Vang Vieng, after the bars closed
Some of the best karst scenery in Southeast Asia, wrapped around a town with a complicated reputation that is now about a decade out of date.
At a glance
| Region | Central Laos, on the Nam Song |
| Worth | 2 nights |
| Getting here | 1 hour by train or 1.5 hours by expressway from Vientiane |
| Best months | November to March |
| Worst months | April, for heat and haze |
| Known for | Karst scenery, caves, kayaking, dawn balloons |
What the place actually is
Vang Vieng sits in a bowl of limestone towers on the Nam Song, halfway between Vientiane and Luang Prabang. The scenery is the equal of anything in Guangxi or Krabi, and it is the reason the town exists as a destination.
For about a decade from the mid-2000s it was also the most notorious town in Southeast Asia, with riverside bars, rope swings and a death toll that eventually forced the government to close them in 2012. Anyone whose impression of Vang Vieng comes from that period is working from information that is now well over a decade old.
What it is now: a town of guesthouses and mid-range hotels, a strip with bars and restaurants that you can walk past, and a much larger business in caving, climbing, kayaking, cycling and hot-air balloons. It is busy, it is not subtle, and the landscape is still the landscape. It also now has a railway station, which has changed the kind of visitor who comes.
How many nights
Two. One full day is enough for the caves, a lagoon and either a kayak or a cycle, and a second morning gives you the balloon or a slower version of the same. Three nights is only worth it for climbers.
| Nights | What fits |
|---|---|
| 1 | A cave, a lagoon, and a rushed feeling |
| 2 | Caves and lagoon in the morning, river or bicycle in the afternoon, balloon at dawn on day two |
| 3 | Add a full day of climbing or a longer kayak, or use it as a rest stop between the north and Vientiane |
When to come
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| November - February | Dry, clear, cool mornings with mist between the towers. Balloons fly almost every day. The best months |
| March - April | Hot and hazy. The towers lose their outlines and the balloon flights become less worthwhile |
| May - September | Wet. The Nam Song runs fast and brown, kayaking gets more interesting and the lagoons lose their colour. Green and quiet |
| October | Clearing, green and uncrowded. An underrated month here |
The mist between the karst at dawn from November to February is the single best sight in the town, and it is free.
Getting here
- By train from Vientiane, about an hour. The station is 4 km out of town. Tickets sell out and must be bought a few days ahead in high season.
- By road from Vientiane, about 150 km. The expressway takes roughly an hour and a half; the old Route 13 takes three and is more interesting.
- By road from Luang Prabang, six to seven hours over the Kasi pass, which is one of the best drives in the country.
- By train from Luang Prabang, about an hour and a quarter, and it goes through the mountains in tunnels rather than over them, so you see almost nothing.
What things cost here
| Item | Typical |
|---|---|
| Guesthouse double | USD 15 - 30 |
| Good hotel with a karst view | USD 45 - 110 |
| Blue lagoon entrance | USD 1 - 3 |
| Cave entrance | USD 1 - 3 |
| Kayak, half day with guide | USD 18 - 30 |
| Hot-air balloon, 40 minutes at dawn | USD 90 - 120 |
| Bicycle, per day | USD 3 - 5 |
| Dinner | USD 5 - 15 |
Pictures
The lagoons, and which one
There are at least five numbered blue lagoons and they are not equal. Blue Lagoon 1, next to the Tham Phu Kham cave, is the original and by far the busiest - go before 09:00 or not at all. Lagoons 3 and 5 are further out, quieter, and just as good.
The cave above Lagoon 1 is worth the climb: a steep ten minutes up a rock staircase to a large chamber with a reclining Buddha in it. Take a torch and shoes with grip; the flip-flops most people arrive in are the reason there are ankle injuries every week.
When to skip Vang Vieng
- If your trip is under eight nights. It is a landscape stop, and the north has better landscape with more substance around it.
- If you dislike towns built for visitors. Vang Vieng is unapologetically that, and no amount of good scenery hides it.
- In April, when the heat and the haze remove most of the reason to be there.
- If you are travelling by train and short of time. The station is out of town, the town is a stop rather than a destination, and going straight from Vientiane to Luang Prabang is a defensible choice.
Tours that go here
- Laos highlights, 10 days - two nights here, with one free afternoon built in.
- North to south, 15 days - two nights between the Plain of Jars and Vientiane.
Questions travellers ask most
Is Vang Vieng still a party town?
There is a nightlife strip and you can walk past it. The river bars that made the reputation were closed in 2012 and have not come back in that form.
Most visitors now are couples, families and Asian tour groups rather than the backpacker crowd of fifteen years ago.
Are the balloons safe?
They are commercial flights operated locally with a good record, but the regulatory framework is lighter than you would find in Europe or the United States, and you should assume your travel insurance may not cover them.
Check your policy before you book one. We can arrange a flight but we will not tell you it carries no risk.
Is tubing still a thing?
Yes, in a much tamer form: a tube, a stretch of river, and a couple of bars rather than a dozen. It is a pleasant two hours in the dry season.
In the wet season the river runs fast and we would not do it.
Train or road from Vientiane?
Train if you can get a ticket - an hour rather than an hour and a half, and more comfortable. Add 30 to 40 minutes at each end for the stations.
Road if you want to stop, or if you are carrying luggage that makes the station transfers annoying.
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