Address: Suoi Luon village, Tan Mai ward, Mai Chau
• Price: 110 - 150 USD room per night

- Sol Bungalows:

• Address: Chieng Chau village, Mai Chau
• Price: 120 - 150 USD per room per night

- Mai Chau Ecolodge:

• Address: Na Thia village, Na Phon ward, Mai Chau
• Price: 100 - 140 USD per room per night

- Mai Chau Villas:

• Address: Cha Lang village, Mai Hich ward
• Price: 48 - 95 USD room per night

- Mai Chau Lodge:

• Address: Mai Chau city, Hoa Binh
• Price: 52 - 105 USD per room per night

- Mai Chau Sunset Boutique:

• Address: Poom Coong village, Mai Châu
• Price: 60 - 65 USD per room per night

- Mai Chau Valley View:

• Address: Mai Chau town, Mai Chau District
• Price: between 30 and 35 USD per room per night

- Homestay in Local Stilted Houses.

• Around 150,000 VND or 7 USD per person per night with a meal.
• Homestay suggestion in the Lac village: Houses on stilts no. 01, 02, 05, 19, 28...
• Private rooms are also available there at between 200,000 and 300,000 VND person per night. To compare, Pom Coong village is quieter than Lac village.
• This kind of stay is more recent in the Mai Hich village, about ten kilometres from the Lac village. Two good places they offer to stay in Mai Hich are Tu Diep Homestay and Nhung Thuyen Homestay.
• Price of Tu Diep Homestay Stilt house
  • Accommodation: 80,000 VND or 4 USD per person per night
  • Lunch + dinner: 150,000 VND or 7 USD per person
  • Private room: 500,000 VND or 22 USD per night with breakfast

Best Time to Visit Mai Chau Town and Valley:

Being on a high altitude, Mai Chau possesses a very cold winter and very hot summer. Best time to visit Mai Chau Town and Valley is from March to May and September to November. October is perhaps the most ideal month of year, because harvest takes place and the rice takes on a glorious golden colour. Be careful if visiting from June to August, as it is more rain and monsoons can flood the roads.

If you wish to spend a few extra days and explore the neighboring area, refer to a local guide in the village. They may recommend you to visit Mai Hich Village, Pa Co Market and Thung Khe Pass, the three less touristy attractions near Mai Chau Town.

Adventure Journey

Recommended Tour: Mai Chau Day Tours from Hanoi