For a long time, Bản Lác has been a famous landmark in the Mai Châu valley (Hòa Bình province). It's an ideal stop for tourists whenever they visit Hòa Bình. Standing on the pass and looking down, the stilt houses are shrouded in mist, the flickering fires evoking the life of the valley. Bản Lác appears before us in breathtaking beauty, amidst the hazy clouds.

As soon as we arrived at the beginning of Bản Lác village, Hùng Mếch homestay sent someone to pick us up right at the parking spot. The people here have always been hospitable like that. In our first encounter, we felt the kindness, hospitality, and the simple, rustic charm of the Thái ethnic people.

A view of Bản Lác village.

Ms. Lo Thi Mech (of the Thai ethnic group), the owner of the homestay, said that the name "Ban Lac" means "Strange Village." Yet, upon arriving in this place, everyone feels a sense of closeness, warmth, and tranquility in this community-based tourism village nestled in the mountains of Northwest Vietnam.

Lac Village is located in the heart of the Mai Chau valley. Surrounding it are towering, rugged mountains. From the mountain pass, one can observe the entire village like a beautiful painting, with charming stilt houses clustered around streams and vast rice fields. Ms. Mech recounts that Lac Village has been the long-standing home of the White Thai ethnic group. The Thai people here make their living by cultivating rice and corn, weaving cloth, and in recent years, they have added another profession to enrich and beautify their land: the entire village has become involved in community tourism.

That's why, walking along the roads into the villages, you'll see colorful brocade fabrics everywhere. Every house has a loom for weaving cloth and a shop selling souvenirs. What's special about Bản Lác is that because every house in the village participates in community tourism, every stilt house is numbered and designed and used in a community tourism style.

The upper floor serves as a resting place for guests, while the lower floor is used for serving food and drinks. Therefore, on weekends and evenings, the stilt houses in Bản Lác are lively, bustling, and brightly lit. It's even more enchanting when local performing arts groups come to entertain with wonderful Thái xòe dances.

On the first night, we joined the Thai people around a campfire in the stadium. The music, the torches, and the songs blended together, creating an intoxicating atmosphere. By the crackling fire at the foot of the stilt house, the Thai people prepared and grilled sticky rice in bamboo tubes, offering it to visitors.

Watching the Thai ethnic women steaming sticky rice and cooking bamboo-cooked rice, we were suddenly reminded of the poem by poet Quang Dung: "Oh, I remember Tay Tien, the rice steaming with smoke / Mai Chau, the season of fragrant sticky rice ." It seems that the rich aroma of sticky rice and the warmth of human kindness have been present here since time immemorial.

Mr. Vi Van Bang, a Thai ethnic minority and head of Ban Lac village, shared: “In recent years, Ban Lac has been developing its potential for community tourism, attracting tourists from all over. The locality focuses on preserving cultural identity and creating a friendly experience for tourists.”

Mr. Vy Ngoc Anh (Na Hang, Tuyen Quang) said: “Ban Lac and Mai Chau valley have become very attractive to tourists like us. Stopping here, people feel like they are immersed in the cultural space of community tourism, which is both friendly and fascinating with so many things to discover .”

In the distance, the winding rocky slopes surrounding the village evoke a majestic and sturdy beauty. As evening falls, clouds descend upon the Bản Lác valley, creating an ethereal and dreamlike atmosphere. The clouds seem to drape Bản Lác in a delicate silken cloak, their soft, lingering strands adding to the village's poetic and mystical charm.

Ban Lac, steeped in the colors of Northwest Vietnam, is a space brimming with poetic charm about Mai Chau, a land steeped in history, poetry, and music . A visit here, even just once, will leave you with no desire to leave. The scenery and people here are enchanting, leaving a lasting impression on visitors from afar. It seems to beckon, inviting you with sweet words.

NGUYEN THE LUONG