Mai Chau is an interesting getaway from Hanoi at the weekend, a nice place to relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere
Mai Chau offers breathtaking scenery and unique culture. You will have chance to visit many interesting places, contemplate untouched areas and get to know more about the rural village. It's 4-hour drive from Hanoi and quite easy to get to. We visited quite many places there. Mai Chau is not impressive compared to other areas in the far north of Vietnam, but it's quite natural and pristine. I love wandering the way of Lac Village - the place boasts for its beautiful crafts and blankets. This's home of ethnic Thai people. Lac village is the most popular tourist spot in Mai Chau due to its rustic beauty of highland, hospitality of people, and unique culture. I was impressed by the stilted house structure, so warm and cozy. Because of covid 19, we couldn't enjoy the Night Festival with the traditional dance of ethnic minority there. I like this village, beautiful and peaceful rice paddies around, however, I would say that it has a bit of commercialization. My favorite place in Mai Chau is Hang Kia - a dedicated place for cloud hunting. It was the 1st time I contemplated the breathtaking and mesmerizing view above the cloud, I was so excited and thrilled.
We slept in a dormitory of a very kind and friendly host, but I quite regret not choosing to stay in a bungalow, there's a variety of stilted houses in the area with a nice view through the window.
It's good to be out of Hanoi in such a nice beautiful place, enjoy a peaceful day with beautiful nature but I think it needs investment for tourism to create more activities and have some local touch.