While the frenetic streets of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City offer a unique insight into Vietnam’s urban life, it’s not until you’ve ridden through the serene – and surreal – surrounds of Mai Chau that you get to know the real Vietnam.

The first thing you notice about Mai Chau is how quiet it is. The sounds of honking motorbikes and noisy truck engines are replaced by the shouts of farmers tending to their herds, and the dull clang of bells around the necks of water buffalo. Without having to contend with city traffic, the biggest challenge cyclists may face will be staying focussed on the road; those soaring limestone cliffs can be pretty distracting.

Here’s what we love about cycling in this beautiful destination.

1. The scenery is spectacular

Located in the Hoa Binh Province, the Mai Chau valley is the inland equivalent of the famed Ha Long Bay, with majestic limestone hills (karsts) rising dramatically from the valley floor. The main difference is that here the emerald green is not water but an ocean of lush rice paddies stretching as far as the eye can see. The best view in the region (and one of the best views in Vietnam) is from the white slopes of the nearby Thung Khe Pass, towering high above the valley floor. But don’t worry: we’ll catch a ride in Intrepid’s support vehicle to get us up the steep bits.

EXPLORE MAI CHAU ON RUBICON TOURS VIETNAM-CYCLING 2 DAYS 1 NIGHT

2. The cycling is flat

Photo by Renae Saxby.

While the soaring limestone hills and cliffs demand the attention of your eyes, your legs will notice that the valley is beautifully flat. If you’re lucky, you might share the road with a local cyclist or a gentle herd of water buffalo. Alternating between bitumen and smooth gravel roads, the even terrain makes for a wonderful excuse to simply cruise along and enjoy the day, safe in the knowledge that you can conserve your energy for the days to come.

3. The food is delicious (and will give you the energy you need)

Photo by Renae Saxby.

There’s no way we can talk about Vietnam without mentioning the food. And here, food isn’t just fuel: it’s a way of life. And, due to the strong influence of the Thai ancestry in the region, it takes on a different flavour than the rest of Vietnam. Local favourites include Com Lam (bamboo-tube rice) with the delicious traditional Thai spice cham cheo, grilled pork meat marinated in spices then cooked on charcoal or, if you are feeling adventurous, try the distinctly local delicacy of stir-fried bees with bamboo shoots, washed down with a drink of fermented ‘can wine’ – delicious!

4. The accommodation is comfortable (and there’s more great food in store!)

Photo by Renae Saxby.

One of my favourite things about Intrepid adventures is staying in locally run accommodation. And the homestay we spend the night in in the quiet Pom Coong Village is about as local as it gets. Harking back to its Thai hill tribe heritage, the sleepy village – which is free of tourists – features quiet streets and wooden stilt houses, and is surrounded by emerald-green rice fields. For dinner, join our homestay hosts for a traditional Vietnamese banquet (which may include some locally produced wine), before heading upstairs to bed. Accommodation at the homestay is more rustic than you may be used to – you’ll be sleeping on a futon on the floor with a blanket, mosquito net and fan – it’s surprisingly comfortable. And the hot shower is a perfect treat after a long day of riding.

Source: Intrepidtravel

4 things we love about cycling in Vietnam’s Mai Chau valley
Nguyen Thanh Van

Set in an idyllic valley, hemmed in by hills, the Mai Chau area is a world away from Hanoi’s hustle. The small town of Mai Chau itself is unappealing, but just outside the patchwork of rice fields rolls out, speckled by tiny Thai villages where visitors doss down for the night in traditional stilt houses and wake up to a rural soundtrack defined by gurgling irrigation streams and birdsong.

What do you know about Mo Luong cave?

The villagers are mostly White Thai, distantly related to tribes in Thailand, Laos, and China. Most no longer wear traditional dress, but the Thai women are masterful weavers producing plenty of traditional-style textiles. Locals do not employ strong-arm sales tactics here: polite bargaining is the norm.

In Mai Chau valley, there are many beautiful landscapes, including Mo Luong Cave. The cave is famous for mysterious stalactites. Mo Luong Cave lies inside Pu Kha Mountain in Mai Chau town and Chieng Chau commune, Mai Chau district. The main entrance to the cave is in Mai Chau town and the subordinate entrance is along the water current in Chieng Chau commune. In the Thai language, Mo Luong means a big course of the stream; that is the course that originates from inside the cave running out to the field in the Chieng Chau direction and where people dug a pond to retain water and thus named it Mo Luong Pond.

Mo Luong cave

Previously named as Bo Luong Cave, Mo Luong means a big course of the stream in the Thai language. The stream is derived from the inside of Pu Kha mountain range and flow to nourish rice fields in the Chieng Chau direction where it is pooled into a reservoir named Mo Luong Lake.

What to see in Mo Luong Cave

Mo Luong Cave is a natural cave inside Phu Kha mountain and through the process of water erosion, blocks of limestone were eroded and formed beautiful stalactites. It stretches over 500 meters and contains 4 caverns. The main one can hold up to 400-500 people. The rest of the cave requires some skills and fitness as a visitor would need to go through a tunnel and have some soft adventure experience.

Mo Luong cave includes 4 main caves:

The first cave: this cave has a length of 60m, the width of 16m with its ceiling of 20m high. The cave floor was made of concrete and had drainage ditches around because, in the Vietnam-America war, this cave was used as a military arsenal.

The space of the cave is as a large living room, on the ceiling and the two sides of the wall is a stalactite system which is so beautiful with many different shapes like decorative ceiling lights, paintings, colorful flowers.

The second cave: This cave is about 10 meters higher than the first one when stepping into this cave, tourists will have the feeling like stepping into the wonderland of rocks. Two sides of the cave are the blocks of stalactites shaped like the fairies, buddhas, and beautiful clouds.

Stepping into the cave, there is a gate with two sides are the two blocks of white stalactites which are like the strips of silk, in the middle is the stones shaped like the dragon mother hatching its eggs.

Stepping deeper into the cave, the system of gorgeous stalactites are appealing as a natural exhibition. In the middle is the large block of stalactites which is the silk rolls waiting for the spinning man. Two sides of the walls are colorful stalactites which are extremely thick density with many layers of different shapes of stalactites.

The second cave in Mo Luong 

The third cave: the third cave is 7m lower than the first one. If you want to visit this cave, you must tilt yourself through the archway and then pass through a length of about 10m, you suddenly stunned when you see the white milk bowls on the stone floor, it is the water dripping from the stalactites above.

Going inside, the cave is about 20m wide, the ceiling is about 20m high, the walls have small niches like lovely rooms. The stalactites let down on the side of the cliff like stone instruments when tapping, it makes different echoing sounds.

The fourth cave: There is a length of 15m, a width of 12m and a ceiling of 25m high. Especially in this cave, the stalactites sprout from the ground up with all shapes. Throughout the cave, there were countless stalactites with different shapes and sizes. The stalactite blocks blend and intertwine to create extremely vivid pictures.

Other caves in the Mai Chau area that are well worth the visit include Pieng Kem Grotto, Khau Phuc Cave, and Lang Cave.

Source: maichautrek.com

Mo Luong Cave
Nguyen Thanh Van

When one talks about Mai Chau – Hoa Binh, it’s deficient if we don’t mention the culinary culture here.

These dishes are the essence of Thai ethnicity that you should not miss when traveling there. Let’s take a look with Rubicon Tours!

Com Lam (Bamboo-tube rice)

It’s Mai Chau signature dish that every visitor would like to try. The ingredients to make this dish include rice, banana leaves, and bamboo tube. There are also sliced coconut and coconut milk.

Bamboo used to make this dish called “Pa Nga” is small and straight. The rice is washed and soaked in water for 2-3 hours and then out into a bamboo tube and grilled.

Thai women must be extremely skilled to be able to make this delicious dish. When baking, you must turn evenly and thoroughly, so that the rice is not blessed or too dull.

The indispensable ingredient when eating bamboo-tube rice is “cham cheo” – a traditional spice of Thai people. In addition, you can eat with sesame salt.

Com lam

Chicken (Ga Doi)

Chickens are usually raised by industrial methods by farmers. However, they are fed only a small amount of food each day. They have to run up to the hill to find food by themselves. Therefore, the chicken’s legs are especially delicious. They are not as big as the normal chickens but the meat is firm and fragrant.

The chicken is baked in charcoal without smoke or steamed with lemon leaves. Tearing each piece of chicken along with the “cham cheo” will create excellent taste. The price of baked chicken ranges from 300.00 to 350.000.

Grilled pork meat

Pigs are fed with food and vegetables without stimulants. The meat is marinated in spices, margins and rinse then grilled on charcoal. The meat is cooked slowly, melted and turned into yellow color. This dish can be eaten with “cham cheo”.

Grilled pork is an attractive option to be enjoyed by many visitors. People choose the best pieces of meat then marinate with a variety of different spices: salt, chili powder, citronella, lime leaves, ginger, turmeric, and vinegar. After 30 minutes, they will grill that meat.

Can Wine

In every Lunar New Year, the people in the village gather around the warm wine jar. According to the Thai tale, Can wine is made by the cleverness of the daughter-in-law.

The alcohol is prepared meticulously with ginger, herbal medicine, fruits and many kinds of forest leaves with oil. The wine is made from grains such as cassava, glutinous rice, berry seeds and nuts.

The ingredients are fermented into the pot or jar. The longer time the wine is, the more delicious it is. People do not drink alcohol from cups or bowls. They use one-meter-long bamboo sticks that are flicked, straightened and pierced through the intestine then bent into the wine bottle.

Can wine 

Stir-fried bees with bamboo shoots

Jungle bee and bamboo shoot are two gifts of nature so this perfect combination creates a bold flavor of Mai Chau. At the end of the summer season, the bees harvested by the local people fried with bamboo shoots create the greasy and sweet aroma. The spicy taste makes anyone who has tried once unforgettable.

Mai Chau glutinous rice

After 4-5 hours being soaked and drained, the rice will be put on the pot dropped enough water, covered then boiled. This dish is often cooked on the holidays, festivals and the new rice day.

Sour meat

This dish is like a typical meat salad but has a completely different flavor. The meat here is beef, not the pork as usual.

The processing is more elaborate and needs more materials. The most important thing is the sauce that brings the unique taste of Lac Village.

The boiled “man” pork

One of the specialties that creates the brand of Mai Chau is the “man” pork. There are many ways to make dishes from “man” pig but the most impressed dish is boiled pork. Those who have tried this food once will never forget it. It is eaten with roasted salt and beans.

Bitter bamboo shoots

There are a lot of bitter bamboo shoots in Mai Chau in the rainy season, so it becomes a popular dish in every meal.

There are many ways to prepare bitter gourmet dishes such as frying, boiling, stewing or grilling. Anyway, bitter bamboo shoots is still a favorite dish here, a very pleasant experience of this peaceful land.

Bitter bamboo shoots

Grapefruit leaves roll

It’s a very simple dish but promises to bring a very unique flavor. This dish is made from pork marinated in the spices and then roll the grapefruit leaves to grill on charcoal.

The ingredients are not too special but it will bring you a very impressive mark of Mai Chau when taking best Mai Chau tour:

2D1N Cycling Mai Chau -Mai Chau Ecolodge- Traditional Thai Dance

Source: maichautrek.com

Must try dishes in Mai Chau
Nguyen Thanh Van