Mai Chau, Hoa Binh Northern Vietnam

Mai Châu is a rural district of Hoa Binh province in the northwestern region of Vietnam. The district is located at about 160 km from Ha Noi. The scenery of Mai Chau attracts many tourists. The Mai Chau area is well known for its stilt houses. The type of stilt houses, or pile dwellings, they construct are called Thai stilt houses and are made of bamboo and timber. These houses are elevated 10-12 feet off the ground in order to avoid water damage and shelter animals from the elements.

8. 00- 8:30 - Pickup at your hotel, then driving 3. 5 hours to Hoa Binh province.

10:00 - Short break

11:30-12:00 - Scenic photo stop of Mai Chau valley/arrive in Mai Chau

12:30 - Traditional lunch in local village (vegetarian available)

13:00-15:00 - Bicycle ride with local tour guide, see farmers working in fields, locals weaving scarves and visit surrounding peaceful villages. Leave Mai Chau

18:30-19:00 - Drop you off at your hotel, and end of your trip.

Highlights

• Learn how to use local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets
• Coming to a organic vegetable field, watering and planting vegetable, hoeing a soil with local farmer
• Preparing meals with local family
• Experience raft rowing on the stream (Only available in March, April, May, June)

Type of tour : Private tour

Duration : 3 days 2 night

Transfer : Shuttle van ( Private car upon request)

Location : Mai Chau, Vietnam

Overview

This tour is specially designed for people who like home/farm stays with a particular focus on traditional farming and fishing life of the ‘White Thai’ ethnic families of the region.

Mai Chau is a 139km trip from Hanoi through mountainous terrain, in a valley about 10km from the Song DaRiver and only 150 meters above sea level. The village of Ban Lac is in an idyllic and charming, rural valley which is nestled between two towering cliffs surrounded by emerald green paddies and is an enchanting sight as you wind down the cliff side.

The ‘homestays’ in a stilt house are run by families who have lived on and worked the land for generations. Enjoy hands-on experiences with your guide such as traditional net fishing, rowing on a traditional raft in the river and working in fields with the local farmers. You will be able to live amongst the locals and participate in their daily routines surrounded by breathtaking scenery in a peaceful setting.

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau, Cycling (L,D)

Day 2: Farming & Fishing in Mai Chau (B,L,D)

Day 3 : Mai Chau – Hanoi (B,L)

Suggested itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau, Cycling (L,D)

8.00 am:   Pick up from your hotel and head west towards Hoa Binh. Stop for refreshments.
10.00 am: Leave Hoa Binh for Mai Chau Valley, approximately 2hrs.
12.00 pm: Arrive in Mai Chau.  Lunch in a family house in the local village.
2.00 pm:   Cycling expedition around the surrounding villages of  White  Thai Ethnic people  with your guide. Visit the ThaiCulturalMuseum on the way.

6.00 pm :  Prepare and cook the evening meal with your host family, learning about family-style Vietnamese ingredients and cooking techniques and participating   in the nightly group meals.

8.30 pm:   Be entertained by  Thai traditional dance in a stilt house, enjoying a taste of  traditional alcohol (ruou can) with the community.

Sleeping  tonight in a traditional stilt house, unique to Mai Chau.

Day 2 : Farming and Fishing in Mai Chau (B,L,D)

Morning : You will start your day by experiencing a day of working with local farmers in a vegetable garden. We will take a short walk around the garden and learn how to prepare the soil and plant some vegetables.  Here we will be introduced  how to do cultivation of the vegetables as well as discovering the use of vegetables in Vietnamese food. We will take a trip around the vegetable garden and join the farmers in preparing the land and fertilizing it with seed in the garden. Other activities will include: raking, sowing, and watering  etc…

Afternoon : You walk to the stream and  listen to the tour guide introduce and explain about the process of using the net. You learn and try your hand at local traditional fishing techniques using round and cast nets. You also have a chance to scoop fish out of water. it  ’s absolutely amazing to experience raft rowing on the stream.

We enjoy fishing nearby local family house. We will show you how to prepare the baits and pick up the right location . More over, you can herd of water buffalo and abreath of fresh air around the village. You are at leisure. Overnight in local family homestay.

Day 3: Mai Chau – Hanoi (B,L)
7h30: Breakfast in the village then walk to Mai Chau market then climb to 1000 Step Cave. The cave is breathtaking and so is the view of the area from the entrance of the cave.
12h00: Have lunch in the village before getting on the bus back to Hanoi.
17h00: Back to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi

Included

• Roundtrip transportation
• Bicycle and raft on the stream
• English speaking tour guide
• Plenty of photo opportunities
• Meals as indicated in the itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
• Homestay
• Traditional dance & Can wine

Excluded

• Drinks
• Tips and Gratuities
• Personal expenses
• Other services not mentioned
• Private car/van (upon request)

Type of tour : Private tour

Duration : 3 days 2 night

Transfer : Shuttle van ( Private car upon request)

Location : Mai Chau, Vietnam

Highlights

• Gardening with the local villagers eg, watering plants, planting vegetables, hoeing the soil with local farmers
• Cycling around peaceful countryside of Vietnam
• Herding water buffalo
• Traditional music performance and enjoying “Ruou Can” with host family
• Plenty of photo opportunities

Overview

Mai Chau is a truly tranquil and peaceful setting guaranteed to help you relax, slow down and connect with nature. The community gently embraces you and brings you into their fold.

An explosion for all your senses beautiful scenery, fabulous exotic food, peaceful silence in the fields to sounds of laughter, dogs chickens, cows in the village, gorgeous aromas waft from the kitchen and there are the crisp fresh odors in the fields and after the rain.

This is one of the unique places in the world where you can come to recharge your soul

The home-stay and farming tour provides you with a close-up and intimate introduction to both the local farming and local life. Your accommodation will be in a local home with a family from Lac village who will be your hosts with warm hospitality.

During the tour you will experience cycling leisurely through local villages, watching Thai traditional dance in the stilt house, gardening with the local villagers eg, watering plants, planting vegetables, hoeing the soil with local farmers and herding water buffalo. A highlight of the tour is to go fishing near the village to catch fish for dinner.

The fresh and clean rural surroundings also have many interesting places to visit eg. The 1000 Step Cave where you will enjoy the magnificent view of the district.

Brief Itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau, Cycling (L,D)

Day 2: Farming in Mai Chau (B,L,D)

Day 3 : Mai Chau – Hanoi (B,L)

Suggested itinerary

Day 1: Hanoi – Mai Chau, Cycling (L,D)

08h00: Pick up from your hotel and head west towards Hoa Binh. ( Refreshment stop on the way)
10h00: Leave Hoa Binh for Mai Chau Valley, about 2hrs away.
12h00: Arrive in Mai Chau and have lunch in a family house in the local village.
14h00: Bicycle around the surrounding villages of White Thai Ethnic people. On the way, we can visit Thai Museum to learn more about their lives and culture of the local people with your guide.
18h00: We will be introduced to traditional Vietnamese cuisine by helping to prepare the evening meal with the host family, learning about traditional food and ingredients including “ruou can” (traditional alcohol) and sharing the meal your new family.
Sleeping arrangements are unique to this tour. Accommodation in the village is in a large communal room in a stilt house, which is the most interesting part of the trip. Stilt houses are unique to Mai Chau and you cannot find this experience on any other tour.

Day 2 : Farming in Mai Chau (B,L,D)

Morning : You will start your day by experiencing working with local farmers in their vegetable gardens. You will learn aspects of gardening such preparing the soil and planting vegetables.  You will also learn how the land is prepared, fertilized and how the vegetables are cultivated as well as discovering how they are used in Vietnamese food. Other activities will include: raking, sowing, and watering etc…

Afternoon : In the afternoon we will enjoy fishing nearby the local family house. We will show you how to prepare the bait and pick the right location. We will also have an opportunity to work with the farmer to herd the water buffalo to a different location for feeding.

You can also have some free time to explore at your leisure or relax in the family home.

Overnight in local family home-stay.

Day 3: Mai Chau – Hanoi (B,L)

7h30: Breakfast in the village then walk to Mai Chau market, then climb to 1000 StepCave. The cave is breathtaking and so is the view of the area from the entrance of the cave.
12h00: Have lunch in the village before getting on the bus back to Hanoi.
17h00: Back to your hotel. Overnight in Hanoi

• Included
  • Roundtrip transportation by van
  • Bicycle and Fishing equipment
  • English speaking tour guide
  • Meals as indicated in the itinerary (B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner)
  • Homestay
  • Traditional dance & Can wine

  Excluded

  Private car/van (upon request)

• Drinks
• Tips and Gratuities
• Personal expenses
• Other services not mentioned