Vang Vieng
Laos

Lay down on Asian floor pillows where you can chill and have a Lao beer, while listening to a local music band.

Otherwise they have a large movie screen. But they didn`t have many movies to choose from, and the movie quality wasn`t the best. You could see that the movie was recorded with a video camera..

On the other hand, they get a plus for the relaxed atmosphere, the large space and the cool warm interior!

Smile Bar (Don Khang Island)

Want to lay in hammocks right by the Nam Song River?

This is the place to go!

Many travelers spend their lazy afternoons in the hammocks at Smile Bar, eating, drinking, sunbathing, swimming, eating more...

While you`re laying in a hammock, eat delicious grilled pork/chicken/fish and drink cold Lao beer. Or take a swim in the refreshing river. It`s the place to go if you just want to hang out, and do nothing...

And at nights, you`ll find crazy travelers dancing to some DJ music.

To get there, you have to cross a long bamboo bridge over to Don Khang Island.

Did you know that...

... they have "Special" drinks at bars and restaurants. If they have "special drinks or food" on your menu, it`s likely drugged...

Before coming to Vang Vieng, I heard and read about weed, mushroom and opium being mixed in drinks. I didn`t believe it until I actually saw it for myself on the menus.

When I went tubing, some of the bars I stopped by, had these menus. They had like opium tea and opium shake. And it cost like
50 000-70 000 Kip. They even sprinkle some in your food, like mushroom pizzas.

The rumour said that if you got caught by the local police, there was a 500 dollar fine…!

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Where to shop

Vang Vieng is not a shopping town cause it`s all about the outdoor activities!

Find day-to-day items at the local market 2 km north of Vang Vieng town. Otherwise you have bookshops like the
BKC and Triumph bookshops.

Triumph Books sells second hand books: I saw history and biography books, like history of Laos, Thailand, Cambodia etc. They sell postcards as well.

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Activities in Vang Vieng

Caving in Tham Sam Triangle limestone caves

There are loads of caves around Vang Vieng. You need at least a half-day trip for the Tham Sang caves which are the most popular ones.

What do I bring for caving trips?

• Torch, sunscreen for the walk to the caves, your swimming shorts or bikini (for Tham Nam/Tham Hoi), bottled water. Appropriate sports sandals for walking on wet stones inside the caves.

There are 4 caves...

The Songthaew drove us outside town. We walked over the bamboo bridge (5000 Kip).

Then we met two young girls (11 and 13 years old) who wanted to be our tour guides.

We were sceptic.. I mean.. two little girls walking us through the caves?? ... Ehm.. What a heck, we said yes.

On the way to the caves, we followed a dirth path and passed a local village, small streams and some weird insects. Like, black/yellow milipedes, colorful dragon flies and butterflies. The best part was the limestone scenery around us. It gives you that wow feeling!

First, the girls took us to the Elephant Cave (Tham Xang) where you can see several Buddha images and an elephant-shaped stalactite. It was alright, but not the highlight of the trip...

Then another cave, Tham Nam...

The interesting part about Tham Nam cave is the underground waterway. You`ll get a tube so you can pull yourself along a rope inside the cave. But you can only tube during the wet season. During the dry season, cross the river on foot.

Then we moved on to the 3rd cave, Tham Hoi.

Before you enter the cave, you`ll be given headlamps so you can light up the dark.

We were told that there was an underground lake and a mini waterfall about three kilometres inside the cave, so we started the journey.

It was fascinating to see the multi-shaped stalagmites and stalactites. The atmosphere was mysterious and kind of scary to walk in the "dark." You can hear the water dripping from the stalactites, creating mud ponds. It sounds like you`re in an old basement.

We had to crawl over and under stones, and it was a nice exercise. But some will likely find this cave as claustrophobic.. You`ll fight through narrow paths, and the height of the cave corridors sometimes drop to one metre.

Be careful. it`s slippery and humid inside the caves. You don`t want to twist your ankle or something.. And watch out for those mud ponds. I stepped into several ones...

Then the girls took us to the 4th cave: Tham Loup (about 500 metres long).

We climbed down a wooden ladder and saw more amazing stalagmites and stalactites. These ones were unique and beautiful in their off-white/brownish glittery color.

Just look at this...

After the trip, we gave the girls 10 000 Kip. We were surprised of how the girls handled the caves so easily. While we used a lot of time to get across the muddy paths, they jumped from rock to rock, from stone to stone. It was obvious that the girls knew what and where they were going.

So, if you`re skeptic of having 11-year-olds as guides, don`t be...

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Tubing

Tubing is why many travellers go to Vang Vieng!

You rent a tube for around 5000 Kip, then you start at a certain point of the Nam Song River.

Down the river, kids haul you in with bamboo sticks so you can go barhopping. While you`re floating down the river, you`ll see the Vang Vieng scenery as well. And it`s just..beautiful.

So, interested in tubing?

There are small agencies along Main Rd. offering tube tours. Otherwise ask the staff at your guesthouse if they rent out tubes!

But be careful when you`re floating down the river...

There have been reports on drownings, because of the combination of too much alcohol and strong Nam Song current…

And another thing:

You know you`ve gone too far in the river if you don`t see other tubers around you.

I`m going to tell you about a girl we met in Luang Prabang who had her worst nightmare in Vang Vieng…

She wasn`t hauled in at all at the end of the day, and had to float "forever" down the river (it felt like forever to her).

She managed to haul in herself despite the current, and ended up walking in just her bikini carrying her tube inside town. She was terrified at that moment when she had problems getting on land. And not to mention, embarrassed cause she got a lot of evil and weird looks while walking in just her bikini. I felt sorry for her.

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Other activities:

Green Discovery Laos provide

Rock-climbing
Kayaking
Rafting
Trekking included the Secret Eden
Mountain biking

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You`re done with Vang Vieng, so where do you want to go next?

Click here to read about Pakse and the Bolaven Plateau.

Stop by charming Luang Prabang.

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