Hoa Binh

Travel 60km to the Mai Chau district. During your journey to the Mai Chau area you will travel through a 15km pass called "Doc Koon" which has very steep slopes on each side. Visitors often stop at the peak of the pass for sightseeing. The beautiful town of Mai Chau spreads before you. The whole area lies in a green valley of paddy fields dotted with rows of houses on stilts. They are made from hard wood and stand about 1.5m above the ground. Should you be invited in it is customary to clean your feet at the front door.

An overnight stay at one of the stilted houses in Mai Chau can be arranged and in the early evening will be enlivened by folk dances and songs, accompanied by gong music.

A 30-km drive from Hoa Binh town will lead to a rest house named after a Muong hamlet: Kim Boi. The house was built near a large mineral water deposit. Visitors sitting inside the house can hear the water, which is at a constant temperature of 36oC, spouting out continually. Scientific tests show that the mineral water at Kim Boi is suitable for drinking, bathing and using in treatment of rheumatism, intestinal diseases, stomachache, high blood pressure, as well as a number of other ailments.

The Hoa Binh Hydro-electric Power Plant on the Da River is the largest of its kind in Vietnam. Its construction began in November 1979 with assistance from the former Soviet Union. The electric generating section was built inside a mountain and the plant has eight generators with a designed capacity of 240,000 kW each.