Laos forum

If you are travelling by road between Vientiane and Luang Prabang you should stop in Vang Vieng on the way and spend at least 2 days there. It's so different then either Vientiane or LP and its very popular with young people for outdoor activities in a great natural setting. Most people either love or hate Vang Vieng but when you get back home, people will ask what it was like there and you'd hate to say you missed it. Other than that I think most people like LP much better than Vientiane and it also has great outdoor stuff to do with cycling, hiking, waterfalls, etc. Vientiane could be missed altogether.

Hi

We are going to Laos in a few weeks, we intended to spend 2 days in Vientiane then 3 days in Vang Vieng (tubing!) and then 3 days in Luang Prabang but are going to an elephant sanctuary there for one of the days, it looks amazing called Elephant Village, then we are flying on to Hanoi!

Hope that helps!

Don't miss the COPE Visitors Centre in Vientiane to learn about UXOs/landmines in Laos -- http://www.copelaos.org/

I enjoyed my 2 nights in Vientiane at the end of our stay in Laos. Eating at the outside restaurants along the Mekong, having a massage at the Blind Masseuse place, wandering round the markets or the town generally. Its a nice place.

We stayed in VV for one night and were scammed, fed badly and not treated by the local Lao population like anywhere else in the country. I didn't go tubing, so can't comment on that, though all we spoke to obviously enjoyed it tremendously. I'm sure if I was 19, I'd go for a few days.

For an an old fart like me, LP was much better. The city and surroundings are beautiful and are worth a stay of several days, in my opinion. When we were there many backpackers would arrive after the 2 day boat trip, stay one night and then dash as fast as possible to VV. Each to their own. We went to the elephant place, a wonderful day learning to be a mahout, including riding to the river and washing the nellies. Plus cycling around the town and nearby. Bliss. There are also lots of good places to eat and drink in town, especially if you move a little away from the night market area. Strangely, most stay in the restaurants selling pizzas and other western stuff near the market. Sometimes, even in places which appear to appeal to those who are a little more adventurous, people will huddle together and only eat what they eat at home. It was something that surprised and confused us all the way round the region.

We also spent 3 night upriver at Nong Khiaow; went one way by boat (7 hrs) and back by minibus. A real highlight, a wonderful day trek to local villages, NK itself is beautifully located, the trip upriver lovely. We spent 2 weeks in total in Laos and regretted immediately that we didn't have longer.