Mai Châu is a rural district in the north west and attracts tourists because of its beauty. You know how they say that eskimos have 50 words for snow? Well there should be as many words for green here in the valley. It’s just so green! Luminous paddy fields shine in irregular-shapes fringed with yellowing corn and banana trees with the dark forests of the surrounding mountains as a back drop. There is so much texture that a simple 2 dimensional photo just can’t do it justice. It’s why all the tourists flock here. To see the green.

We are staying at the Mai Châu Ecolodge, a cluster of wooden buildings nestling in the valley.

The concept of an Ecolodge is slightly at odds with the reality. They employ locally and provide toiletries in reusable packaging. Lots of notices about saving water and turning off the electricity. All very worthy, and all hotels should do the same. But there is an enormous buffalo in the corner. Most of the guests are western and have traveled 1000s of miles by air, and then hours by car or coach to get to this little bit of paradise. If anyone thinks this is a eco-friendly way of travel then they are kidding themselves. On the plus side, the hotel provides employment for local youngsters and brings much needed cash into the region. And it is extraordinarily pretty 😄. There are polite notices everywhere about keeping the noise down to respect fellow guests. No one thought to mention this the the locals. “keeping the noise down” is at odds with Vietnamese life. From dawn there is the drone and random beeping of bikes, grinding metal from a local works, cockerels crowing, dogs barking and women calling to each other in the fields. At sundown the cicadas and frogs start their roar, much more melodious than in the city where the frogs bark like dogs and the cicadas whir with the force of an approaching helicopter. The dogs and cockerels keep up their calling and just when you’re getting used to the pastoral din, the karaoke starts. Full blast awful wailing bouncing off the mountains from some unknown hotel in the valley. Love it!!

On our first morning we drove to a village and the rain started.

Leam found us umbrellas and we headed towards the farmland area. It’s very different from the British layout of farms. Rather than the feudal system where a wealthy landowner pays workers to tend the land, here each family has their own plot of land. Mostly they will grow rice (obviously), corn, sugar cane, peanuts, bananas, sweet potatoes and herbs. They will keep numerous chickens a mini fish farm and maybe a couple of buffalo and a bee hive. Water is plentiful and with the small fields and crop rotation the land is kept well. There is a strong community and family support. They eat well but they work hard for every mouthful and they are poor in cash if not in spirit. Traditional houses are bamboo structures on stilts. The livestock below, living area above.

As we passed a farm we were invited in out of the rain by a man. We climbed the ladder into the hut the family uses in the day when they are working the land. At night one of the men sleeps there to guard the livestock.

They gave us raw sugar cane to chew on and tea, the out came the rice wine, a lethal home made brew that tastes like schnapps, and freshly roasted peanuts. A feast.

The family consisted of two men, three women and their grandchildren who played happily while we chatted. Their parents are in Hanoi working in factories to help support the family. They only get back to the village about once a month and earn $100 a week. The family has enough to eat but healthcare and education has to be paid for and I guess that’s why the young ones leave. Having stayed a while we wondered if we should offer some money for their hospitality but our guide said no. They would be offended. They asked us in out of friendliness and their own curiosity. We are increasingly finding the Vietnamese to be very generous and open people.

Back to the Ecolodge.