Staying in Mai Chau

Mai Chau is worlds away from the busy Hanoi and tourist driven Sapa. If you're looking for a place to relax, hike, cycle and explore on your own without a tour, this is the place for you. By not having many tourists here, it's truly off the beaten track and gives you the authentic experience of seeing the local lives of the villagers.

At most homestays, you can hire a bike or the hire is included in the price of your stay. The homestays are quite secluded but as you're riding around, you're bound to come across the most amazing views on the way.

With the villagers mostly working in rice fields, you're always close to seeing authentic rice paddies and locals working in them. If you want to get further out, hire a scooter and venture out on the fun, windy, scenic roads.

If you want to go chasing waterfalls, the impressive and large Go Lau waterfall is great for pictures and a swim. Many smaller ones can be found but you would need to rent a scooter as they are a fair drive away from the centre of Mai Chau.

There is also the Chieu Cave in the centre of Mai Chau. To reach this, you will need to climb over 1500 steps. What makes this harder is that some of the steps are crumbling so can be steep and makes the climb even harder. Handy tip - try to get a stick to help push yourself up!

Mai Chau is a place where you can take it easy when exploring as there's not a specific thing that I can tell you to do, just to go out and explore and see the place for yourself!