Mai Chau

Mai Chau Travel Guide

• Why Not Go
• Why Go
• Best Time to Visit
• Where to Stay
• Where & What to Eat
• Nightlife
• To Do List
• Stay Away From
• Getting There

Mai Chau is located around 140km from Hanoi in a peaceful valley sheltered by the outside world by a dramatic ring of hills. Its isolation has allowed a traditional way of life to thrive in a way that you wouldn’t expect so close to the capital city.

Strictly speaking, this doesn’t apply to Mai Chau itself, as it is just another small Vietnamese country town with the usual array of garishly-painted concrete houses. What we’re really talking about here is the adjoining villages of Ban Lac and Pom Coong. Here it’s all about bamboo stilt houses and paddy fields, with a feel that’s more like rural Laos or Thailand than Vietnam.

It’s no surprise that Mai Chau doesn’t feel particularly Vietnamese, as most of the villages’ inhabitants are from the White Thai ethnic group, speaking Thai as their first language, though they are also fluent in Vietnamese. But this is not some kind of Sapa-style “hill-tribe experience” – it’s much more low-key here. You won’t usually see people in traditional dress, unless it’s for a special occasion, nor will you be chased down the street by a mob of women trying to flog you ethnic handicrafts.

Mai Chau is certainly no stranger to tourism, but it’s not on the tourist map in the same way as, say, Sapa or Halong Bay; most visitors on a typical two-week north-to-south Vietnam trip won’t come this way. And although it gets a lot of weekend visitors from Hanoi, these are largely students or ex-pats rather than the typical domestic tourist, so it’s escaped the karaoke bars and grandiose hotels usually found in domestic tourism hotspots.

Why Not Go

Two words sum up the Mai Chau experience – “village homestay”. Unless you can afford to stay in the plush Mai Chau Lodge, there is really no point in coming to Mai Chau if the idea of a village homestay doesn’t appeal. You are sleeping on a mat in a bamboo stilt house, in a large communal room probably shared with the host family and/ or other travellers. There are no restaurants or bars unless you walk back to Mai Chau town itself – you eat and drink with your homestay hosts.

On the other side of the coin, Mai Chau may not appeal to the more hardcore traveller looking for a really authentic homestay experience. The stilt houses have been modernised to meet the needs of foreign visitors, with electricity, running water and sit-down toilets. The villages get their fair share of tour groups, especially Lac, and the majority of houses are geared for tourism in some way, either offering homestays or selling textiles.

Why Go

Mai Chau is the perfect respite from the craziness of Hanoi. It’s a serene, relaxing rural idyll, and the vivid green paddy fields will match your picture postcard fantasies of the Vietnamese countryside. It’s a good way to meet one of the ethnic minority groups in a setting that’s neither too touristy nor too inaccessibly off-the-beaten-track. And a bamboo stilt house really is a pretty memorable place to spend the night.

Best Time to Visit

For hot (but not too hot), sunny weather, October-November and February-May are the best times to go. In December, January and sometimes February too, the weather can get pretty chilly. However, the stilt houses have no shortage of fluffy blankets to keep you warm at night; staying cool in the summer, however, is more of an issue. The stilt houses usually have fans but even then so they can get uncomfortably hot between June and September. In addition, these months are the rainiest, which makes outdoor exploring more problematic.

There is a market on Sundays which brings together different minority groups from the surrounding area, but given the higher numbers of weekend tourists (see ‘Stay away from’) this is not necessarily a reason to time your visit for a Sunday.

Where to Stay

The stilt house homestays all offer essentially the same thing for the same price (currently 50,000 dong excluding meals), so there is little point in recommending one over the other here. If you plan to stay in a stilt house, the best thing to do is walk around the villages (they’re very close, Lac starts where Pom Coong ends) and see which location you like best. Also check if there are other people staying – the rooms are communal so if you want more privacy you should go for one that has no other guests, and hope no-one else turns up!

For a bit of luxury, Mai Chau Lodge (+84 218 3868 959) is the only option. It’s located on the main road out of Mai Chau town, at the point where you turn off onto the dirt track for Pom Coong and Lac. It’s a lovely small boutique resort with a small pool, free shuttle transfers between Mai Chau and Hanoi, and the usual range of comforts you would expect in the $100+ bracket.

Where & What to Eat

In short: in your homestay or hotel. There isn’t really any other choice, unless you head into Mai Chau itself, where there is the usual range of small rice and pho places. Homestays usually serve breakfast and dinner as standard but these are not included in the price of your stay. Breakfast is usually western (bread, jam, fruit etc) unless you request otherwise, and dinner is a spread of various home-cooked dishes.

Nightlife

“Nightlife” is not a term usually associated with Mai Chau. Evening entertainment is likely to consist of a few beers in your homestay before retiring early to avoid keeping your hosts up. If you get really friendly with your hosts, you may even be invited to drink exotic rice wines containing goat testicles or other unexpected animal parts. Tour groups are usually treated (or subjected, depending on your point of view) to a traditional dance display in the evening.

My to do List

- Rent a bicycle and explore the surrounding countryside
- Take a stroll around the paddy fields, or arrange a longer trek.
- Chat with your hosts over a cup of tea, or something stronger.
- Bargain for traditional textile items without the usual hard sell.

Stay Away From

It’s best to avoid visiting on a weekend if you can, as Mai Chau can get crowded with Hanoi weekenders, detracting somewhat from the sense of rural escapism.

Getting There

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.

It’s not difficult to get to Mai Chau by local bus from Hanoi. I could go into detail over bus schedules here but that would make things needlessly confusing. Just turn up at My Dinh bus station at any time in the morning and you shouldn’t have to wait long for one of the regular buses to Hoa Binh. You can then catch one of the regular buses on to Mai Chau from the same bus station without much waiting time. 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.

Hoi An

Hoi An Travel Guide

• Hoi An Photographs
• Why Not Go
• Why Go
• Best Time to Visit
• Where to Stay
• Where & What to Eat
• Nightlife
• To Do List
• Stay Away From
• Getting There

Conveniently located slap-bang in the middle of the country, Hoi An breaks up a journey between the North and South nicely, and as a result, few visitors come to Vietnam without passing through the town. But it is so much more than just a stopover or a tourist trap.

Once an important trading port, but no longer significant by the time of the American War, Hoi An was spared the wartime devastation that so many other towns suffered. As a result its historic buildings have been preserved in a way that is rarely seen elsewhere in Vietnam, and (aside from the trappings of tourism) it really does feel like a place where time has stood still.

Originally a town of silk merchants, it has now become the tailoring capital of Vietnam, and no visit would be complete without at least one trip to a tailor. Getting clothes made here is so addictive, though, that you may find yourself leaving with a whole new wardrobe.

In addition to the attractions of the town itself, Hoi An is blessed with a tropical, palm-lined beach about 5km out of town. Even without the attractions of Hoi An nearby, this lovely stretch of sand would still be a popular spot in its own right. With the beach so close at hand to tempt you away from the historic delights of the old town, it’s wise to allow as much time as you can for Hoi An. Almost every visitor ends up wanting to stay longer than planned.

Cua Dai Beach, Hoi An: Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An. About 4km from the Old Town. We rode our bicycles there, taking advantage of the good weather we had that day. Took us only about 15 minutes, and it was a pleasant ride to the beach.
Beach is not too bad; sand is pretty fine and soft, but water wasn’t crystal clear. Waves at this beach were pretty big, but the lifeguard was no where to be seen.
Photo by yipinglim

Why Not Go

If you run a mile from the sight of another tourist, Hoi An is not for you. If you want to see the ‘real Vietnam’, this is not the place to do it. Most of the businesses in the older part of town cater either to high-end overseas tourists or backpackers, and life in Hoi An generally has very little connection to the reality of modern-day Vietnam.

Why Go

Sunset Over Hoi An
Photo by Ewan Cross

Quite simply, because it’s beautiful. Touristy – most definitely, but Hoi An is one of those rare places that excessive tourism hasn’t so far managed to spoil. An attractive, well-preserved old town with a great beach just down the road is always going to be a winning combination, and the tailors and silk merchants are also a big draw. But above all, there’s just something in the atmosphere – laid-back, tropical, nostalgic, artistic – that gets people hooked.

Reflections of Hoi An shophouses
Photo by kirksiang

Best Time to Visit

Late January to April/ May are best in terms of weather with comfortable temperatures (20s to low 30s) and low rainfall. May to August can be uncomfortably hot but should also be relatively dry, and the sea is calmer, so better for swimming, diving and snorkelling. The rainy season lasts from September to January, with October and November being the rainiest months.

It’s worth bearing in mind that a visit in the low season offers the benefits of lower hotel rates and fewer tourists, and even in the rainy season you can still get plenty of sunshine. Given the variety of things to do in Hoi An, even if the weather isn’t great, it need not spoil your stay. If it’s too hot, you can cool down in the sea or by the pool; if it’s raining cats and dog you can head for one of the historic houses or museums, or spend the day in tailors’ shops ordering up the perfect outfit.

Every month at the full moon, Hoi An is transformed for ‘Hoi An Legendary Night’. All but ‘primitive’ vehicles are banned from the streets of the old town, candles are lit in lanterns and incense is burned in all the shop fronts. There are artistic performances in the streets or on the riverside, and the river is lit by hundreds of floating paper lanterns.

Hoi An Waterfront at Night: In Hoi An, every full moon (14th of the Lunar month) it’s “Lantern Festival” aka “Legendary Night”. Electrical lighting in the historical center is reduced to the minimum and houses are all lit up with traditional silk lanterns. Streets are packed with locals as well as tourists who enjoy local food, dance performances and poetry recitals. Be sure not to join in early, as most Vietnamese will be in bed by 11 pm.
Photo by zimmel

If your trip is around the time of the full moon, it’s definitely worth timing your stay in Hoi An to coincide with the ‘Legendary Night’. The actual date may not tie in exactly with full moon celebrations elsewhere so it’s worth checking the exact date before making your travel plans.

Where to Stay

Considering it is only a small town, Hoi An boasts a huge choice of places to stay. There are new hotels and guesthouses opening all the time, so it’s worth shopping around for a good deal.

The Hoi Pho Hotel (627 Hai Ba Trung, 0510 916 382) is a good budget option, recommended for its friendly, family-run atmosphere.

If you want to stay on the beach, you have to go high end – the Hoi An Beach Resort is a relatively good value four-star option with some good deals available. It has a fantastic location right on the riverbank and just over the road from the beach, as well as two very tempting swimming pools overlooking the river.

Where & What to Eat

Hoi An has a great selection of restaurants, and deciding where to eat can be tricky!

Bach Dang, the road that runs alongside the river in the old town, is a good location for a meal with a view. Most of the restaurants on this road offer low prices and similar menus consisting of Hoi An specialities and Vietnamese dishes. There is little to distinguish between most of them, but Hong Phuc (86 Bach Dang) has great river views from its upstairs balcony and Blue Dragon (46 Bach Dang) uses its profits to support a children’s charity.

Between Bach Dang and Nguyen Thai Hoc are two popular fusion restaurants, Mango Rooms and Cargo Club. Mango Rooms (111 Nguyen Thai Hoc) is the more upmarket of the two, with funky décor and innovative dishes which have gained an excellent reputation in Hoi An. Cargo Club (107-109 Nguyen Thai Hoc) offers high quality Vietnamese and international dishes at more reasonable prices, and has an attractive balcony with river views, plus an excellent bakery downstairs.

Hoi An market
Photo by jonasphoto

Nightlife

Hoi An is not exactly a party town, despite the large number of backpackers, but there’s no shortage of places to drink. Many of the bars and restaurants offer ridiculously cheap ‘happy hours’ which actually last a lot longer than an hour and feature some pretty feisty cocktails. If you’re after something lively, Before & Now (51 Le Loi) blasts out loud music until late, and Treat’s Café (158 Tran Phu) is the backpacker favourite, with various spin-offs around town.

My to do List

- Visit a selection of the historic houses, museums, assembly halls and temples.
- Get a whole new wardrobe made up in one of the many tailors’ shops
- Rent a bike and cycle the 5km to Cua Dai beach.
- Stroll the riverfront in the evening by lantern-light, stopping for ‘happy hour’ drinks at a riverfront restaurant.
- Take a boat trip to Cham Island to snorkel, dive, explore the island or just relax on the beach.
- Take a cookery course
- Get up early and head out to the Cham ruins at My Son before the crowds arrive.

Stay Away From

Hoi An is pretty safe, but watch your bags when walking around at night, especially in the market area.

Wandering around town with a backpack is likely to make you a target for the town’s many hotel touts. Hoi An has plenty of quality, good value accommodation so it’s worth looking around rather than going for the first place you see just because a tout drags you in.

The sea can be rough and has dangerous currents, so be careful when swimming here. Between November amd March it may not be safe to swim at all. Sections of Cua Dai beach have lifeguards – don’t swim if you see red flags.

Getting There

The easiest way to get to Hoi An from Hanoi or HCMC is to fly to Danang airport. It’s about 30 minutes by taxi from the airport to Hoi An. Both Jetstar and Vietnam Airlines offer some great deals – if you book in time you can fly for little more than the cost of the sleeper train.

However, it’s still worth considering the train – either to Danang or incorporating a stop in Hue – as an option. Bearing in mind that the sleeper train saves you paying for a night’s accommodation, it still works out cheaper than flying, and will earn you eco brownie points.

From Hue, you have the choice of going all the way by bus, or getting a train to Danang and a bus, taxi or motorbike taxi for the remaining 35km to Hoi An. The section of the train journey around the Hai Van pass is reputed to be the most scenic in Vietnam – worth taking the train for, as you only see the inside of the Hai Van tunnel by road. The direct bus between Hue and Hoi An is a less scenic but easier option, as you don’t have to change and you can book an Open Tour bus ticket from most hotels and travel agents.