Mai Chau is a rural district 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 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.