Region: Vientiane And Surrounds> Province: Vientiane> Location: Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng

Many of the restaurants in Vang Vieng have identical menus. If burgers, pizzas, fried rice, pasta, salads and soups are to your liking then take your pick of any of the 30 or so restaurants offering the 'same same' cuisine. It is welcoming to know that other food outlets are available.

For some of the best Lao food, try Viengchampa, or the well thought-out Erawan on main street. Every afternoon, stalls set up in front of Kang Temple on the northern end of main street sell authentic Lao food. Made with fresh organic ingredients by local families, a meal can be had for less than a dollar. Barbequed meats, laab, spicy salads, sauces and dips, seasonal vegetables and Lao sweets are featured items. All the food is on show, so there's no need for a menu, just point. The market, now located a few kilometres north of town has a wider selection of fresh Lao food is worth a visit. It's open between 7am and 5pm.

Of course, South Asian food has made its way to Vang Vieng, and Nazim's is probably the top choice. One of the most interesting and tastiest alternatives in town is the Rising Sun, operated by a Cornish emigre. The fare is simple UK style pub grub -- fish and chips, pies and even Cornish pasties. The all you can eat food starting around 7pm at Jeska's is worth checking out, it has a home-cooked taste. Dishes vary from night to night. Luang Prabang bakery makes its own selections of bread and pastries, as well as offering a wide range of coffee and teas. Most eateries are open 7am through 11pm and offer all-day breakfasts.

Vang Vieng's nightlife has continued to develop over the last few years. Seven short years ago Vang Vieng turned out the lights and went to bed at 10pm. Fast-forward to 2007, and Vang Vieng is undoubtedly Laos' Funky Town for independent travellers and the heartiest of the party people will soon find the nightlife merging into daytime. Don't expect any cocktail lounges or multi-level disco venues here though; the emphasis is still on a Thai island shanty experience.

Stunning mountain sunsets bring people down to bars dotted along the river's edge and elevated on stilts clinging to the slopes behind. Head down to the raised huts set up half in and half out of the river, for some cool BeerLao. These establishments have no name and its never clear who runs them, but there's no better vantage point for a sundowner. For cocktails and spirits, Tavonsouk Bungalows and Villa Nam Song down by the river are top choices. Alternatively, try Viewpoint Restaurant or Kangaroo Sunset set atop the riverbank. The latter, unsurprisingly run by an Australian, has Bundaberg Rum, a pool table, shows live sport on the TV and claims to have the coldest beers in town.


Things really start to pick up around 10pm. Along main street and adjoining roads there's a choice of the pirate DVD lounge bars, or the thumping bass of pubs serving ice-buckets fuelled with mixes of Lao made whiskies and endurance drinks. All have relaxed lounging areas, rather than stylish tables and chairs. Xayoh Bar is the only exception, with piazza style seating in its open-air courtyard. Pick of the bucket-bar bunch are Jai Dee's and Sakura. Sakura is staffed by lively long-stayers, features a dance floor and keeps things fresh with quiz nights and drinking games. It's as close as there is to Ibiza in Laos. At the southern end of main street is the uberchilled Jeska Bar, hidden behind Pan's Place. Run by the same family as Pan's Place with long-stayers manning the bar, Jeska is equipped with the obligatory big sounds and movie projector, but sets itself apart from the rest with a ping-pong table, open fire and beer crate bar stools. DIY jugglers welcome.

To finish a night out, most head down to the main party island in the Nam Song river at the northern end of town. Accessed by several seasonal bridges, the island is home to half a dozen late night bars. Smile Bar is easily the most popular bar. The focal point is the vast open fireplace around which benches are set. An Irish resident DJ ensures the sounds are up to date. Other party island bars have imitated some of the elements of Smile Bar, with simple furnishing, rows of lounge huts, and open fires, but most remain quiet.

Bars on the main party island and in town have been known to stay open beyond dawn, though this rather depends on how strictly the flexible midnight curfew is being enforced.


Erawan: Opposite Malany Villa, Main Street, (023) 511 093, (023) 511 355
Jeska Bar: South end of Main Street, (023) 511 484. 17:00 - 24:00
Kangaroo Sunset: Next to New Bridge, River Road, (020) 7714291
Luang Prabang Bakery: next to ATM, Off Main Street (023) 511 145
Nazim's: Next to Sivixay Guesthouse, Main Street, (023) 511 214
Sakura: Just off Main Street, next to Thavisouk Guesthouse, no phone number, 18:00 - 24:00
Smile: Party Island, no phone number, 18:00 - 24:00
Stalls: set up in front of Kang Temple
The Rising Sun: Opposite Sakura, Off Main Street. (020) 5397535
Viengchampa: (023) 511 370;(020) 567 1638.