Hoa Binh Travel Guide

Hoa Binh is located about 80-140km from Hanoi depending on the destination and is the gateway to the Northwest region. This place impresses visitors with its diverse landscapes from rivers, lakes, mineral springs, national parks and the cultural identity of the H'Mong, Muong, Dao, Thai ethnic groups... In recent years, Hoa Binh has further affirmed its attraction when a series of resorts were established, in line with the current trend of relaxation and health care.

Hoa Binh Lake is one of the largest artificial freshwater lakes in Vietnam since the construction of the Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Plant. Photo: Doan Manh

What season is beautiful in Hoa Binh?

With a large area and many scenic spots, tourists can come to Hoa Binh in any season with different experiences. Normally, tourists in Hanoi like to come to Hoa Binh in the summer because the weather in many destinations such as Mai Chau and Thung Nai is cool. May-June will attract tourists because of the golden rice season in Mai Chau, and May-August is the season when the Da River water in Thung Nai is clear. Tourists should not forget to visit Kim Boi hot spring in winter or visit Lung Van in spring when hundreds of flowers bloom and the mist covers the Muong people's houses halfway up the mountain.

Move

From Hanoi, visitors can take a bus from My Dinh, Giap Bat, Yen Nghia bus stations with prices starting from 60,000 VND one way. Limousines offer more privacy and comfort with prices starting from 220,000 VND one way. Some suggested bus companies are Mang Kien, Xuan Trang, Anh Dung with drop-off points at resorts in Mai Chau. For visitors who want to drive on their own, the route to Hoa Binh is easy to find and beautiful. The most popular and beautiful route for cars today is from Hanoi, following the Hoa Lac highway straight to Hoa Binh (new road 6). Another route is to turn left at the end of the Hoa Lac highway onto Highway 21 and go through Xuan Mai (old road 6). Depending on the destination, visitors can choose the appropriate route. For motorbikes, the most suitable direction is to go straight on Nguyen Trai Street (Hanoi) through Ha Dong and then along Highway 6.

Hotels, resorts

Hoa Binh has many beautiful and famous places to stay, concentrated in Mai Chau, Kim Boi or Luong Son. In Mai Chau district, the isolated resort Avana Retreat in Panh hamlet, Bao La commune attracts tourists. The price of staying here is from 4 million VND per night on weekdays and 6 million VND per night on weekends or holidays.

Ripe rice season at Mai Chau Ecolodge. Photo: Resort

Mai Chau Ecolodge in Na Chieng, Na Phon attracts tourists with its rustic look, located next to the rice fields, suitable for watching the golden season. The price for a night's stay here is from 1.1 million VND per night. Mai Chau Hideaway is located on a peninsula in the heart of Hoa Binh Lake, with lots of green space. Prices range from 1.6 to 3.6 million VND per night during the week, and from 2.2 million VND to 4 million VND per night on weekends (Friday and Saturday nights). Not far from the two above resorts is Bakhan Village Resort, located on the mountainside and overlooking the green valley and Hoa Binh Lake. The price for a stay here is from 1.1 million VND. Kim Boi district is famous for its hot springs, so the resorts here are suitable for all four seasons. Serena Resort Kim Boi is located in Khai Doi hamlet, Sao Bay commune, inspired by the beauty and culture of the Northwest and built from stone, wood, bamboo, thatched roofs... close to nature. There is a Japanese-style Onsen bath area, or indoor hot baths... Room rates here start from 1.8 million VND per night. Visitors can refer to VResort in Kim Boi.

Koi pond at Satoyama resort.

In Luong Son district, Doi Co Thom resort in Ram hamlet, Cu Yen commune is a suggestion for tourists. It has modern, luxurious villas located on green grass hills. Amenities include many outdoor swimming pools, jacuzzis, and Dao herbal bath services. Satoyama Village in Cu Yen commune was just put into operation at the beginning of this year. The resort is built in Vietnamese - Japanese style, with a sauna, Japanese-style Onsen mineral bath... The price to stay here is from 2,000,000 VND per night.

Where to play

Hoa Binh owns 177 scenic spots and historical relics. Below are suggestions for entertainment by area and the most famous spots. In Mai Chau , the first attraction is Thung Khe Pass or Da Trang Pass, located on Highway 6, between Tan Lac and Mai Chau. This is a limestone mountain, formed by the road opening process. This is also a place that is often covered in clouds, creating a hazy scene like a white snowy winter. Visitors should only come here on sunny days, to take beautiful photos and not be dangerous during traffic.

If you want to learn about local culture, you should not miss Ban Lac , where there are hundreds of stilt houses up to 700 years old. There is also a view of endless rice fields and homestays on stilt houses for accommodation. Ban Lac is about 3km from Mai Chau Ecolodge resort, you can experience it by bicycle. Go Lao waterfall or Go Mu waterfall is not far from Mai Chau Hideaway and Bakhan Village Resort. The waterfall is about 20m high, the water falls white, the lake bed is full of large rocks. This season, bathing in the waterfall is very cold, you can walk in the cool air, take pictures with the white water. Coming to Mai Chau in a large group, you should not miss a visit to Hoa Binh lake to Ngoi Hoa bay, Ao Tien, Ba Chua Thac Bo Temple. The boat dock is located at the end of Suoi Lon village.

Kayaking on Hoa Binh Lake. Photo: Mai Chau Hideaway

Lung Van Commune in Tan Lac District attracts tourists with its cool weather and magical misty scenery. The commune is located at an altitude of 1,200 m above sea level, preserving many cultural and architectural features of the Muong people. Coming here in the spring, visitors have the opportunity to admire the lush green of the forest, the blooming peach blossoms... In addition, Lung Van is also an ideal cloud hunting spot from February to April. At this time, white clouds float over the terraced fields, creating a mesmerizing scene. Thung Nai , also known as "miniature Ha Long", is located on the road before entering Hoa Binh City. Here, visitors should rent a boat to admire the Da River, taking in the view of large and small islands on the blue lake. Bring snacks and a mat to sit and enjoy the scenery. Note that you need to clean up the trash before going and take measures to avoid the sun because this is an empty land with no trees. Ba Chua Thac Bo Temple is located in Vay Nua Commune, Da Bac District. The temple is located on the shore of a large lake in the middle of Hoa Binh Lake, behind it is a large system of stalactite caves. In 2009, Thac Bo Cave was recognized as a National Monument. The temple worships two female generals, Mrs. Dinh Thi Van, a Muong woman, and a Dao woman, who in the past helped King Le Loi with military provisions and rafts to cross Thac Bo to advance to Muong Le, Son La to suppress the rebellion of Deo Cat Han. After their death, the local people conferred on them both the title of Thac Bo Lady and built a temple to worship them, believing that they would bless the people in the area with favorable weather and wind. Every year from January to March, there are many festivals here. Visitors offering incense will go to Thung Nai wharf, then rent a boat to go to the temple. The schedule is in order at Trinh Temple and Chua Temple.

On the way from Thung Nai back to the city, you can see some banana, orange and corn gardens along the way. Among them, a Cao Phong orange garden on the right attracts passersby with its gentle hillsides and juicy oranges. Oranges cost 20,000 VND/kg. You can buy them as gifts and then take photos in the garden. Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Plant in Tan Thinh is a historical work of Vietnam, a symbol of Hoa Binh City. Currently, the entrance ticket costs 20,000 VND, for visitors who only visit the outside area. If you want to visit the technical and machinery areas, you can buy a ticket for 50,000 VND. Another stop when coming to the city is the statue of President Ho Chi Minh on Ong Tuong hill. From the left, visitors can see the whole city. On the right, you can see the majestic and imposing hydroelectric plant from above.

Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant. Photo: Trung Nghia

Specialty

Hoa Binh Lake offers many attractive specialties, including fish such as catfish, carp, sesame, grass carp... Fish sandwiched on bamboo sticks , grilled on a charcoal stove is a specialty that is easy to find on the way to Thac Bo cave. Batches of fish are cleaned of scales and intestines, marinated with salt and pepper and grilled. The fish are then displayed on green banana leaves, served with young tamarind leaves, perilla leaves, and lolot leaves. The fish meat is firm, sweet and fragrant with the smell of grilled charcoal and the faint scent of banana and bamboo.

Chicken cooked with sour bamboo shoots and doi seeds is also a specialty of Hoa Binh. Fresh giang bamboo shoots are picked from the forest, chopped and washed, adding salt to ferment naturally. The bamboo shoots are light yellow, fragrant and not scum. The chicken often chosen to cook bamboo shoot soup is hill chicken, which is chewy and fragrant. After cleaning, they are chopped and stir-fried with scallions and lard until firm. Then the chicken is simmered with sour bamboo shoots and doi seeds, which have a pungent, characteristic aroma. Buffalo meat cooked with lom leaves , a specialty of the Muong people, is also very popular. The buffalo meat is grilled, scraped clean and then roasted until tender. When the meat is relatively cooked, cut into smaller pieces and put in a clay pot to stew thoroughly. Lom leaves have a sour taste and are crushed and broken rice is put in the pot to stew with the buffalo meat. Keep the heat on until the broken rice expands and thickens. The buffalo meat is stewed thoroughly, absorbing the sour taste of lom leaves and the fragrant aroma of rice and is easy to eat.

Hoa Binh roasted pork. Photo: Hoa Qua Son

Pickled pork gives visitors the feeling of enjoying both the herbs and the forest because of the unique way of making it. Pickled pork is made very elaborately and combined with many types of forest leaves. All are readily available products and each type of leaf is considered a valuable medicine that is beneficial to the body such as cinnamon leaves, jackfruit leaves, betel leaves... The first impression when guests come to the house is that the Muong people bring out a tray of pickled pork with a basket of leaves. When eating, you have to use your hands to roll the leaves with the meat, chew slowly, it is very rich, sweet and fragrant, and tastes very strange. Hoa Binh wild pork has little fat and a lot of lean meat, the meat is crispy and sweet. Pork can be boiled, roasted, or grilled on skewers. Visitors can eat it with Hoa Binh's famous bamboo rice, which is fragrant and sticky because it is made from upland sticky rice. Visitors can find the above specialties at the Muong Kitchen or Hoa Qua Son restaurants in Kim Boi. In Mai Chau, there is Hop Thuy restaurant, sub-area 2 or the restaurant in the Mai Chau Ecolodge resort. Cao Phong Oranges On the way from Thung Nai back to the city, you can see some banana, orange and corn gardens along the way. Among them, a Cao Phong orange garden on the right attracts passersby with its gentle hillsides and juicy oranges. Oranges cost 20,000 VND/kg. You can buy some as gifts and then freely take photos in the garden.

Orange trees begin to be harvested in late October and depending on the flowering time, the Cao Phong orange harvest season can last until April of the following year. Photo: Trung Nghia

Orchid

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