Mai Chau, located in the Northwest of Vietnam, attracts tourists with its tranquil atmosphere, cool and mild weather climate, diverse culture, and stunning landscape. Coming here, you can escape from the hustle and bustle and immerse yourself in nature. Let’s find out the top 11 attractions in Mai Chau with Handspan Travel Indochina!

Through this article, you will learn about these spots below.

Thung Khe Pass (White Rock Pass)

Before coming to Mai Chau, you will pass through the Thung Khe Pass, located between Tan Lac and Mai Chau District of Hoa Binh Province along Highway 6. At a height of 700 meters in altitude, Thung Khe Pass is an excellent stop-over to enjoy a gorgeous typical view of karst formation settings from high above. Besides admiring the scenery, you can also try local foods in Mai Chau, such as Com lam, grilled meat, and eggs in Thung Khe Pass. 

Thung Khe Pass

After stopping en route in the past, you can now continue your journey to explore the alluring attractions in Mai Chau.

Mai Chau flagpole

Before going to the Tong Dau intersection to visit outstanding attractions in Mai Chau, you should drop by the Mai Chau flagpole. Standing here, you can adore a panoramic view of the Mai Chau Valley. Especially in the harvesting seasons, the landscape is exceptionally breathtaking, with ripe terraced rice fields. 

Mai Chau flagpole

Lac Village

Lac Village is one of the attractions in Mai Chau that you should not miss. To get to the village, you will have to pass through the Cum slope, 12 kilometers long with winding, craggy roads. However, it’s worth driving to admire Lac Village’s beautiful scenery. Let’s see how attractive Lac Village is!

Majestic and poetic scenery

Lac Village’s landscape is exceptionally stunning and tranquil, with dense mountains and forests surrounding it. Trekking or cycling around the village, you will catch up with stretching rice fields, clear streams, and cool and beautiful wildflowers. Also, you will see the traditional Thai people’s stilt houses with roofs made from bamboo or rattan leaves. These houses are built to fit nicely into a beautiful, tranquil, idyllic setting with the surrounding landscape. Each house’s large window is an airy place to hang flower baskets to decorate the house. 

Lac Village in Mai Chau

Thai local people’s featured culture

The village is the residence of the Thai people who have been living here since their migration 700 years ago. They make a living by growing wet rice and other food crops. Besides, weaving is also their primary occupation. Their main handicraft products can be skirts, foxes, scarves, clothes, hats, umbrellas, etc., which have harmonious and colorful colors. 

Local women in the Lac Village

Coming to the Lac Village, you will have a chance to hear the fanciful stories of the mountains and forests, the lives of the people from ancient times, and their ancient cultures. You can immerse yourself in the space of the Thai people with Xoe dances, inspirational songs, and live music, and try the Can local rice wine together. 

Let’s visit Lac Village and have your own experiences!

Pom Coong Village

Like the Lac Village, Pom Coong Village is also among the notable attractions in Mai Chau, where you can learn about local people’s life. In the Thai people’s language, Pom Coong means a drum lying on a hill, which symbolizes the image of local people's stilt houses lying firmly on a hill with green and vast rice fields. The topographical structure of the village is relatively unique, with the mountains and hills interspersed with the plains, creating a beautifully natural picture.

Pom Coong Village

Visiting Pom Coong village in any season of the year, you can still feel the peaceful atmosphere from the majestic mountains and forests and stretching country roads. The terrain structure here is unique, with the mountains and hills interspersed with the plains, creating a beautiful picture of nature.

Pom Coong Village

Walking around the village, you can also find beautiful stilt houses built close to each other. The house’s floor is made of bamboo, 2 meters above the ground, fixed by solid wooden poles. Under the stilts, you can find looms for Thai girls to weave brocade.

Let’s visit Pom Coong Village and immerse yourself in the fresh atmosphere!

Mo Luong Cave

Within walking distance from Mai Chau town, right to the left side of road 15 toward Lac and Pom Coong villages, Mo Luong Cave is also one of the attractions in Mai Chau that you should drop in. It was used as the primary source of water for the area in the past and a local clinic where wounded Vietnamese soldiers were treated during the Vietnam - France war. Besides its historical significance, the cave also appeals to tourists through its pristine beauty. 

Mo Luong Cave

Mo Luong Cave is located in the Pu Kha limestone mountain range. Through thousands of years of erosion, the cave has a unique appearance consisting of many layers of multi-shaped stalactites. There are four compartments with a depth of about 500 meters inside the cave. The first compartment is 60 meters long and 16 meters wide with a 20-meter-high ceiling dome. This compartment looks like a large living room with a cluster of stalactites falling from the ceiling and the wall. Crossing the first cave to go to the second area, you will feel like you are in a fairy world with diverse-shaped stalagmites. This cave is about 10m higher than the first; therefore, you will be overwhelmed by the vastness here. 

Mo Luong Cave

Mo Luong Cave’s third compartment is relatively cooler than other areas. It is 400 square meters wide and has a system of stalactites hanging down from the ceiling, shimmering like colorful chandeliers. The last cave is extensive, with a height of 25 meters, a length of 15 meters, and a width of 12 meters. This cave has many stalactites and stone columns with unique shapes. Going down to the bottom of the cave, there is an underground stream that pours into Mo Luong Lake in front of the mountain.

Historically and geologically, the cave is meaningful, so it deserves a visit. Now, it’s time for you to come here and appreciate the scenery. 

Chieu Cave

Not far from Mo Luong cave, Chieu cave is 250 meters above sea level, with its tree-covered 15-meter wide mouth. It is also among the popular attractions in Mai Chau you can get a view of the valley from a different perspective. To reach the cave’s door, about 15 meters wide, you must cross 1200 stone steps among the green Xa Pung trees. However, it’s worth climbing. 

Chieu Cave 

Chieu Cave has two floors. After going through all the stone steps, you will encounter the first floor, which is about 50 meters long, 40 meters wide, and has a ceiling dome with an average height of about 55m. The deeper you get inside the cave, the more meticulous the stalagmites are and the more stunning the landscape is. At the end of the cave, you will encounter a small, clear, fresh, murmuring stream flowing down, which looks exceptionally fanciful under the sunshine. 

Van Village

Van Village is one of the idyll attractions in Mai Chau, with small patches of terraced rice fields. Like their neighbors in Lac and Pom Coong, the Thai villagers here are friendly and hospitable. There are 94 households, including 376 people living in the village. They live mainly on growing rice, breeding, weaving, and knitting. Walking around Van village, you will catch up with stretching rice fields and stilt houses standing next to each other, creating a tranquil scenery. 

Mo Luong Cave

The Thai Museum

The Thai Museum, three kilometers from Mai Chau Town, is one of the unique attractions in Mai Chau. Coming here, you can find a private collection of valuable old objects made by the White Thai: silver coins, earrings, necklaces, old looms, embroidered blankets, wooden and bamboo baskets, traps, jewelry cases, flint guns, lots of farming tools, etc.  The collector, a White Thai man, spent ten years bringing them together. 

Go Lao Cascade

Go Lao Cascade, 15 kilometers away from Mai Chau Town, is among the ideal attractions for the nature lover in Mai Chau. The route leading to the cascade is quite hard to drive; however, you will find it’s worth going here to admire the unspoiled beauty of nature. Go Lao Waterfall combines two streams, Thung Cang and Phieng Xa, located amidst the mountains. From September to November, this waterfall becomes more magnificent with fast-flowing water. Let’s come here, immerse yourself in the cool water, and listen to the sounds of the mountain!

Go Lao Cascade

Ba Khan Village

Ba Khan Village is the name that goes with a commune on Hoa Binh Lake, an extensive reservoir used by the Vietnamese and the Russians in the late 70s to produce power. Getting here requires travelers to repeat the first leg of the trip to the Go Lao cascade. After this 15-kilometer-long journey, another one of the same length gets travelers to the right destination of choice, Ba Khan.

Coming to Ba Khan Village, you may not want to miss these experiences below.

Visiting local people’s villages

Ba Khan is the main living area of the Muong and Thai ethnic groups. You can admire and discover the cultural features of the local people, from their houses to costumes, cuisine, customs, etc. If you come to Ba Khan in the spring, you can also participate in special cultural festivals. 

Trekking Ba Khan Village

Boating to explore Ba Khan lake

Ba Khan Lake is vast and interspersed with limestone mountains. You can try boating or kayaking to adore the scenery and learn about the life of local people on the fish raft.

Boating in Ba Khan Lake

Besides visiting local villages and boating on the lake, trekking is also an excellent way to explore Ba Khan Village.

Hang Kia 

Much higher than Mai Chau town (1,200 meters on average in altitude), Hang Kia is home to the H'Mong people. Like The White Thai, historically, the Mong came here from China after civil wars over three centuries ago. Their life then was nomadic and could not have been harder. The new land has taught the H'Mong many things, so their lives have been changing. 

Hang Kia is a good place for travelers to explore different ways of living. The H'Mong grow corn, an arrow shoots for food and spirit, and plum trees around their houses and on the hills. They keep black pigs and buffalos and trap wild animals in the forests. They live in a quieter community, a village showing seemingly closed houses built on the ground, with low roofs and doors. It is where three generations share every mood, from sadness to happiness. It is where the H'Mong makes different kinds of products to sell at the market on Sunday, etc. 

In conclusion, you have just learned about the top 11 fantastic attractions in Mai Chau. If you need more information, let’s read our article: Mai Chau travel guide - All you need to know before going to Mai Chau. Otherwise, please refer to our Mai Chau tour packages below for a complete experience in Mai Chau and nearby destinations.

From The Mountain to Ha Long Bay

Mai Chau Valley vs Pu Luong Reserve

Northern Vietnam Unveiled: 8-Day Nature & Culture Expedition