Vang Vieng Uncorked 🥂1-Night Whistle-Stop in Laos’ Adventure Capital
Vang Vieng. The name itself hangs in the air like a dare. A reputation precedes it, thick and controversial in Laos, conjuring visions of hedonism and gap-year escapades.
We arrived with a sliver of time—a mere twenty-four hours to see if the reality lived up to the hype. Or, more accurately, to see if we could survive it without a medical emergency.
It felt almost too easy, getting to Vang Vieng by high-speed train, leaving us feeling a tad underprepared for the adventure that awaited…
Highlights
- Getting to Vang Vieng
- Tmarking Our Territory
- Our 7-Day Laos Itinerary
- Vang Vieng Gastronomy Tour
- Book the Tmark Resort
- Balloons, Bars & Dodgy Cocktails
- Getting Around Laos by Train
- All Hotel Options in Vang Vieng
- Vientiane 🌸 Tranquility & Culture
- Luang Prabang: Rivers & Mountains
- Getting Your Laos Visa
Getting to Vang Vieng
We were already familiar with the rail transport system, and our journey to Vang Vieng was surprisingly uneventful. We took the new high-speed train from Luang Prabang, a modern marvel slicing through the Laotian countryside.
It was all glass, air conditioning, and seats that didn’t feel like they were actively trying to injure you. A proper, civilised way to travel. A far cry from the bumpy, winding bus rides of old, which, let’s be honest, we’ve had our fair share of.
Vang Vieng – Choose your activities carefully
Tmarking Our Territory: A Fleeting Encounter with Vang Vieng’s Two Sides
Our accommodation, a place called Tmark Resort, was a haven of sanity on the far-flung edge of town. It was, in fact, the best hotel we experienced in the whole of Laos.
A real sanctuary.
Spacious, clean, and organised, it felt like an oasis designed to buffer you from the more energetic elements of the main strip.
Smack in the middle, a large swimming pool shimmered under the sun. We took some time to relax, daring a toe into the shockingly chilly water (this was in January). A perfect place for a bit of sun-soaking and a deep sigh of relief.
Tmark Resort, Vang Vieng
But Tmark is just one option, of course. For those on a shoestring budget, there’s a smorgasbord of hostels.
Places like Mad Monkey and Rock Backpackers Hostel are the places to be if you’re keen on communal living and late-night antics. For a few quid, you can get a dorm bed and, if you’re lucky, free breakfast.
We, with our intolerance for groups and a preference for not sharing bathrooms, were happy to pay the higher rate for a bit of personal space. There are other mid-range hotels, too, such as Bungalows Le Jardin Organique, and some even closer to the river, offering a different vibe altogether.
Vang Vieng has something for every wallet, whether you’re a fresh-faced backpacker or a slightly more fastidious tourist who just wants a decent night’s sleep.
Noodle Bowls & Fine Wine: The Vang Vieng Gastronomy Tour
Our bellies rumbling, we set off in search of dinner. We chose Crab d’Or, which came highly recommended and specialises in French and Lao cuisine. It’s tucked away inside another resort that also looked very comfortable.
We shared a starter and two mains, and treated ourselves to a bottle of French wine. It was a proper, civilised meal in a town that seemed to be actively working against such things. We paid what felt like a fair price for a moment of culinary normalcy amidst the madness.
Eating down by the river in Vang Vieng
But we wanted to see what else was on offer, so afterwards we took a stroll further into town.
There’s The Kitchen, which serves a mix of Western and Lao food, and Gary’s Irish Bar & Restaurant for when the craving for a full English breakfast hits. For a bit of Italian, there’s Pizza Luka.
Food, we learned, can be as cheap or as expensive as you like. We saw street food stalls with dishes for a couple of quid, while a proper sit-down meal with drinks might set you back closer to ten. It’s a town of contrasts, where you can live like a pauper or a prince, depending on your choices.
Floating Above the Madness: Balloons, Bars & Dodgy Cocktails
As the sun began to dip, the sky turned into an absurd, slightly surreal circus. The horizon filled with floating orbs and tiny, whirring insects. We could see hot air balloons and motorized gliders everywhere, bobbing along like drunken giants.
It’s big business here. We saw them flying from early morning until almost complete darkness.
Vang Vieng – View from above
A hot air balloon trip for a crowd of ten will set you back about $100, while a personal motorized glider ride is the same price. It’s a spectacular sight, a colourful counterpoint to the more mundane, ground-level tourist pursuits.
Of course, the real draw for many is the Nam Song river, and the myriad of ways to almost drown in it.
There are boat trips on the river (180,000 kip for 30 minutes), kayaking on the river, and even mountain trekking for the genuinely energetic.
A day trip with kayaking, cave tubing, and ziplining will only cost you around $20. It’s an absolute bargain, assuming you’re not planning to sue anyone if you fall out of the kayak.
Boat trips on the river – Vang Vieng
We also saw people heading to the Blue Lagoons, with their vibrant blue water and ropes for jumping. It’s a real playground for those who enjoy a bit of peril.
It was when the sun had truly set that the town’s other personality emerged. The bars, a mishmash of neon and loud music, began to fill up. People were throwing themselves into the night with a certain amount of reckless abandon.
We watched, sipping our bottled beer and steering clear of anything that came out of a large, unlabelled bucket. The town has a known reputation for dodgy alcohol and drinks that have sent tourists to the hospital (and the morgue).
We weren’t keen on joining that particular club.
The alcohol can seriously damage your health
As we saw a group of people teetering on a bridge, we decided that our evening would be best spent observing, not participating. There’s a certain wisdom in knowing when to call it a night, especially when the night in question involves quaffing the local antifreeze and falling into rivers.
We retreated to our clean, quiet resort, feeling a quiet relief in our survival.
We were heading back to sanity.
If you enjoyed Vang Vieng Uncorked, take a look at our other Tropical Travel Plans. You may also like:
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