Tours out of Ho Chi Minh City and across Vietnam
Northern Vietnam
Mai Chau: a valley, a stilt house and two wheels
Three and a half hours west of Hanoi, a flat green valley of rice and stilt houses where the main activity is riding a bicycle slowly from one village to the next.
Overview
The closest mountains to Hanoi
Mai Chau is a wide valley in Hoa Binh province, ringed by steep green hills and farmed by White Thai families who still live in wooden houses raised on posts. It is not dramatic in the way Ha Giang is. It is gentle, green and easy, and it is the shortest drive from Hanoi to anything that feels like the northern uplands.
The two villages nearest the road, Lac and Pom Coong, have turned almost entirely into guesthouses, and the evening dance shows can be loud. We book a stilt house a little further out, in a village where the family still farm, with a private room partitioned off rather than a mattress on a shared floor. Our Hanoi partner operator, whom we have worked with for years, provides the car, the driver and a guide who speaks enough Thai to be welcome.
- Length
- 2 days, 1 night
- From Hanoi
- About 3.5 hours
- Cycling
- 15 to 25 km, flat
- Stay
- Stilt house, private room
- Best months
- March to May, September to November
- Run by
- Our Hanoi partner operator
Nights
Where you sleep
Day by day
Day by day
Day 1
Over the pass into the valley
We leave your Hanoi hotel at 08:00. The first two hours are expressway and ring road through the edge of the city; the last hour and a half climbs through Hoa Binh and over the Thung Khe pass, where a short stop gives you the first sight of the hills folding away to the west. You drop into the valley in time for lunch at the house.
The afternoon is a slow cycle along the dykes between the rice, stopping in a village where women weave on looms under the houses and in a second where the guide knows a family who make rice wine. The riding is flat, on concrete lanes and packed earth, and you can stop whenever you like.
Dinner is cooked by the family: river fish, bamboo shoots, sticky rice steamed in a bamboo tube. Evenings are quiet out here and it is dark by seven.
Day 2
A hill village on foot, then the road back
After breakfast on the veranda, a walk of about two hours up to a hill village of a different minority, on a path that climbs steadily through forest and cassava fields. The view back down over the valley is the reward. Anyone who prefers to stay flat can take the bicycles out again along the other side of the river instead.
Lunch back at the house, then the drive to Hanoi, with a coffee stop at the top of the pass. You are at your hotel by about 16:30.
Price
Price
| Travellers | Tier 1 — simple | Tier 2 — comfortable | Tier 3 — the good ones |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 travelling | from 255 | from 320 | from 485 |
| 4 travelling | from 210 | from 260 | from 395 |
| 6 travelling | from 190 | from 235 | from 360 |
The homestay itself is inexpensive; most of the price in the table above is the private car for two days and the guide. That is why the per-person figure drops sharply for four and six travellers. A lodge with a pool on the valley edge instead of the stilt house is what the higher tiers buy.
Included
What is included
What the price includes
- Private car and driver from and back to Hanoi
- English-speaking guide throughout
- One night in a stilt house, private room, with breakfast
- Lunch both days and a home-cooked dinner
- Bicycles and helmets
- Water and our 24/7 line
What it does not include
- Rice wine and other drinks
- Textiles you decide to buy in the villages
- Travel insurance, visas, flights and tips
Practical
What to expect in a stilt house
- Shoes come off at the top of the stairs. The floor is wood or bamboo and it creaks.
- The bathroom is usually in a separate building at ground level: western toilet, hot shower, basic.
- Nights are cool from November to March, and in December and January they are cold. The family provide thick quilts; bring a warm layer anyway.
- Roosters start at around five. Earplugs help.
Not for everyone
Who this does not suit
It does not suit people who want high mountains and big views; Mai Chau is a pastoral valley, and Sapa or Ha Giang are the answer to that. Travellers who need a hotel room with an attached bathroom and air conditioning should take the lodge upgrade or skip it. The seven hours in a car across two days feel like a lot for one night, so if you can add a second night — or continue on to Pu Luong, an hour and a half further on — the trip improves considerably.
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
Is Mai Chau or Pu Luong better?
Pu Luong has more dramatic terraces and fewer visitors. Mai Chau is closer, flatter and easier with young children. They are close enough to combine.
Is the homestay private?
We book a room partitioned off for you, not a shared mattress floor. It is still a family house and you will hear the household.
Can children cycle here?
Yes. The lanes are flat and quiet, and the family can find child seats or smaller bikes if you ask ahead.
Related
Read next
Northern Vietnam
Hanoi
The capital: Old Quarter, food, and the northern base.
View this journey
Northern Vietnam
Pu Luong
Terraces, water wheels and easy walking near Hanoi.
View this journey
Example journey
Pu Luong reserve
Terraced valleys, water wheels and a lodge with no road noise.
View this journey
Example journey
The northwest loop
Mai Chau, Mu Cang Chai and Sapa, nine days, no backtracking.
View this journey
Tours
Tours
Day trips, regional routes and full-length itineraries.
View this journey
Start planning
Tell us about the trip you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.
Or talk to us:+84 766 045 399