48 hours in Mai Chau

Mai Chau is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Hanoi , making it suitable for weekend getaways.

Mai Chau is a small town nestled in a valley between limestone cliffs, 135 km from Hanoi. It attracts both domestic and international tourists with its beautiful natural scenery, cuisine , and the unique culture of the Thai and Muong people. This suggested 48-hour itinerary is based on the experiences of photographer Pham Tu and a VnExpress reporter.

Day 1

Morning and afternoon

The journey from Hanoi to Mai Chau takes approximately 2.5 hours. The route is convenient via Thang Long Boulevard - Hoa Binh Expressway, passing through attractions such as Cao Phong, Tan Lac, and Thung Khe Pass.

After arriving in Mai Chau town center, continue on to the Hang Kia - Pa Co valley, about 40 km away. These two neighboring communes, surrounded by rocky mountains, still preserve many cultural features and traditional crafts of the Mong people, such as hand weaving, brocade embroidery, indigo dyeing, and beeswax painting. Hang Kia - Pa Co is also home to the "Heaven's Gate," where visitors can hike up to immerse themselves in a sea of fluffy white clouds.

"The sea of clouds in Hang Kia is lower than the view, so it feels like you're standing on the clouds," said Mr. Tu.

48 hours in Mai Chau — **Cloud-watching spot in Hang Kia.** Photo: Pham Tu

Compared to other famous cloud-watching spots in Vietnam such as Ta Xua, Y Ty, and Ha Giang, Hang Kia - Pa Co is "quite peaceful, not yet crowded with tourists, making it easy to choose the right angle to capture the majestic and poetic beauty of nature," Mr. Tu added.

From November to April is the ideal time to go cloud hunting in Hang Kia - Pa Co. Clouds are usually abundant and beautiful from 5 am to 9 am. If you're not lucky enough to see clouds, you can sit on the mountaintop, sip a cup of coffee, admire the view, and take photos. The fee is 20,000 VND.

For lunch in Pà Cò, tourists should choose a catfish hotpot for about 120,000 to 150,000 VND per person, or there are many other dishes such as bun cha (grilled pork with vermicelli) and bun long (vermicelli with offal) in the Pà Cò market area.

Evening

Return to Lac village and have dinner there. The average price is between 100,000 and 200,000 VND per person, served in a large platter (pictured). Tourists should choose a full selection of local specialties such as grilled chicken, grilled local pork, stir-fried buffalo meat with lalom leaves, stir-fried beef with sour bamboo shoots, sticky rice cooked in bamboo tubes, and mustard greens.

Spend the night in Lac village in budget guesthouses. Private rooms cost from 300,000 to 500,000 VND per night and have private bathrooms. Shared stilt houses (numbered) for 10 to 20 people cost around 1 million to 1.2 million VND per night, with shared bathrooms.

Additionally, if tourists can afford it, they should choose to stay in resorts such as Mai Chau Ecolodge, Mai Chau Lodge, Mai Chau Hideaway Lake Resort, Mai Chau Mountain View Resort, Sol Bungalows Resort, with prices ranging from 1 million to 3 million VND per night. Avana Retreat, located in Bao La commune, is a high-end resort about 30 km from the center of Mai Chau town, with room rates starting from 5 million VND per night.

Day 2

Morning

Have breakfast and coffee in the center of Lac village. Breakfast in Mai Chau doesn't offer many special options; visitors can choose from vermicelli, rice noodles, or pho at some small restaurants in the village, or Western food like sandwiches and fried eggs.

Some nice cafes you can check out include: Coffee Lốp Lắc Lắc, Cà phê Đá và Cây, Sol Cafe & Lounge, Cà phê Cánh Đồng, and Hua Tông Coffee.

Explore Mai Chau town with an electric vehicle. Electric vehicles are currently available to take tourists to visit villages in Mai Chau such as Lac Village, Pom Coong Village, and Nhot Village, at a price of 400,000 VND per trip for 8 people or 600,000 VND for 12 people. The tour duration depends on the tourists' needs, usually 2-3 hours. The vehicle can stop anywhere, wait for passengers, and continue the journey.

"The electric vehicle drivers are usually locals who are quite knowledgeable about the history and life in the area, so they also act as tour guides," Mr. Tu said. Tourists can also choose to visit specific places according to their own preferences. The electric vehicle fare is calculated per trip, at 10,000 VND per person.

Noon

On the way back to Hanoi, we stopped to visit some of Hoa Binh's highlights, such as Thung Khe Pass (which includes Da Trang Pass - one of the famous check-in spots for young people), and bought Cao Phong oranges as souvenirs.

Have lunch in Hoa Binh city. There are many restaurants along Da Giang road by the Da River.

Please note that Mai Chau starts experiencing hot weather from the end of March to the beginning of April, but the evenings remain cool. Visitors should prepare appropriate clothing.

Alternatives

The itinerary for days 1 and 2 may change depending on demand as clouds usually only appear in the morning and the Pà Cò market is only held on Sundays. The market sells local products and brocade fabrics of the Hmong, Thai, and Muong people. If you have more time, you can visit other places such as Mu Waterfall, climb Chiều Cave and Mỏ Luông Cave, rent a raft to paddle along the stream around Lác village, or cycle to explore the area. You can also take a boat trip on the Đà River reservoir.

According to vnexpress.net

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