Mai Chau
Encyclopedia
Mai Chau is a district (huyện)
of Hoa Binh Province in the northwestern
region of Vietnam
. The district is located at about 160 km from Ha Noi. The scenery of Mai Chau attracts many tourists .
In 2003 the district had a population of 48,570. The district covers an area of 520 km². The district capital is the city of Mai Chau.
The two tribes, White Thai and black Thai, settled in the same area and make up the largest ethnic population of the region.
These houses are elevated 10-12 feet off the ground in order to avoid water damage and shelter animals from the elements.
Districts of Vietnam
||The provinces of Vietnam are divided into counties , provincial cities , and county-level towns .The centrally-controlled municipalities are subdivided into rural counties , county-level towns , and urban districts , which then subdivided into wards ....
of Hoa Binh Province in the northwestern
Tay Bac
Tây Bắc is one of the regions of Vietnam, located in the mountainous northwestern part of the country. It consists of four provinces: Điện Biên, Lai Châu, Sơn La, and Hòa Bình. It has a population of about two and a half million....
region of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The district is located at about 160 km from Ha Noi. The scenery of Mai Chau attracts many tourists .
In 2003 the district had a population of 48,570. The district covers an area of 520 km². The district capital is the city of Mai Chau.
Geographical Features
Mai Chau is a mountainous region located in Hoa Binh province, approximately 135 km from Hanoi and 65km from Hoa Binh.Cultural Overview
The Ban Lac People have Thai ancestors that settled in the North-Western area of Vietnam.The two tribes, White Thai and black Thai, settled in the same area and make up the largest ethnic population of the region.
Architecture
The Mai Chau area is well known for its stilt houses. The type of stilt houses, or pile dwellings, they construct are called Thai stilt houses and are made of bamboo and timber.These houses are elevated 10-12 feet off the ground in order to avoid water damage and shelter animals from the elements.
Environmental Pressures
Mai Chau faces several environmental concerns;- Deforestation - Land continues to be cleared in order to produce more crops
- Trash - Mai Chau faces a garbage disposal problem and this is evident in the diminishing quality of their water courses.
- Tourism - A gradual influx of tourists puts strain on the local environment