For holiday-goers in search for beauty, Mai Chau is a very likely destination. Here, anyone can take advantage of the breathtaking scenery of the surrounding mountains, coz they are just so vast. But apart from that, the beautiful tribes women who inhabited the serene valley is another important aspect that brings about the splendor of this part of Vietnam.

Although Mai Chau is definitely on the North Vietnam tourist circuit- it's the closest tourist-ready mountain village to Hanoi which is 120 kilometers away. The road to the village is very nice with beautiful landscapes on the way, you would get to see immense green fields and stilt houses going in and out of view as we pass through cloud covered mountain valleys. But perhaps one of the things that will amaze any visitor is when you come across Lac Village and the nearby Poong Coong hamlet, both nestled in a breathtakingly beautiful mountain valley. Here, friendly villagers will welcome you with warm greetings and smiles. They would offer visitors with food and accommodation. But most of all, the chance to experience a traditional lifestyle will probably be the most memorable experiences one can bring along from here. Most travelers that pass through these towns and its surrounding hamlets can stay for a night or two in one of the stilt houses before going trekking. To make the most of it, they can also stop to enjoy embroidery work by the locals themselves.

There, the stilt houses are labeled as ‘hotels’. But in fact, they’re more than that because they are built out of wood and bamboo, and include modern conveniences such as bathrooms, toilets and massage rooms. They are all very clean and fragrant with the scent of the wild flowers that surround the area. Built in traditional designs and about 100-150sq.m wide each, these stilt houses are rented for only VND30,000 (US$1.55), allowing a traveler to enjoy a 1.2 by 2 sq.m sleeping area. A delicious meal for six costs only VND200,000 ($10.31) and can feed a group. Most villagers earn their living from tourism and these amazing hotels earn them respectable living.

The village is about 700 years old and its population is made up of the five key family lines of Ha, Lo, Vi, Mac and Loc. Their descendants are very well educated because there are no social evils such as drug addiction or theft in the village. Tourists here can enjoy the minority specialty dishes including rice cooked in bamboo and grilled meat. They also enjoy watching traditional dancing, music performances (bronze, drums, gongs), and Thai minority singing and dancing. The remote minority villages are attractive sites for tourists. In the past, local people earned a living by growing upland rice and weaving brocade to sell to foreign tourists in Hanoi shops. Welcoming visitors by the thousands per year, the village has become an attractive tourism site and it has been included as a destination on the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism’s official tourism map. Who says tourists come for shopping and night entertainment? This is indeed a hidden charm and an experience to marvel.

To get there, take one of the several scheduled buses from Hoa Binh to Mai Chau (two hours) daily. There is a direct bus as well, but the times of departure from Hanoi (6am and 2pm) are not particularly convenient. Given that it’s not much trouble to change in Hoa Binh, it’s not worth going out of your way to get the direct bus. Usually these stop at Tong Dau junction; a xe om (motorbike taxi) can be taken from there to Mai Chau. However, it’s easy to arrange a tour package through one of the travel agents in Hanoi’s Old Quarter, but as always, it’s more rewarding to do it independently.