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Vang Vieng




























 
 

Vang Vieng

Travel guide

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Situated midway along the Vientiane to Luang Prabang road, Vang Vieng has become (for better or worse) the backpacker's pit stop in Laos. Surrounded by splendid karst scenery and overflowing with activities (caving and tubing down the river are two of the most popular activities), many prolong their stay here far longer than originally planned.

For many, Vang Vieng is a highlight of their trip to Laos. If your idea of an ideal night involves scoffing happy pizza and quaffing lao lao all to the background of never-ending Friends episodes, then you're going to absolutely love this place.

For many others though, this is a circus-like example of tourism at its worst. While you'll probably still enjoy your stay -- after all the scenery and activities are brilliant -- you'll probably find yourself pushing on to other, more interesting spots in Laos a little sooner then you may have thought.

The town is riddled with such an array of guesthouses, restaurants and shops that it's hard to know what to do on arrival. Just about every shopfront on the main streets of this small but rapidly developing town caters exclusively to the tourist dollar. If you're looking for some Lao culture, Vang Vieng isn't the place to find it.


 
















The reason this tourist mecca has sprung up is the gorgeous Nam Song River and the magnificent karst limestone mountains lining it. The imposing structures rise up out of the land and run for kilometres, abutting pancake flat rice fields and the river. Stunning at any hour, the mountains are of course particularly beautiful with the golden pink glow of sunset behind them... the perfect time to sit and have a drink in one of the riverside restaurants.

Every other property in the town is undergoing some kind of building work, and the development is now starting to take its toll on the special environment which has created the tourism. Rocks are quarried from the limestone mountain range and gravel extracted by the truckload from the Nam Song river bed to feed the demand for building materials. Unscrupulous or ignorant -- take your pick.

For action and adventure, there are caves to explore, trekking, kayaking and rafting trips and for the ultra-adventurous, there's rock climbing. To chill out and enjoy the scenery, hire a tyre inner tube and float down the Nam Song River basking in the beauty of the countryside, stopping for beers along the way.

Laos this place is not -- but that's not to say it's not a fine place to while away a few days.

Text and/or map last updated on 10th August, 2009.

More information


Maps
  Vang Vieng

Further reading
 » Luang Prabang escape
 » Muang Ngoi Escape
 » The Gibbon Experience
 » The Phonsavan adventure
 » Is Lao Airlines safe to fly?
 » Malaria in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam
 » Lonely Planet Laos 6 -- worth every kip

Considering a tour to Laos?



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Harvesting Clovers, Vang Vieng, Laos Last Tubers of the Day, Vang Vieng Laos Reclining Buddha, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Reclining Buddha, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Reclining Buddha, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Reclining Buddha, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Reclining Buddha, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Wat & monks, Vang Vieng Nam Song riverside bar, Vang Vieng
Lagoon, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Lagoon, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Nam Song riverside bar, Vang Vieng Vang Vieng countryside Riverside Bungalows, Vang Vieng Lagoon, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Nam Song River, Vang Vieng Lagoon, Poukham cave, Vang Vieng Karst and rice fields, Vang Vieng countryside Karst and rice fields, Vang Vieng countryside

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Book online


Picture of Chilllao Youth Hostel, Chilllao Youth Hostel, Vang ViengChilllao Youth Hostel
Chilllao Youth Hostel, Vang Vieng
From: US$2.00 with HostelWorld


Picture of Babylon Guest House, Main Road, VangviengBabylon Guest House
Main Road, Vangvieng
From: US$3.50 with Hostelbookers


Picture of Babylon Guest House, Babylon Guest House Main RoadBabylon Guest House
Babylon Guest House Main Road
From: US$4.00 with HostelWorld


Picture of Amphone Guest House, Town CentreAmphone Guest House
Town Centre
From: US$5.00 with WHL


Picture of Saysong Guest House & River Hill Bungalows, Town CentreSaysong Guest House & River Hill Bungalows
Town Centre
From: US$5.00 with WHL


Picture of Somsacksy Bungalows, Out of TownSomsacksy Bungalows
Out of Town
From: US$5.00 with WHL


Picture of Vang Vieng Eco Lodge, Out of TownVang Vieng Eco Lodge
Out of Town
From: US$6.00 with WHL


Picture of Sabidai Guest House, Town CentreSabidai Guest House
Town Centre
From: US$8.00 with WHL


Picture of SCK Guesthouse, RiversideSCK Guesthouse
Riverside
From: US$8.00 with WHL


Picture of Sisavang Guesthouse, Town CentreSisavang Guesthouse
Town Centre
From: US$8.00 with WHL


Picture of Vang Vieng Resort, RiversideVang Vieng Resort
Riverside
From: US$10.00 with WHL


Picture of Viengsavanh Guest House, Town CentreViengsavanh Guest House
Town Centre
From: US$10.00 with WHL


Picture of Khamthavee Guesthouse, RiversideKhamthavee Guesthouse
Riverside
From: US$10.00 with WHL


Picture of Tony Guest House, Town CentreTony Guest House
Town Centre
From: US$12.00 with WHL


Picture of Nana Guest House, Out of TownNana Guest House
Out of Town
From: US$15.00 with WHL


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Fresh off our Asia travel forum

Here are some discussions off the Travelfish forum, perhaps related to Vang Vieng. You can find the full forum here.

Topic Replies  Views 
gym in vang vieng? 
In Laos: by zeus911, last reply by zeus911
3 155
vang vieng, tubing, assault, corruption, lessons 
In Laos: by DJ959, last reply by Rufus
11 788
Vang vieng to hanoi 
In Vietnam: by tdandkk83, last reply by gingermark
1 222
Instead of Vang Vieng... 
In Laos: by JavaJunkie, last reply by Captain_Bob
8 1071
Great guesthouse near Vang Vieng - Greenview 
In Laos additions: by natisafunkymonkey, last reply by arrian
2 1489
Tubing in Vang Vieng, Laos 
In Laos: by basho, last reply by MADMAC
96 8004
Most direct way from Bangkok to Vang Vieng? 
In Laos: by johnplawlor, last reply by Rufus
4 706
Advice needed on routing from Bangkok to Vang Vieng. 
In Laos: by johnplawlor
0 337
Place in Vang Vieng 
In Laos: by thecocoon, last reply by the_tundraman
1 976
The Cocoon - Vang Vieng Resort 
In Laos additions: by thecocoonlaos, last reply by pia2am
1 476
Hire a driver luang prabang to vang vieng 
In Laos: by 21days
0 700
On Vang Vieng: What do people think? 
In Culture and politics: by somtam2000, last reply by think87
88 3584
Update of info on Pan's Place, Vang Vieng , Laos 
In Laos: by neilenolix
0 614
Tubing in Vang Vieng Laos 
In Laos: by somtam2000, last reply by neosho
10 1654
Vang Vieng 
In Laos: by clairebike, last reply by basho
2 1004

Vang Vieng reviews

Backchat from the Travelfish community

Two sides to the coin
By surferRosa (dabbler - 1 review)
Written on 31st December, 2009 after a visit to Vang Vieng in October, 2009

Vang Vieng is a good example of Tourism Gone Wild, but it's almost worth going there just to see the circus in full-swing, plus there's some lovely natural beauty spots if you look for them.

In the town you can stare at red-faced, brain-dead, backpackers reclining in front of non-stop reruns of Friends and Family Guy, while depressed-looking locales shovel baguettes and banana shakes down their monged-out gullets. Once it hits 8 or 9pm the semi-bovine crowds shuffle into the bars where more depressed locals serve them copious amounts of alcohol, and watch as they spill out onto the roads, obstruct traffic, shout incomprehensible words, and fight each other (yep you guessed, most of the participants are British). Still, suppose it's a good laugh for a few days.

Plenty of cheap drugs on offer too, just ask for the happy menu, though be careful. Don't do anything on the streets, and don't light up in a bar unless you're 100% certain it's safe (I never saw any arrests etc, but heard way too many stories). Best bet is to stay at one of bungalows across the bamboo footbridge (Paradise bungalows is pretty good) and do your inhaling there. No police, and your in nice, natural, surrounds!

Other than drugs and booze, there are some cool caves and karsts to check out. All of the caves (to my knowledge) are across the bamboo footbridge so, again, if you're not too concerned with being a 10-minute walk away from all the video bars then it's best to stay somewhere in that area - you can just hire a bicycle and ride to the caves.
  Sights & activities
  History & culture
  Scenery & environment
  Eat & drink
  Traveller's scene
  Romance
  Value for money
  I'll be back (or not)

Stunning Vang Vieng
By Saphir (dabbler - 1 review)
Written on 10th October, 2009 after a visit to Vang Vieng in June, 2009

I was in two minds about going to Vang Vieng, having heard of its reputation for attracting the Truly Ghastly. Made the decision to go, and found the town itself pleasant, the townspeople friendly and the surrounding scenery STUNNING. Careful to avert my gaze from the Truly Ghastly, I busied myself exploring the town, taking photos, sampling some wonderful food and climbing up to Tham Jang cave for great views. The view from my hotel was also breathtaking, and I enjoyed sitting and having a leisurely breakfast by the Nam Song. Glad I went after all.
  Sights & activities
  History & culture
  Scenery & environment
  Eat & drink
  Traveller's scene
  Romance
  Value for money
  I'll be back (or not)


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