Mai Chau is located in Hoa Binh province, about 150 km from Hanoi and 60km from Hoa Binh. Mai Chau is well known for its natural beauty. The valley is the capital of the White Thai ethnic people. Everywhere, the houses-on-stilts border both sides of the roads. The houses are quite large with palm leaf roofs and 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” takes place in the kitchen. The Sunday market brings a lot of people into town. It is full of local products and a mass of color, sights and sounds. People from different minorities living in the nearby mountains come to Mai Chau market to sell their specific products: honey, bananas, corn, and “tho cam” made by skilled Thai women. Mai Chau valley is a very good place for people who like to have a real homestay with local people and do some activities such as walking from village to villages or take a bike trip along the village road through the wet rice fields or simply sitting on the house-on-stilts to enjoy the peaceful and quiet atmosphere of the village.
