Vang Vieng has a reputation for being backpacker party central, mainly because of its infamous tubing scene (drunk tourists floating down the Nam Song river in rubber rings). Safety regulations have been tightened in recent years and VV has calmed down its wild ways in favour of outdoor adventure sports and a slightly less hedonistic tubing route. On first impressions we could see that it’s still a hub for backpackers, but its spot nestled in the glorious mountains make it well worth a visit.

Bobbing Along

The number of bars along the riverbanks has been reduced over the last few years, limiting the party aspect of tubing and making it a fair bit safer than it used to be. This is something we were all very much okay with as we were a little worse for wear after the previous night’s antics at Space Bar (the less said about that the better). Unfortunately a few of our group didn’t actually make it out of bed that day.

We had been told that there were two tubing routes being sold, one of which was the ‘legit’ route and the other was just a guy taking you to his mate’s bar. We were very keen to go with the official one, but it was only after hearing Keven’s account of his much more lively tubing experience a few days later that we realised we’d definitely been sold the alternative.

Our group of ten was taken down to the river, put into a rubber ring each and released into the currents. We had a guide sailing along with us in a canoe, helping us navigate our way around the rocks and coming to our rescue when various members of the gang got tangled up in the plants on the side of the river. Once we’d got into the rhythm we were loving the gentle ride down the river and the dramatic mountain scenery. We had the whole stretch of river to ourselves!

Our relaxation was periodically interrupted by some less than friendly looking rapids (apparently not present at all on the official route). They were fun to tumble down, but a few of us were left with sore bums from catching them on the rocks in the shallow water.

We stopped at a bar about halfway down the river, equally as empty as the rest of the trail, where we stopped for drinks and ice creams and made friends with some adorable pups that lived there.

Mario looking suitably relaxed on the river

We adopted the traditional buddy system for our river odyssey, trying to stay in pairs so that nobody got lost. This was easier said than done and I sometimes felt myself drifting away from my buddies, and had to spend much of the trip frantically paddling my little legs to try and catch up.

Our tubing adventure came to an end too soon for most of us as we found ourselves at another bar at the end of the route. Although we’d missed out on the party vibes tubing is famous for, the laid-back option with the river all to ourselves was exactly what we needed on that particular day.

The whole gang!

Happy Halloween! 

That evening we were on the hunt for a halloween party. We were unsuccessful in our search for costumes on the market street, but we were not going to let that get in the way of a proper celebration. We made do with what little make up we had and were fairly pleased with the results!

We took advantage of our hostel’s hour of free whisky and vodka (a dangerous game) then went in search of a party. We found that the only bars that were still open were blasting pretty terrible techno music, so after a quick food pitstop, we called it a night.

Blue Lagoon & Caves

After a ropey 24 hours Eamon and Keven were revived! We all headed out to see some of Vang Vieng’s natural wonders, one of its many blue lagoons and neighbouring Tham Phu Kham Cave. A few of the girls rented buggies to drive the short journey out of town, while the rest of us jumped in a tuk tuk.

First stop was the cave – it was a pretty steep climb to the entrance at the top but a kind Lao man saw me struggling, took my hand and pulled me all the way up – I’ve never climbed a hill so quickly.

The cave is home to a large reclining Buddha and shrine, complete with the offerings of snacks and soft drinks that we’ve seen in temples all over in Southeast Asia. We walked a little way into the caves, but decided to head back when the climb became a little more challenging and we could see some ominous looking drops ahead of us.

The Blue Lagoon was a completely idyllic spot for a swim after our hike up to the cave, I don’t think I’ve ever seen water so invitingly turquoise. There is a tall tree with branches overhanging the water, where stairs, platforms and rope swings have been added to allow people to jump in. We were all pretty nervous to jump from the top branch (it’s a lot higher than it looks), but we managed to psych each other up and take the plunge.

When we got back into town, we settled down at Earth bar for sunset views over the river and the little houses on the banks. We ate, drank wine and watched the sun dip behind the mountains, absolute bliss.

Our last day in Vang Vieng was spent hanging by our hostel pool, planning our onward travel to Vietnam and dealing with a few Visa headaches. Overall we really enjoyed our time in this little town and although it’s very much on the beaten path for backpackers, it definitely has a whole lot more to offer than partying.

Chloe x

Beds slept in: 8
Items lost/broken: 8
Number of bus/train/plane/boats: 6