Mai Chau – one of the suitable places in Vietnam for eco-tourism.
Vietnam offers a number of sites suitable for eco-tourism and exploring the traditional way of life of ethnic people. Homestay, exploring local cultures and customs, trekking in nature, cycling, tasting a local cuisine and not just that. One of such places in northern Vietnam is the city and district of the same name – Mai Chau. This small town and nearby villages in the neighborhood where most of the Thai ethnics live, offers a host of homestay accommodations, mostly a wooden hut built on stilts.
In Mai Chau you do not find only a challets but also some hotels.
The popularity of this place is known and because it is located only about 180 km from Hanoi, it is often visited, especially in the season. There are even smaller villas here, but in the nearby villages there are practically just only the challets (wooden stilt houses). Almost all of them are quite similar and offer virtually the same services as others. Sales of textiles, fabrics and accessories (yes there is really a lot), cultural performances, local cuisine, cycling, etc …
Mai Chau Ecohouse – the first homestay in the Pom Coong village.
One of the nearest villages at Mai Chau – Pom Coong is located just about 1 km from the center of the town. This village is such a gateway to other homestay accommodations and huts, which are all prepared and tailored (accommodation, food, wifi, water…) for tourists and travelers. One of the first thing to see if you come from the town is Mai Chau Ecohouse (Khách sạn Mai Châu Ecohouse), next to the tiny little school.
Mai Chau Ecohouse – formerly only huts, now also a small hotel.
Mai Chau Ecohouse consists of 4 larger typical stilt huts and now even a smaller hotel, which according to the owner’s information was built only on the instigation of foreign travelers who are looking for comfort, in my opinion this hotel a little disturbs the countryside. But maybe I understand, if come some a bit older travelers or people, this hotel can be suitable for them.
Mai Chau Ecohouse has a good location right at the beginning of the village.
In my opinion, Mai Chau Ecohouse is well located, right at the beginning of the village of Pom Coong, so you can easily walk to the small town of Mai Chau (about 1 km) over the rice fields that are really very nice in the harvest time. You can also watch the everyday life and hard work of local farmers and villagers in the rice fields, but they take it as a standard life, they’re just used to it.
Mai Chau Ecohouse offers almost all necessary services for tourists.
Some people might have asked if there is a hot water, food, wifi, electricity, toilets, etc … Yes, everything is here and also in the nearby villages and huts. Mai Chau is not like a remote place in Ha Giang (some real homestay need not have electricity), but in Mai Chau, there is really almost everything. I was here in December for 5 days and the all services worked fine. I would like to highlight a very tasty and good dinner, in the price I think about $5 per person (it can change), it was a meal for almost 2 people. It is also possible to buy a breakfast, but I did not use them.
➜ Accommodation in Mai Chau (homestay, hotels, ecohouses)
Take a warm clothes if you stay in challet in the winter time.
In December I was in this place for 5 days and I have to say, mainly during the night it was a quite cold, it is not a place in the mountains it lies in the valley. However, ecohouse offers hot blankets and comfortable sleeping mats in the huts. Even though I was wearing a sweatshirt and trousers, the temperatures fell below 10 degrees. There will be another situation in the summer months, it will probably be quite hot. The price for 1 day and dinner was about $15 and I had the whole room in the challet for myself (about 8-bed room in the cottage), because it was not a seson and there were only a few tourists.
Cultural performances – dances of local Thai ethnic residents.
Even in Mai Chau Ecohouse you can see cultural performances/dances of Thai ethnic groups, as well as another ethnic groups such as the Hmongs. You can see this show probably once a week, when some local Thai people from nearby villages come here to show you their dance creations and you can dance with them personally. Such performances are also held at other nearby challets and villages.
Mai Chau can be an ideal place for stop for at least 2 days.
If you visit Mai Chau, I recommend to stay here at least for a while (2-3 days). Mai Chau is a small but a little bit more visited place (mainly in the season or weekend), but some villages still keeps their cultural and ethnic character. I recommend to rent a motorbike or bicycle and explore this area on your own. This place is on the route if you travel from Ninh Binh to Son La or vice versa or you will be traveling near the Hoa Binh lake. Approximately 40 km from here in the direction of Son La there is another interesting place with ethnic Hmong villages Moc Chau.
Mai Chau Ecohouse:
Khách sạn Mai Châu Ecohouse
Adress: 28 Pom Coong village, Mai Chau, Hoa Binh province
Accommodation: 4 cottages (shared rooms, approx. for 8-12 people or 2 persons) + 1 hotel
Food: You can order food – breakfast, dinner (very good and tasty)
Prices: 1 person in the cottage up to $10, dinner up to $5-7 (may change)
Official website: www.maichauecohouse.com.vn
📍 Mai Chau Ecohouse map:
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