Mai Châu 2 Days 1 Night: Cycling Villages & Stilt House Homestay
A short trip from Hanoi to Mai Châu valley: cycle between White Thai villages, see weaving, and sleep in a stilt house.
Hanoi → Mai Chau → Lac Village → Poom Coong → Mai Chau → Hanoi
Overview
A 2-day, 1-night trip from Hanoi with a stilt-house homestay in Bản Lác or Pom Coọng. You cycle through the valley, walk to weaving houses and eat home-cooked meals with your hosts.
Mai Châu Valley: Cycling and a Night in a Stilt House
Mai Châu, in Hòa Bình province, is about three hours by road from Hanoi. Rice fields fill the valley floor, with limestone hills on both sides.
On this 2-day, 1-night trip you cycle on flat village paths through White Thai hamlets such as Bản Lác and Pom Coọng. You also visit houses where women weave brocade, and you sleep in a wooden stilt house.
Dinner is a home-cooked meal. Typical dishes in this area are bamboo-tube sticky rice, grilled chicken and stream fish, with rice wine at the table. A folk dance performance can be added as an option.
A short trip from Hanoi if you want countryside, easy cycling and a night in a village without a long journey.
Three Things You Do
Cycle the Valley
Ride a bicycle through rice fields and White Thai stilt-house villages. The route is flat.
Eat in a Stilt House
Dinner and breakfast are served at the homestay. Dishes include sticky rice cooked in bamboo and grilled stream fish.
Evening Folk Dance
Xòe dance and bamboo-pole dancing are part of local evenings. The performance can be added as an option.
Highlights
From USD 198 per person.
Round-trip air-conditioned tourist vehicle transport between Hanoi and Mai Chau.
Vietnamese- or English-speaking guide throughout the trip.
Stilt-house homestay accommodation in Lac Village or Poom Coong.
Bicycle use for exploring the valley.
Travel insurance and drinking water on the vehicle are included.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1
Hanoi – Thung Khe White Rock Pass – Mai Chau Valley Cycling
- Drive from Hanoi to Mai Châu in Hòa Bình province
- Photo stop at Thung Khe (White Stone) Pass
- Arrive in Mai Châu, check in to the stilt house and have lunch
- Afternoon bicycle ride through rice fields and craft villages
- Home-cooked dinner at the homestay, with a folk dance performance if you add the option
Day 2
Valley Sunrise – Weaving Villages Walk – Hanoi Return
- Breakfast at the homestay
- Guided morning walk to weaving houses in the village
- Afternoon drive back to Hanoi, arriving in the late afternoon
Included / Not Included
Included
- Round-trip Hanoi–Mai Chau transport by modern air-conditioned tourist vehicle
- Vietnamese- or English-speaking guide throughout the trip
- 1 night in a stilt-house homestay in Lac Village or Poom Coong
- Meals as specified in the itinerary: 1 lunch, 1 dinner and 1 breakfast
- Bicycle for valley exploration
- Travel insurance throughout the trip
- Drinking water on the vehicle: 2 bottles per person per day
Not included
- Drinks with meals
- Tips for the guide and driver
- Private-room supplement at the homestay
- Traditional cultural performance, available as an optional add-on
- Personal expenses and services not listed in the itinerary