shelleyk

I have discounted going to Sapa in Feb. Would the weather in Mai Chau Valley be any better? Has anyone stayed at Mai Chau Lodge or any other place in Mai Chau that they would recommend.?

northie

can't remember the name of the house we stayed in but it's a village of houses where some take guests. Weather was hot but ok for walking through rice paddies and on paths etc in April. We loved the people there.

daawgon

I was at a homestay in the White Thai Village in MC - clean and good food, rustic and pleasant. The MC Lodge is quite new and quite posh (very unvietnamese). I was there in early March with excellent weather - good place to ride a bike, very flat, beautiful area. However, if I had to choose between Sapa and Mai Chau, it would be Sapa hands down. I was there in March also and weather not too bad (foggy and cool with breaks of sunshine). Rice terraces in Sapa are outstanding!!! One thing MC does not have that Sapa does - no hawkers at all (also no costumes at all - they dress just like they dress in Hanoi).

shelleyk

I am still in the planning stages of my VN trip so nothing is set in stone. I discounted Sapa in Feb./March because I read it would be snowy or rainy which would make the trekking paths muddy. I'd love to see the scenery in Sapa, but 2 overnight train rides is more difficult than a four hour car ride to Mai Chau. And the return for the 2 train rides seemed questionable. . I thought the scenery in Mai Chau was similar to, but not as dramatic, as Sapa. Am I incorrect?

shelleyk

I forgot to ask-Were there mosquitos in Mai Chau when you were there in March?

crellston

Shelley, we were in Mai Chau and Sapa doing the Dien Bien Phu loop in Jan. The weather should be a little warmer when you are there but not that much different. The thing I remember most about the weather then and in other parts of North Vietnam I have visited, is how changeable it it is. One day we would get clear blue skies and 75f the next it would be misty and grey. One day we narrowly missed the snow in Sapa!

I would pretty much agree with daawgon's comments re his comparison between the scenery at the two places (except his conclusion as I actually preferred MC to Sapa. Sapa undoubtedly has the more dramatic scenery, particularly the rice terraces but MC has a particular charm of its own.

Here is a link to our blog where I have uploaded a few photos of the two places which may be of interest:

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...0853/tpod.html

shelleyk

In terms of overall experience (scenery etc), taking into consideration the weather, would you choose Sapa over Mai Chau in late Feb? If we had time to fit in both, are they different enough to do both? So many decisions..... Thanks for the help.

BuonMeThuot

Here is the weather link for Hoa Binh Province where Mai Chau is located. < http://www.yr.no/place/Viet_Nam/H%C3%B2a_B%C3%ACnh/ >.

It's a little wet this month!