Where am I again?
Region: Northwest Vietnam> Province: Hoa Binh> Location: Mai Chau

Getting There and Away

Bus

Buses directly to Mai Chau that drop off in town depart from the My Dinh bus station in Hanoi at 06:00, 14:00, 14:30 and cost 35,000 VND. Any bus leaving for Son La or Dien Bien Phu will also pass by and drop off at the Tong Dau junction about 5 km from town (the road sign for Mai Chau town centre reads 'Pho Vang'). From there, a motorbike taxi will be about 20,000 VND, or more, and since you're essentially stranded, bargaining won't get you far.

Getting out of Mai Chau, unless you can catch one of the above buses on the return trip to Hanoi, gets a bit trickier. You're only option is to go to the Tong Dau Junction and wait for a minibus to come along. Passengers tend to wait in front of Com Pho Tuan Anh, T: (018) 867 146, just past the Petrolimex station on the road to Moc Chau. There will be something coming along each way every half hour or so during daylight hours, but be prepared to overpay: we were quoted prices of 100,000 VND to get to either Hanoi or Son La.