Lac Village, A Place Worth to Visit in Mai Chau Valley
Lac village, a famous site of community tourism in Mai Chau valley
Located in the hidden corner of Mai Chau valley, Ban Lac ( Lac village) is beautifully surrounded by gorgeous mountains, pleasant streams & green paddy fields which create a pristinely rustic scenery – an ideal place for any visitors who love natural landscapes & nice escape from the city life.
Lac village in Mai Chau valley
The hamlet is the living place of about 150 families of local White Thai who came orginally from China direction and have settled up their life in this region for ages.The local Thai ethnic group speak Thai language, dress traditional custumes and live on stilted houses.Rice cultivation & livestock culture are popularly practised among locals for their daily income.Thai people are largely known in Vietnam for their friendliness & their hospitality.They warmly welcome you to their village and are happy share about their brocade weaving technique as well as their distingtive cultures.
Homestay on traditional stilted house
Be loved among local & international tourists, locals in Ban Lac did developed the type of community tourism to better their income : they improved their house condition with western toilet & hygiene; created their special menu of local dishes to serve their beloved clients, bikes for rental as well as organized performance team of local girls & boys to share tourists Mai Chau landscapes & local culture through their lovely dances & interesting songs.That’s why Lac village is one of Mai Chau valley’s top things for tourists to do when planning their journey to Mai Chau.
What to do in Lac village, Mai Chau valley?
A visit to Lac village will bring you chances to experience scenic mountainscapes & authentic rural life.The hamlet overviews to magnificient forested mountains & green paddy fields – pictureque landscapes for your nice retreat. You can homestay on a traditional stilted house of White Thai family or overnight on a high-ending bungalow (some of them are recently built to meet the demands of tourism development).Homestaying with local Thai & tasting their home – cooked dishes are nice opportunities to interact with them & live their daily ways – surely will enrich your holiday with local cultural insights and valuable experiences.
Home – cooked lunch in Mai Hich homestay
During the day, you can take part in healthy outdoor activities such as hiking with local guides or biking around the village or to surrounding neighboorhoods in Mai Chau valley such as Van, Pom Coong village or Mai Hich village in Sam Khoe commune for more admiration of pristine landscapes and non-touristic villages in the region.
Cylcing to visit Mai Chau valley
If you love cave exploration, there are two typical caves near Lac village for you to explore such as Chieu cave & Mo Luong one. Make sure to put the shoes on and bring a few bottles of water along.The first cave is dark & deep including four hidden parts – quite slipery & rocky to reach those parts but a great feeling of conqueration.The second one is on the high mountainside which can only be reached by climbing over 1,200 steps – a worth journey to have a stunning captivation of Mai Chau valley & its town.
The view from Chieu cave down Mai Chau valley
At sunset, it is really beautiful with mountain views, you can take a stroll on the path of the hamlet to enjoy the sweet scent from the paddy fields and buy some hand-made products by Thai people.In each family in Mai Chau,there is a loom where a women works on her fabrics for all her life. Thai brocade fabrics has 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.In front of each stilt house, people put some small tables for displaying their brocades, such as purses, handbags and Pieu scarves (a traditional scarf of the Thai people).In addition, unique products like wooden bells for buffalos, bamboo flutes, bows and cross-bows and knives were also displayed for sale.Buying their handicraft is not only worth your money but also helps the local community prosper without abandoning their traditional practice.
Weaving loom & brocades
At night, it will be a big thrill to join in a special performance of dances & songs performed by local boys & girls.Drumbeats can be heard during the night as the hamlet’s band and many families organise bamboo pole-dance performances. A dancing team often includes beautiful girls who have learned dancing, singing and even a foreign language to receive tourists.By the show, they happily share you stories about local ethnics, their life, love & beautiful landscapes in the region thru their songs and dances.Each performance often ends with a bamboo dance. The girls often invite guest to take part in bamboo dance along with local songs and drink Can wine ( a fermented local alcohol on a jar with a tube to suck) – a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture and end a beautiful day in a friendly atmosphere.
Bamboo stick dance in Ban Lac – Mai Chau
After the party ends, it is cosy to curl you up in a sui blanket made from the bark of an Antiarias tree for a good sleep on the floor of the stilt house.
Suggested day trips from Lac village.
1. Sam Khoe commune of less touristic trekking route & authentic rural villages
If you are interested in the less-touristic area of Mai Chau valley, we recommend a full day hike in Sam Khoe commune, trekking along Mai Hich & Te villages.This hiking route is on the valley viewing mountains, passing a few local Thai hamlets, scenic streams & pristine farms of corns & rice.Along the dirt trails, you will really experience authentic village life with mostly traditional houses on stilts, chicken, pigs, dogs running around the villages; farmers still use the buffalos for their farming. You can tell the guide to arrange the lunch on a homestay for you in advance.
2. Pa Co market – chances to meet different local ethnics in the regions
Pa Co market is 20km far frm Mai Chau town, a typical trade fair among local ethnics in Mai Chau & Moc Chau region and only takes place on Sunday.A visit to Pa Co market, you can meet such typical ethnic groups as Black Hmong, Muong, White Thai, Back Thai & Viet in their colorful dresses coming exchange their self-made or self-grown products or just to meet eachother.Pa Co market attracts visitors by providing them with an introduction to the daily life of some typical ethnic groups in Mai Chau, Vietnam.
A visit to this market could be extended with some hiking to Hang Kia & Xa Linh villages to get rich insights of Black Hmong ethnics’ daily life. We suggest to do on a day trip with a local tourguide.
3. Pu Luong nature reserve.
Pu Luong is a protected nature reserve, 50km from Lac hamlet, characterized by parrallel forested mountain ranges and deep valley at the bottom – the residential & cultivating sites of Black Thai & Muong ethnics.A day trip to Pu Luong nature reserve, you can do some hiking down the valley admiring scenic rice terraces, mountainscapes, rustic hamlets of Black Thai people, waterfalls & typical waterwheels in Ban Cong, Kho Muong or Hieu villages.If more time you can spend a few days trekking & homestaying in local villages as well….
4. Kayaking in Hoa Binh lake.
Kayaking Hoa Binh reservoir (lake) can be your journey of interesting experiences.The gorgeous beauty of the reservoir can be fully reflected whilst paddling among evergreen tropical forest, karst mountains and numerous hill tribe villages. Nature and human intermingled within tranquility, just as calm as the slow moving water of Vietnam’s largest man-made reservoir.A day trip is fine from Lac village to explore Hoa Binh lake’s scenery on paddles and can be added with a trek to visit a hamlet of Muong ethnics living by the reservoir
How to get to Lac village , Mai Chau?
Lac village is located in Mai Chau valley, 150 km far from Hanoi on a good road condition. If you are intersted in adventure & skilful in motorbike driving, this could be a flexible choice to explore this magnificient & rural mountainous region on motorbike.Safer & cheaper way, you can catch local buses daily from Yen Nghia or My Dinh bus stations to Mai Chau town, then some more walk to Ban Lac.Another option is hiring a private car Hanoi to Mai Chau valley, you will get picked up from your hotel & have comfortable journey (no need to wait for the others) to Mai Chau basing on your booked travel itineraries.For the customized trip of special experiences to explore Lac village- Mai Chau valley, you can book Mai Chau tour packages of your interest.The trip includes with private car transfer with tourguide, driver, hotel rooms, meals, trekking & biking activities. You just relaxe & enjoy the sightseeing journey. In need of travel consultants, travel services to Ban Lac – Mai Chau, feel free to email us at [email protected] or whatsapp us +84.988451530 ( whatsapp & viber)
See you in Ban Lac – Mai Chau valley
Golden Holiday Travel Team
Frequently Asked Questions
Lac Village is the cultural heart of the Mai Chau Valley, renowned for its 700-year history and the traditional stilt houses of the White Thai ethnic group. Unlike more commercialized destinations, Lac Village is famous for its “slow travel” appeal—offering visitors a chance to see authentic brocade weaving, enjoy traditional Thai dance performances, and stay in rustic yet comfortable homestays surrounded by emerald rice paddies.
Lac Village is approximately 140km (87 miles) from Hanoi, typically taking 3.5 to 4 hours by car. The best way to reach the village is via a private car service with Golden Holiday Travel, which allows you to stop at the spectacular Thung Khe Pass (White Stone Pass) for a panoramic view of the entire Mai Chau valley before descending into the village.
While a 1-day excursion from Hanoi is possible and covers the highlights-such as lunch in a stilt house and cycling through the rice fields—a 2-day/1-night stay is highly recommended. Staying overnight allows you to experience the evening “Xoe” dance performances, sip local “Can” wine with Thai villagers, and enjoy the peaceful mist-covered valley at sunrise.
The flat terrain of the valley makes cycling the most popular activity; you can easily ride from Lac Village to neighboring Pom Coong and Na Phon villages. For those seeking more adventure, Golden Holiday Travel offers guided trekking tours to more remote areas like Mai Hich or the nearby Pu Luong Nature Reserve, as well as explorations of local caves like Chieu Cave (1,000 Step Cave).
The village is a hub for traditional Thai handicrafts. You can find beautiful hand-woven brocade fabrics, scarves, and bags created by local women using ancient weaving techniques. Purchasing these directly from the artisans in Lac Village not only provides you with a high-quality souvenir but also directly supports the local ethnic community’s economy and cultural preservation
As a licensed tour operator in Vietnam, Golden Holiday Travel specializes in “off-the-beaten-track” experiences. We ensure our Mai Chau tours focus on sustainable tourism, connecting you with genuine local families for homestays and providing expert local guides who can bridge the cultural gap, ensuring a deep and respectful connection with the Thai people.
Write Comment