Once known as the kingdom of Lan Xang, or in English, “the land of a million elephants”, Laos is, like its elephants, beguiling, charming, fascinating and enchanting.
This is the fifth of five stories about Laos, a stirringly beautiful country that captured my heart. This one describes our experience of ancient Vang Vieng, a town overcoming its “bad rep”
Why Vieng Vang
A perfect stopover between Vientiane in the south and Luang Prabang in the north, Vang Vieng was first settled in 1353 and is now populated by around 25,000 people.
Returning south, we hopped on the LCR at Luang Prabang station with first-class tickets in hand. They were the last available and not much more expensive than second-class ones, so we settled in for the hour-long trip to Vang Vieng, where we stayed for three nights. Again, the train trip was fast, enjoyable, and comfortable, with large reclining seats and tons of leg room. Worth the extra? Maybe.
Upon arrival, we stepped into an efficient railway station with all modern amenities that threw the real Vang Vieng into stark relief. Although relying on tourism, Vang Vieng’s services are pretty rudimentary. Despite this, we still had access to the internet, cash machines, and transport.
The roads are unsealed, there are no footpaths, and don’t even think about looking around shops that represent anything like we experience in the Western world. What you do get is cute wooden buildings higglety-pigglety along the roads selling local wares, food, and tickets for the numerous adventure attractions.
What’s on offer
Vang Vieng is doing its best to cater to the growing demands of all types of travellers, especially since the installation of the LCR Train service in December 2021, making hopping on and off down the length of Laos a piece of cake. So why not add Vang Vieng to your Laos travel itinerary! It’s worth it because, despite its past and present difficulties, this quaint town, with its timeless beauty, tranquillity, and dramatic backdrop of breathtaking limestone mountains, offers a variety of attractions, sights, and adventures to enjoy.
Despite the recent unfortunate deaths of several young foreign tourists due to drinking methanol-laced drinks and a history of offering dangerous entertainment, Vang Vieng, although undoubtedly has had its share of bad publicity, the many ongoing improvements by the Government have preserved it as a village of loveliness offering so much more than just partying opportunities for young backpackers.
The choices available must be popular if the number of beautiful multi-coloured air balloons drifting in the heat-wave hazy sky, and Tandem paragliders and skydivers also spotted wafting their swaying way downwards, is anything to go by. Accessible trekking in the magnificent hills, rock climbing, caving, and water sports are also available.
All activities in Vang Vieng are framed by the spectacularly rugged, jungle-covered karst limestone mountains common in Laos, as well as the Nam Song River, whose eternal waters display the weather mood of the day as they sit calm in the lee of the mountains and glitter with golden sparks from the township’s night lights.
And not to forget Vieng Vang’s ancient history, which includes worth-visiting, tranquil Buddhist temples dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries. For example, Wat That and Wat Si Muang provide the town with rich cultural and spiritual aspects and a welcome contrast to the hubbub of the outdoor adventures and daily activities. Also adding depth and visual interest is the sight of the many orange-robed monks wafting to and from throughout the township, across delicate bamboo bridges, going about their daily routines.
Accomodation
We booked a small guesthouse cottage (Vang Vieng Garden Villa) on the outskirts for our three-night stay. It was simple but perfect, one of eight purpose-built amongst a wild garden of fruit trees and crops. An approximate 2.5 km drive to and from town over dusty roads and between crop fields, it was a welcome respite from the heat and was a place to rest and enjoy some downtime. Owned by our caring, gentle, quietly spoken (that Laos thing again) host, Lop and his shy, adorable wife, Darling, who made us feel entirely at home.
With unrestricted use of the in-ground pool, we could “hang out” without expectations. We gathered with other guests under a sheltering deck sail and loved hearing their interesting travel stories while we shared ours. We were surrounded by trees, bird noise, butterflies flitting past, and a very friendly family dog. Darling provided homemade breakfast and dinner, and Sop generously taxied us to and from town when needed. We had found a very relaxing, low-key place to lay our heads.
Other Activities
From our cottage, we took walks down dusty red country lanes through nearby bush and scrub, spotting a random shiny chestnut cow chewing bright green vegetation, local dogs guarding their property with ferocious barks, baring scarily sharp teeth, thankfully locked behind very high gates, a waterfall gently cascading in the wilderness and a local man on a small side-car motorbike heading south to town, dust billowing. More butterflies and the crickets’ wiry cries were our only company.
Tips for Travelling in Laos
- Carry US dollars. They are legal tender in Laos. Change is given in the local currency, Lao Kip.
- Cash machines are available but not plentiful. When you see one, use it.
- Tuk-tuks are cheap and always available.
- Food (freshly cooked and delicious) is on average NZ$6-10 per dish.
- Wine – especially white wine is not plentiful, except Sauvignon Blanc, which is plentiful.
And then finally, on day two, we found our way to what must be one of the more remote Beerlao bars. This one is built on stilts across the river. Little pink plastic chairs and tables sit in ankle-deep river water, with other plastic chairs and tables tiered up the steep riverbank, finally to a covered bamboo platform sheltered with a canopy, which is where we decided to sit and enjoy ice-cold beers, accompanied by a tomato and cucumber salad.
The view provided a fun vista of river boats motoring north and south, kayakers, people swimming in shallow waters, and trickles of guests heading to the bar in various-sized groups. As we watched with amazement, staff ran up and down the steep riverbank and narrow steps, trays loaded with beers and food. Now that was efficiency.
Strolling back to our cottage, again across the olde worlde rickety wooden bridge, we darted into the little market setup on the other side for a little “look-see.”
Recommended Eats
For our last evening in Vang Vieng, Sop dropped us in town for drinks and dinner at the Riverside Restaurant.
Sitting over the river on the generous wooden deck, we chatted to a fellow (English traveller) while sipping our G&Ts in peace and tranquillity. I was again reminded that there is something very special about sitting in the stillness and prettiness of an ancient little town in Southeast Asia.
As the setting sun turned the sky pink, the mountains took on awe-inspiring silhouettes, and the evening gradually turned twilight, I felt a deep sense of wonder for the unique magic and mystery the country of Laos possesses. I am lucky to have visited this rare and special country while it remains true to its ancient roots and relatively untouched by modern life.
To read more about Laos – click below:
If you would like to know more about this or any other story on the Mytravelroom website, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me – janeco@mytravelroom.co.nz
