Vang Vieng is Laos’ adrenaline-mecca. After it’s infamous tubing got heavily restricted in 2012 (too many backpackers drowned or smashed into rocks under the influence of alcohol or drugs) it is desperately trying to re-invent itself as an adventure and outdoor-sports destination. With limited success. Vang Vieng is still largely a party place with lots of bars and raunchy hostels. But with its beautiful surroundings, superb rock-climbing, zip-lining and kayaking options it is setting the table for any adrenaline junkie. So whether you are looking to party, for an adventure, or both, get yourself down to Vang Vieng. It will treat you right.
Practical information
When
As with most of South-East Asia, Vang Vieng receives little perspiration and knows long sunny days with relatively cool temperatures from October until March. April is steaming and the last months of the monsoon (August – September) are known for heavy rainstorms that can last for days (er even weeks).
Budget
Vang Vieng has similar prices as other tourist destinations in Laos. Dinner-meals go for about 45K-90K kip (4 – 9 EUR/$5 – 10) and a beer is about 15K kip (1.50 EUR/$1.65) for a large bottle. Dorms start at 45K kip and a decent budget-hotel about 120K kip. Activities are great value for money (Tubing will cost you 60K kip (6 EUR/$7), a day of rock-climbing (course) about 150K kip (15 EUR/$16.50).
In & Out
Vang Vieng doesn’t have an airport and with no traintracks in Laos, the train isn’t an option either. You get to Vang Vieng by bus or by private transport. Vang Vieng’s bus terminal is about 2 kilometers north of town which is walkable considering the absence of any elevation whatsoever. Tuk-tuks will charge you 10K kip for the ride, double if you travel solo (so make sure you tag on with your fellow bus travelers to share a ride).
The bus from Vientiane (which has an airport) takes about 2 hours and travels on a well-maintained paved road. Mini-busses do it in a little less and are about the same price (45K kip) as the bus.
From Luang Prabang, it is a different story. Basically, there are two roads. An old one and a new one. The new road is way faster and mini-busses can take you from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng in about 4-5 hours. The downside of this ride: the road is extremely curvy and some say even quite dangerous. Take your motion-sickness tablets! The windiness of the new road is so severe that normal busses cannot take this road and are forced to take the old road, which is also very windy and takes about 7-8 hours. The cheapest ticket I could find was 90K kip for the slow-bus and 130K kip for a mini-bus. If you travel by day the old road has an extra perk: the views are insane. You’ll feel like your traversing Mordor or taking a ride on the magic school bus.
What to do
Tubing
Still, the number one reason why backpackers flock to Vang Vieng. Tubing is basically drifting down a river in a rubber tire while consuming illicit amounts of alcohol. For 60K kip (and not 55K as most travel guides and even hostels on-site claim, add another 60K kip as a deposit for your tube) you’ll get picked up from your accommodation, and dropped off at the starting point of tubing which is a couple of kilometers upstream from the town center. You slowly drift down while stopping occasionally at river-side bars where you can play beach-volleyball, beer pong or just dance and chill on the banks of the Nam Song river.
Even though they closed down most river-side bars in 2012, tubing is still hot and happening in Vang Vieng. A couple of hundred travelers drift down the river on a daily basis. And no wonder why. What is better than lazying in an old rubber tire with a cool beer in your hand, your feet and bum in the water and spectacular scenery all around you? You’ll get a nice tan and are guaranteed to make some new friends on the way.
Tip: buy a waterproof bag (they sell them for about 35K kip everywhere in town) to keep your valuables and camera dry on the way.
The Lao government only allows 4 bars to be open at the same time, and the best bars are right at the start. If you are there for the full experience, don’t skip the first bar (even though it is about 200 meter from the start). Bar-staff members haul bottles of water with a rope attached at bypassing tubers to reel them into the bar. Just watching this is a sight in itself, as the staff throw with extreme accuracy up to 30 or even 40 meters!
Tip: take a bottle of liquor (as a group) with you to cut back further on the costs. At the time I was traveling with a bunch of Irish lads. Needless to say, they took this tip to heart.
Even if you’re not warming up to the thought of a cheapskate booze-cruise, give tubing a shot. The vibes on the river a great, it is far from the illicit, raunchy puke-fest it apparently once was and families and backpackers alike all drift down the stream happily together.
Nam Song river
Apart from tubing, the Nam Song river opens up possibilities for all sorts of water activities. Kayaking and even rafting (in and right after the monsoon season) is excellent here with many rapids, underwater caves, and a decent current to carry you along. Kayaking is a great way to see the karst limestone rocks and rural scenery from a whole different perspective. Green Discovery is probably the Nr. 1 tour-company in town, and it’s eco-friendly.
The blue lagoons & caves
As the rural landscape is one of the best things about Vang Vieng it would be a waste to not explore the surroundings. Unpaved sand-paths criss-cross the many rice-paddies and mighty limestone pinnacles dot the landscape. There are both caves and lagoons nearby as well which makes the area ideal to explore by scooter bike or mountain bike!
Where I found the caves underwhelming the lagoons are definitely worth the visit. Some have rope-swings or rocks to jump off from into the waters. If you are just looking to chill at a nice lagoon opt for either the Blue Lagoon 3 or the Blue Lagoon 5, which are both prettier and quieter than Blue Lagoon 1. A tuk-tuk there will set you back 150K per vehicle for a roundtrip and takes about 45 minutes (due to the bad road conditions).
There is a small shop, bar, and restaurant at Blue Lagoon 3 so there is no need to stack up on supplies before you go.
Rock climbing
Both for beginners and experts Vang Vieng is one of the best (if not THE BEST) rock-climbing destinations in South-East Asia. Day-Courses go for 15K kip. Green Discovery offers great package deals but the very best school in town has got to be Adam’s Climbing School.
Food & Sleep Recommendations
Eating
For food, my only real recommendation in Vang Vieng is Happy Mango. The decor has an old French colonial style to it, the dishes are well prepared and presented and the fruit shakes (obviously go for a mango-shake here) are delicious. They serve both Lao cuisine and western food. Try the curries but steer away from the duck salad which comes with a funky licorice dressing.
Drinking
As the party capital of Laos, Vang Vieng has some great nightlife on offer. Do not expect classy cocktail-bars with bouncers and a dress code though. The nightlife scene targets the backpacker-scene which means lots of raunchy bars with buckets and free shots on offer filled with dreadlocked backpackers in tanktops walking around on bare feet. If this is your crowd then you’re in for a treat.
You’ll get the best bang for your buck if you start at 8 PM with the free booze-hour at Sakura Bar. from 8 PM to 9 PM you’ll get free mixers and shots. Stock up on mixers 5 to 9 and slowly work your way through these in the following hour. At 10 PM free booze-hour starts at Viva Pub. Another hour of free drinks. At this point, you’ll probably be fueled enough to need any more best to head back to Sakura or another random bar as the vibes at Viva Pub aren’t the best.
Vang Vieng really showed me that I am not 19 anymore. I had a blast and met a lot of people but after a night at Sakura and Viva plus another day of tubing I lay in my bed feverish and nauseous with very sudden attacks of explosive diarrhea as my only companion for 3 days. I mostly blame it on the dirty river water, but secretly I know better than that;).
If you are looking for a nice pub with good drinks and great ambiance, head to Gary’s Irish Bar. They serve some mean pub-food as well.
Sleeping
If you are looking for a party hostel, try Real Vang Vieng Backpackers 2. The beds are comfy and the vibes are great, but it is not a ‘flashpackers’ as some travel guides dub it. The serve a tasty breakfast, which is included in the price! Dodge the shithole that is called Chillao. If you are looking for something nicer (or more romantic), a little further out of town and beautifully set is Vang Vieng Eco-lodge.
If you got more to spend ($60 a night) staying at Vieng Tara Villa is a must. The place is stunning, the setting in the middle of the rice-fields is beautiful and the rooms are comfortable. clean and pretty.