Vang Vieng
Laos

"Vang Vieng -- City of Backpackers"

In this article you`ll find:

How to Get to Vang Vieng
Where to sleep
Where to eat and relax
Where to party
Where to shop
Activities in Vang Vieng
¤ Caving
¤ Tubing
¤ Other Activities

Beautiful and relaxed Vang Vieng is known for its activities, especially tubing on the Nam Song River.

This backpacker town is surrounded by beautiful limestone hills, and hidden adventure secrets like secret waterfalls and tubing and kayaking opportunities.

Many travelers get stuck here because of the vibrant atmosphere, and the partying! I mean, why not? You go tubing on the river, grab some drinks and meet other backpackers just like you!

But it`s also known for its Western food and Western TV bars, so the place charges way higher prices than any other towns in Laos.

And Vang Vieng is known for its notorious "Happy Pizzas" a.k.a Drug pizzas. It's a common sight to see people pass out at the bars because of this.

So some travellers will likely feel that the town lacks local atmosphere...

But I believe that the exciting activities and the Lao food make up for this!

How to Get to Vang Vieng

From Luang Prabang: The buses for Vang Vieng leave the Southern bus station. Take a Songthaew to get there.
When you're dropped off at the bus station in Vang Vieng, you can just walk to most accommodations in town.
-- Don't be fooled by the Songthaew drivers who say that it's a long way to go...!
We took the local bus from Luang Prabang, and it took about 8 hours (in theory 6-7 hours).
I can tell you that it was one in a life-time experience. Just writing about it now, makes me laugh!
If you're taking the local transport, be prepared for packed buses and bring a good portion of patience!
We got tickets with seat numbers, but when we got onboard the bus, the seats were of course taken.
So we were forced to sit separately. I got a seat by a an old man who kept pealing off his callus in my direction. And my Australian friend was seated next to a mother, 2 kids and 4 large boxes.
What I remember is that the bus kept stopping, whether the bus driver wanted to take a piss, or people wanted to board the bus. Even if the bus had no more seats, they put plastic chairs in the aisle...
When we arrived at the bus station in Vang Vieng, a Songthaew driver gathered travelers to be taken into town. We were 7-8 travelers, and all of us had a specific guesthouse in mind. So we told the driver to take us there.
But guess what...
He stopped by the guesthouses belonging to his friends (so he could get a commission). We got kind of pissed because he wasn't listening to us...!
From Vientiane: The bus takes 3-4 hours
From Phonsavan: The bus takes 7 hours

From Vang Vieng to other towns and cities

By bus: The bus station is located next to the old airstrip in town.

You can arrange also a minibus ride to Vientiane, Luang Prabang or Phonsavan, either at your guesthouse or through a travel agency in Vang Vieng.

It's more effective, so I personally think it's worth the money!

Important places to know about:

Police station by the Main Rd, not far from Nana Guesthouse 1.
Vang Vieng hospital by Ban Sabai Bungalows (towards the river). Phone nr: (023) 511604.
Pharmacies on the Market Rd.
Immigration office by Agricultural Bank.
Agricultural Bank on the Main Rd.
BCEL Bank and ATM in a side street of Main Rd. Same street as Luang Prabang Bakery.
Post office beside the town market.
There are internet shops in Vang Vieng which charge you 300 Kip per minute.
Rent motorbikes and mopeds along the Main Rd.
Want to see some good maps of Vang Vieng? Go here.

Where to sleep

Phoukam Guest House

Price per night: 40 000 Kip

Clean room with attached bathroom and hot showers. And a nice balcony where you can enjoy the view of Vang Vieng. Even better, Phoukam has an excellent location (50 meters from the main road).

If you`re heading for Vientiane, they can arrange minibus transport for you. They also have a restaurant, and the Western food they serve is alright (if I remember right it was Western food).

Amphone Guesthouse

Price per night: 4-5 USD dollars

On the ground floor, they have small double rooms with fan. Our room was very simple - when we wanted to take a shower, there was only a bucket of water. It felt like I was in Goa (India) again.

And watch out for bed bugs…! I had to wake up in the middle of the night to pull out my duvet cover, so I could protect myself from these tiny monsters. My Australian friend had to use her t-shirts as protection...

When bed bugs bite you, it feels like someone`s tapping you with a needle, over and over again.

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Where to eat and relax

Finding a place to eat is not a problem in this small town...Italian, Lao, Indian, Thai and much more. Here are my favorites:

Food market

The food market in Vang Vieng is amazing, colourful, weird but interesting. They sell fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, frogs, bats, insects, fish etc. And it`s cheap!

For instance: You can get a noddle dish for 1000 Kip (under a dollar).

But don't expect any special dishes -- you do get what you pay for!

You`ll be amazed of how much different food the market has!

Food vendors

Fond food vendors on the Main Rd selling grilled meat, fresh fruit, fruit shakes/juices -- average price: 5000 Kip.

Other delicious meals:

Fried meat (chicken, pork) with rice: From 5000 Kip
Curry soups: From 2000 Kip
Vegetarian soups with noodles: From 3000 Kip

Luang Prabang Bakery

A great place to have your breakfast!

They had fresh bakery goods, pastries, shakes, juices and so much more. I enjoyed my banana pancakes, fruit salads and cappucinos. It`s hard to find good cappucinos in Laos, so this was my favorite place!

But Luang Prabang Bakery was usually packed from 11 am -- this was usually the time when most travellers woke up after a long night.

So try to get here early... The seats outside are the best, but there`s only a few of them.

You`ll find the bakery in a side street of the Main Rd.

Restaurants

Many restaurants on the Main Rd play popular Western shows like: Friends, Family Guy and Simpsons on a rotational basis.

It can`t get anymore Western-like than this...

If you`re up for it, it`s not hard to find these restaurants. Just follow Ross` voice or Stewie`s posh accent. They play the shows really loud...

Average price for meals at the restaurants vary from 10.000-45.000 Kip.

Nisha Restaurant

Nisha Restaurant on the Main Rd serves cheap, delicious Indian food. Generous portions at reasonable prices.

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Where to party

There are loads of bars along the Main Rd, and in the side streets of Main Rd. But most bars close around midnight.

Sakura Café

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.

What`s the difference between stalagmites and stalactites?

Stalactites grow from the ceiling of a cave, while stalagmites arise from the ground.

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.

What should I think about when caving?

Try not to touch the stalagmites or stalactites. Skin sweat can ruin the rock formations. But then again, you have to touch the rocks to avoid slipping! Hmm...tough one!

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.

Vang Vieng Tham Hoi cave stalactites

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.

Vang Vieng Tham Hoi cave stalactites

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...

Vang Vieng Tham Loup cave stalagmites

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.

Leave Vang Vieng and Return to Backpacking Tips Asia Homepage.

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