Mai Hich

Mai Hich is enriched with the fascinating indigenous cultures of the Thai and Muong ethnic populations, as well as the region’s beautiful mountainous landscape. You can easily enjoy Mai Hich at every step you take. Let’s see what the best Mai Hich has to offer you on your visit.

1. Staying at the Pom Coong Village

Pom Coong is a Thai village that is the least touristy than its neighbor with just equally beauties and attractions. There are only seven major families of 70 households with 300 people living together happily in Pom Coong. Like other villages in Mai Chau, Thai people in Pom Coong Village often concentrate in hilly areas where there are both rivers and streams. Their houses are typically leaned back the mountains and overlook the ever-stretching rice fields in front. At the foot of the stilt-houses, Thai girls passionately ply with the looms to make up unique brocade products, making the interesting scene to see. Tourists are invited to Pom Coong Village to enjoy the idyll nature, wooden stilt houses, traditional performances, and of course, a wonderful homestay.

2. Joining the Lac Village

Located in Chieng Mai commune, 1km from the town center of Mai Chau District, Lac Village is where you see stilt houses border both sides of the roads. The houses are quite large with palm leaf roofs and polished bamboo-slat floors. The kitchen is located in the center of the house; the cooking as well as the making of the colorful tho cam, the material used by Thai minority to make their clothes, takes place in the kitchen. The windows are large and decorated with patterns. Each house also has a pond to breed fish. These are a very typical scene that you may wish to see the authentic practices of enthic residents.

When the sun falls, mostly you will be happy to join in the space of the Thai people with romantic performances captivating the human hearts. Traditional song-and-dance performances of the Thai young boys and girls have made a special appeal of this village; simultaneously, contribute to create the unique identity of the Thai culture.

3. Exploring caves in Mai Hich

If you’re a fan of caves and the underground world, Mo Luong Cave and Chieu Cave are the places to go.
The famous Mo Luong Cave, which boasts marvelous blocks of stalactites and stretches about 1,800m into the interior of Mount Phu Ka, is accessible by two separate entrances that overlook the stretching rice paddy fields and the villages. Mo Luong cave expands into a large cathedral interior that then branches out to four different caverns. Besides, the impressive Chieu Cave extends its interior 600m into the mountain, branching out to two chambers and can only be reached by a 1,200-step staircase. Conquering these two caves has never felt your excitement.

4. Shopping souvenirs

Mai Hich, Mai Chau has no shortage of local handicrafts and intricate fabrics woven by skilled weavers on ancient looms. Thai brocade fabrics have been known for the rich colors, raised patterns and recent years, very stylish and fashionable. Silk brocade and hemp brocade are made and dyed meticulously and entirely from natural elements. And you can rest assured that the fabrics are not toxic to your skin at all.

5. Joining Pa Co Market

On every Sunday mornings, Pa Co fair market takes place like a small weekly festival to the ethnic people, where you can witness the true customs and habits of locals. Lying between Mai Chau and Moc Chau, Pa Co Market is the meeting point of two ethnic groups: H’ mong and Thai. The bustling atmosphere of the market is so special compared to the quiet feeling of the weekdays, as people will bring their self-made and self-grown products to trade to others. Joining Pa Co Market must be your unique experience while traveling to Mai Hich.

Abundance of breathtaking views, Mai Hich can easily take you a couple of days to fully experience. To most first-timers, we often suggest a 2D1N itinerary of incredible things to do below, for your best experience when traveling Mai Hich.

Day 1: Mai Hich arrival – Pom Coong Village

Departing from Hanoi and reaching Mai Hich at noon. Have a quick lunch with local specialties then start trekking to Pom Coong Village. Enjoy sightseeing along the trail and learn the practices of residents. Have a homestay after joining a dinner with traditional dancing, special foods and drinks made by Thai people.

Day 2: Lac Village – Chieu Cave

Move to Lac Village for another meeting with locals. Witness the unique architect of the stilt houses and join the daily activities with Thai people. Have lunch with them then get to Chieu Cave to explore the wild but picturesque natural scene. Prepare to return to Hanoi in the late afternoon.

If you are a veteran backpacker, please feel free to manage the trip on your own and alter it when needed, else, we recommend you join a tour organized by a professional company that can free you from hassles and keep you safe throughout the journey.

There is no excuse to miss specialties of Mai Hich once you have visited the land (because they are really good). Wondering what to eat in Mai Hich? Let’s check them out.

1. Ga doi:

This barbecue gritty chicken dish is a favorite for many food-lovers when getting around here. The chickens are barely raised by farmers, and they have to run up to the hill to find food by themselves. Therefore, the chicken’s legs are especially delicious. They are not as big as the normal chickens but the meat is firm and fragrant.
The chicken is baked in charcoal without smoke or steamed with lemon leaves. Tearing each piece of chicken along with the Cham Cheo will give excellent taste.

2. Lon Man:

The highland pigs are naturally raised by the locals in Mai Chau. The pork meat is known for lesser amount of fat and tastiness.

3. Com Lam:

Is the most famous Thai dish which you can easily find in Mai Chau. Boiled rice in a small long roll of bamboo makes the food taste well. It is soft, sticky, and aromatic.

4. Can Wine:

The alcohol is prepared meticulously with ginger, herbal medicine, fruits and many kinds of forest leaves with oil. The wine is made from grains such as cassava, glutinous rice, berry seeds and nuts. The ingredients are fermented into the pot or jar. The more mature the wine is, the more delicious it is. People do not drink alcohol from cups or bowls, rather using one-meter-long bamboo sticks that are flicked, straightened and pierced through the intestine then bent into the wine bottle.

5. Grapefruit leaves pork roll:

You can find this dish in Lac Village around March. This dish is a specialty of Muong people. Bacon is cut into pieces that are equal to knuckles. Every piece is wrapped by half of a grapefruit leaf, which is then grilled on coal. During the cooking, the flavor of the pork is added by the leaves’ aroma.

Climately, Mai Hich is dry, cold winters from January to February with a temperature range of 15-17 degrees Celsius, and wet, hot summers from June to September with a temperature range of 26-28 degrees Celsius.

The best time to visit Mai Hich should fall between these highs and lows. The spring months from the latter half of February to the end of May brings pleasantly warm weather, with the flowers all a-blossom during this time. The autumn months from October to November bring a tolerable chill but still allow for pleasant hiking throughout the valley.

From Hanoi, Mai Hich can be reached by bus, or by car as they are the most convenient models that are available.

1. Public bus: The most direct route to Mai Hich, Mai Chau begins at My Dinh Bus Station in Hanoi, in which the buses depart four times a day – with ticket fare starting at $17 for 4 hours travel time.

2. Private car: This is the option of convenience. The trip takes about 3,5 hours with the cost of $100 for one way traveling.
(Less preferably, a motorbike can be your vehicle to drive yourself to Hoa Binh. Although renting a motorbike is not a big deal, we do not encourage you to do this, especially when you first come to Vietnam. Ensure your safety first.)

Throughout this article, we wish you to have an idea of how to travel to Mai Hich for your best experience. In case you are looking for your own travel agent, who can offer a wonderful and hassle-free trip to Mai Hich, please feel free to let us know. We always commit our best to make it your once-in-a-lifetime journey.