Vang Vieng is a tourism-oriented town in Laos, located in Vientiane Province about four hours bus ride north of the capital. The town lies on the Nam Song River. The most notable feature of the area is the karst hill landscape surrounding the town.
Vang Vieng was first settled around 1353 as a staging post between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Originally named Mouang Song after the body of the deceased King Phra Nha Phao of Phai Naam was seen floating down the river, the town was renamed Vang Vieng during French colonial rule in the 1890s.
Significant expansion of the town and its infrastructure occurred during the 1964-73 Vietnam War when the US developed an Air Force base and runway that was used by Air America. The airstrip was then called 'Lima site 6'. In more recent times, the town has grown substantially due to the influx of backpackers attracted by the opportunities for adventure tourism in a limestone karst landscape.
Tourism
Vang Vieng has become a backpacker-oriented town, with the main street featuring guest houses, bars, restaurants, internet cafes, tour agencies and western tourists. Attractions of the town include inner tubing and kayaking on the Nam Song River, which, until the third quarter of 2012, was lined with bars selling Beer Lao and Lao-Lao, and equipped with rope swings, zip lines, and large decks for socializing.
The Vang Vieng local community have organised themselves into a cooperative business association to sell tubing as an activity, in a system in which 1,555 participating households are divided into 10 village units, with each village unit taking its turn on a ten-day rotation to rent inner-tubes to the tourists. Thanongsi Sorangkoun, owner of the organic farm in Vang Vieng, says that tubing inadvertently began in 1999 when he bought a few rubber tubes for his farm volunteers to relax on along the river.
During the wet season, the river can be a series of rapids. Other activities include trekking and rock climbing in the limestone mountains. There are also numerous caves, such as Tham Phu Kham cave half an hour north of Vang Vieng by tuk-tuk or the Tham Non and Tham Jang caves closer to Vang Vieng.
A market located five kilometres north of the town sells Lao textiles, household items and foodstuffs. The town is situated on the main north-south highway, Route 13 from Luang Prabang to the capital, Vientiane. It is about eight hours by bus to Luang Prabang and four hours to Vientiane (152 km).
Just a short walk from town are many ethnic Lao, Kmou, and Hmong villages, while Vang Vieng Organic Farm is located around 4 km north of the town in the village of Phoudindaeng. There are also opportunities for community involvement such as teaching, while it's also possible to stay in a house made of mud bricks at the organic farm. Another new organisation since December 2012 providing community activities is Fruit Friends. Wat Done Hor is the oldest temple among five temples located in Vang Vieng, built in 1903.
Get in
Vang Vieng is on Highway #13 between Vientiane and Luang Prabang - by bus (road and bus conditions permitting) about 6-8 hrs from Luang Prabang, around 3-4 hr from Vientiane.
Highway #13 is a sealed two lane road that is slowly deteriorating. The road between Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang is mountainous and boasts amazing scenery. The road between Vang Vieng and Vientiane is flatter and less interesting.
Around town
Vang Vieng is so small that everything is easily reachable by foot. If you want to venture outside of town, bicycles are widely available and can be rented from hotels or local businesses.
Motorcycle rentals are also widely available. It's quite easy to rent a motorcycle from a local business. Petrol may not be included in the rental fee, so check before paying. Always check the details of the contract. At some places you will have to sign a contract which makes you responsible if something breaks or fails to function, even if it's normal wear and tear. If riding out of Vang Vieng to the surrounding villages, be very careful of buses, minivans and trucks, and take extra precautions against the poor road conditions. Gravel, potholes, mud puddles and other hazards litter the road, so it pays to keep your eyes on the road and not on the mountain scenery. Also you are not allowed by contract to go out of the Vang Vieng district, so don't count on renting a bike here to go on a longer tour of the district. But somewhere is possible to rent a bike and go all the way to Vientiane if you need to make a visa-run for example.
Several tuk tuks are also scattered around town. It's better to sort out exact change with fellow passengers as tuk tuk drivers are notorious for giving incorrect change.
What to see
The town and surroundings are the real attractions, including the rows of limestone karst mountains across the river to provide a stunning backdrop and is the setting for some impressive caves.
Tham Poukham - Blue Lagoon, (7 km west from town, maps provided where you can rent bicycles, accessible by mountain bike or motorbike. Be careful along the way, in recent years a number of imposters have shown up, all claiming to be the 'blue lagoon'. Keep to the main road and you should be OK). 8AM-6PM. A spring fed lagoon at the bottom of "Golden Cave". Nice place to relax, swim and play on the rope swing. The waters are inhabited with a few hundred carp that will eat locally sold fish food out of your hand. The cave above requires a modest 100 m climb up a makeshift bamboo ladder. Once inside, there is a short walk to the Sleeping Golden Buddha and glimmering stalactites about 300 m further inside. 10,000 kip entry and 10,000 kip to rent a head-torch, mandatory if you go deeper into the cave than the Buddha (check the battery in advance). Guides for the cave advertised at 50,000 kip but this is probably negotiable. Guides are recommended as finding the best way to climb through the cave can be quite difficult.
Padeng cave and Ring cave, (cross a footbridge over the river, follow the signs and white flags (garbage bags) on sticks through the field). Across the river a 1.5 km path marked by white flags cuts through the fields towards the limestone mountains. The smallest hill has very rickety ladders (which can be dangerous) to aid in climbing to the top. Halfway up the mountain is a cave. Another 1 km along the path past the mountain goes through a small forest and arrives at a cave. A few sleepy Laotians guard the cave's entrance and a hand painted sign says that guides are mandatory. It costs extra to go to the lagoon in the cave, and the guides will let you know that "tipping extra is ok". 10,000 kip for the hill, 15,000 kip for the cave, 30,000 kip to go to the cave lagoon.
Xang Cave, (on the south end of the main road. Turn right at the sign to Jam Mee Guesthouse). It is a decent cave. There are several fees will be applied. The cave is well lit and has stairs running throughout that makes it an easy self-guided tour. One part has a really nice view of the farms surrounding the city. If you've been to other caves it's really not worth it.
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