Let us take you to where nature whispers and time pauses, Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake, a special escape to the northwest Vietnam interior. Just hours from Hanoi, this breathtaking journey whisks you away to the hidden peace of Dong Chanh Lake, where waters of emerald glass reflect the heavens and rolling meadows invite you to cycle, picnic, and daydream. Created by Impress Travel locals, our Mai Chau Tours blend cultural immersion with the White Thai people, nature, and classic outdoor pursuits. The 2 or 3-day tour, Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake and offers more than a view, it’s a spiritual retreat to nature and tradition
We begin in Mai Chau Valley, where mountains embrace green rice paddies, and stilt houses slope up from the earth. Home to the White Thai ethnic minority, this is a people rich in tradition, hospitality, and craft. Walking through Mai Chau, you’ll hear the loom clicking in a quiet corner, smell bamboo leaves being steamed for sticky rice, and see children playing under the shade of jackfruit trees. It’s peaceful but never boring. This is why travelers keep returning because Mai Chau Tours are about connection, not just checklists.
Now add to this already charmed region a hidden gem, Dong Chanh Lake. Tucked in Luong Son, Hoa Binh, a short drive from Mai Chau, this concealed lake is compared to Switzerland’s alpine valleys for its panoramically idyllic landscape. But the best part: it is untainted by mass tourism. When you book with Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake, you’re stepping into a peaceful realm of jade-green water, undulating grasslands, and skies that stretch forever.
It’s a perfect place for soft adventures, cycling, flying a kite, lakeside picnics, fishing, or simply lying down and watching the clouds roll over the mountains.
Relative to more crowded tourist spots like Ninh Binh or Sapa, Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake offers a slower pace. No selfie sticks here blocking the scenery, just you, the wind, and a guide who knows every trail and tree. You won’t find crowded markets or screeching buses just wide open spaces and the calm peacefulness of the Vietnamese countryside.
Dong Chanh Lake (Sours: leutraihanoi)
Picnic & Play in Wide Open Meadows (Sours: vudumuc)
06:30 – We set out from Hanoi as the city stirs to life. Our comfortable minivan cruises out of the city, heading west into peaceful and rural Vietnam. The scenery shifts rapidly – skyscrapers disperse into mountains.
08:30 – Stop one: Thung Khe Pass. This is the place I usually ask visitors to take a deep breath. Sitting high above the valley floor itself, the pass is frequently shrouded in an almost mystical mist and is ideal either for shooting photographs or enjoying your initial hot corn-on-the-cob from one of the roadside stalls. It’s an eerily peaceful foretaste of the scenery that awaits you.
11:30 – We arrive at the stunning Mai Chau Hideaway Lake Resort 4*, situated among hills and nestled on the shores of Ba Khan Lake. The eco-luxury resort offers you a rustic ambiance and complete comfort lake-view bungalows and soft breezes come to mind.
12:30 – Sit down and enjoy one of the finest lunches in town with genuine Thai cuisine prepared with grilled stream fish, sticky rice in bamboo, and stir-fried forest vegetables and garlic. Not just food; culture on a plate!
14:00 – We set off to Dong Chanh Lake, which is 45 minutes away from Mai Chau. And this is where the real magic starts.
15:00 – The entire lake stretches out in front of you green, serene, and jaw-droppingly untouched. This is the unique aspect of our Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake that differentiates it. We bike, pedal over grasslands, fly kites with kids from the village, and make a lot of stops because every turn here is a postcard. There is time for fishing, barefoot walking, or simply lying on a picnic blanket with a mug of herbal tea to pass around.
17:30 – As the sun begins to set, the lakeside barbecue comes alive. I love watching our visitors get engaged: someone’s throwing grilled pork, someone’s helping chop veggies, and everyone bursts out laughing together. Dinner consists of wonderful food and real togetherness, we grill sweet potatoes and marinated meats and enjoy fresh tropical fruits for dessert.
20:00 – Now you have a choice. Either back to the resort for an uninterrupted night’s sleep, or stay here by the lake for a night’s camping beneath the stars. We provide tents, mattresses, lighting all you’ll need. And I promise you, the stillness of Dong Chanh Lake at night will stay with you long after the trip is finished.
Mai Chau Hideaway Lake Resort 4* (Sours: maichauhideaway)
06:30 – If you camped overnight near the lake, you will wake to fog-kissed waters and birdsong. For resort residents, you may join me for a light sunrise yoga session on the garden deck.
08:30 – After breakfast, we’ll head out to the nearby Lac & Pom Coong villages, where you’ll experience the spirit of the White Thai people. I’ll introduce you to Mr. Tan – a talented weaver who has kept his skill for over five decades. You’ll have a go at the loom and drink a warm ruou can while hearing stories about how the village celebrates weddings and harvests.
11:30 – Lunch is at the village itself, where Ga nuong mac khen (mountain pepper grilled chicken), sticky rice, and stir-fried jungle greens are served.
13:00 – We begin the trip back to Hanoi. Most of our guests nap for a bit on the return, and when they wake up, they always say the same thing: “It feels like we’ve been away for a week, not two days." That’s why Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake it makes time slower, and fills it with moments that matter.
Lac villages (Sours: thainguyentourism)
If you’ve chosen to extend your trip, Day 3 of the Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake offers a slower pace and deeper immersion, ideal for nature lovers and curious souls.
We begin the day early with an easy kayaking paddle on Ba Khan Lake, a peaceful waterway lined with limestone cliffs. The mirror-still surface, broken only by your paddle, is unforgettable. As your guide, I often step back in silence here because words are never enough to capture such beauty.
There is an early breakfast facility near the lake, fresh fruit, Vietnamese coffee, and sticky warm rice.
Then, off to Phu Vinh Village, well-known for its hundred-year history of bamboo weaving. You’ll have the chance to meet seasoned artisans whose hands create magic out of ordinary objects. From lanterns to baskets, each item is a story, and most tourists enjoy going home with a piece hand-weaved especially as an unforgettable souvenir.
You’ll also have the chance to try weaving your tiny tray or coaster, don’t worry, we’ll show you!
On the pre-arrival in Hanoi meal time, we enjoy lunch at a rural restaurant right beside Tan Lac Market. Last chance to shop for local specials: forest fungi, wild bee honey, bamboo shoots, and sticky rice produced at Hoa Binh.
As we drive back to Hanoi, your heart will be full, your phone full of memories, and your spirit, in some way elevated. Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake isn’t just breathtakingly beautiful, it’s a deeply human journey into the core of rural Vietnam.
Kayaking on Ba Khan Lake (Sours: vietnamsuptour)
Not Included:
The most suitable seasons are spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November). In these months, the weather is dry and cool and the skies are sunny with clear visibility; these are the most beautiful moments when Mai Chau wears fresh green or gold fields and Dong Chanh Lake glows during sunrise.
As a matter of routine, I always advise the carrying of:
At Impress Travel, we carefully plan all our Mai Chau Tours with sustainability and respect in mind. Please:
When you travel with our Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake, you are doing something greater, tourism that aids local people and preserves untouched nature.
Whether you’re finding peaceful moments by a lake so still it reflects like glass, enriching cultural experiences, or simply an escape from the city clatter, Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake is the journey you’ve been waiting to take. Expert know-how, genuine local relationships, and dramatic natural beauty come together in an experience that’s greater than the sum of its parts, a way to unwind, take deep breaths, and reconnect with your inner sense of awe.
Let Impress Travel arrange all the details on your behalf, so you can simply enjoy the journey itself.
Contact Us to Book Your Mai Chau Tours explore Dong Chanh Lake Today:
We went on a private trip to Vietnam and Cambodia, the whole trip plan was organized for us by the Impress Travel Company from Vietnam, the company did an amazing job, the whole trip was organized in a wonderful way with an amazing match between the various parties, their choices were correct and the quality of the hotels chosen were very high quality and it is important to note that the price was low in comparison To other agencies, thanks to Impress Travel and especially to Daniel who was tolerant and open to changes and organized the route for us.
Impress travel were amazing. Did my bookings with Daniel for our tour of Vietnam and I must say Daniel was very professional and prompt with his services. All the arrangement, plans, pick-up & drop-off services, hotels, vehicles, sightseeing tours and guides were spot on and excellent. Did 4 nights Hanoi, 1 night Hà Long Bay cruise, 3 nights Hoian, 4 nights Saigon and 1 night in Can Tho. It was totally awesome. Every part of the journey was superbly arranged and planned. I will highly recommend Impress Travel for anyone interested in visiting Vietnam. Very organized and reliable!
I booked with Impress Travel in July. My contact person was Tommy Thang. He is an amazing person. He was very helpful. He changed my program twice for me. Very accommodating!
We started our holiday in the north (Sapa)of Vietnam and travelled down to HCMC.
The tour was fantastic, Tommy's arrangements were to the"T".
I will always use them if I have to visit the area again and recommend them to one and all.
Thank you once again Mr.Tommy and the Impress Team.
Sulaiman Pochee
Great value for money with 4 stars hotel accommodation for 4 couples. The tour guide has been very helpful and brought us to amazing places in Sapa. We want to thanks Thuy the tour guide and especially Mark from Impress Travel for his great service and assurance throughout our trip. We’ll definitely use his service for other tour packages in other parts of Vietnam.
This is the second time we travel to Vietnam with IMPRESS Travel. First time, we booked our holiday to Hanoi, Halong Bay & Sapa during Dec 2018 with Impress.
Second time, we travel to Hoi An, Hue & Danang (Central Vietnam) during Jan 2019.
My friends & I are very glad & happy with all the hotels stay in Central Vietnam, the meals provided are delicious. We are greatly appreciated with all the tour arrangement by Tommy & his team (tour guide).
Especially, Mr. NHAT C.V. He is helpful, cheerful, knowledgeable and very professional. He always volunteer to take a nice pictures for six of us (group) .
We enjoyed our holiday with Impress travel. We will definitely come back to Vietnam again with Impress
This eco way travel route to bring you via the 3 provinces in the north of Vietnam: Hoa Binh - Thanh Hoa - Ninh Binh and It is one of the most wonderful combinations between Pu Luong Tours, Mai Chau Tours, and Ninh Binh Tours.
We escape from Hanoi bristling city then explore Mai Chau by trekking and riding a bike around Poong Coong Thai Village, transfer to visit Pu Luong trekking and experience of homestay at Muong – Thai Ethnic people.
It is one of the most wonderful combinations between Ba Khan in Mai Chau Trekking Tour & Hoa Binh lake boat Trip. Then day tour to Ninh Binh with amazing landscapes and experiences of biking and rowing boat.
Mai Chau has become one of the 10 friendliest destinations in Vietnam selected by Traveller Review Awards 2023. The highlights captivate international visitors by its natural charm and national cultural identity.
