Mai Chau is a district of Hoa Binh Province. That is a mountainous region in the northwestern of Vietnam. The district is located at about 160 km from Ha Noi. The scenery of Mai Chau attracts many tourists.
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.
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.