Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is a town stripped of its character and culture. It is a backpacker town, full of bars, drugs and cheap accommodation. It's a funny place. Its reputation precedes it among the backpacker crowd and I had mixed feeling about coming here due to its dubious infamy.

Two to three years ago this small town was the Mecca of Southeast Asia for young backpackers looking for non stop partying, drugs and outdoor fun. The place became famous for its tubing; visitors hired a tractor inner tube and floated along the river, stopping at dozens of bars along the way for free shots and cheap cocktails. So popular was the tubing that the bars continued to multiply and dangerous slides and swings appeared over the jagged rocks along the river banks.  Sadly, drink, drugs and fast flowing rivers don’t mix and 27 travellers died on the river in 2011 alone, with many more injured. International governments pushed for the bars to close and the slides and swings were dismantled, causing a sudden decrease in tourism to the area.

This article by The Guardian paints a vivid picture of the former the party scene in Vang Vieng: 

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/07/vang-vieng-laos-party-town

"There are signs asking tourists to respect dress codes, but many ignore them. At peak party-time on the river, there are frequent episodes of boob-flashing, mooning and boys waggling their privates around for the hell of it... couples having sex in inner tubes as they float along the Nam Song is known to happen, too."

Within minutes of checking in to a guest house we over heard conversations of “where is the opium bar?” and “this place is the Ayia Napa of Laos”. The information booklet in our room described happy pizzas (made with magic mushrooms), opium tea and bars that give away free joints and then tip off the local police. It didn’t really sound like our kind of town.

However, once we checked out of the rowdy guest house with the Ayia Napa fans and into a quiet bungalow with huge gardens over looking the river, we found Vang Vieng to be quiet and laid back, if somewhat lacking in character.

View of the sunset over the karsts from our guest house.

Bars line the water front offering views over the karst scenery with Bob Marley playing in the background. At least half of the bars in town have wide screen TVs that play constant videos of Friends, series seven. So much for soaking up the Laos culture.

We gave famous tubing a go and it was great. A tuk-tuk took us a few kilometres out of town to a bar where we were offered our first and last free shots. We then floated tranquilly down the river Nam Xong, taking in the stunning scenery and stopping off at a couple of the bars that have remained open. Far from the scenes of unadulterated debauchery that I've seen on the internet, our trip was quiet, picturesque and relaxing. Among people tubing with us that day was an Irish couple well into their eighties. I'm pleased that the slides have all been removed because I’m sure I’d have had a hard time persuading my adrenaline seeking boyfriend not to go down them.

Tubing!

Another day, another bike ride. My initial enthusiasm for cycling is wearing off but it tends to be the cheapest and safest way to get around in Laos; tuk-tuks are too expensive, taxis non-existent and the only other option is to hire a scooter, which we’re not too keen on. It’s good exercise too I suppose. We set off into the countryside that surrounds Vang Vieng on a bone-shakingly bumpy road. The pot holes and rocks were havoc on my back so I bailed on the bike ride and headed straight for the Blue Lagoon, leaving Ric to complete the 30km loop with a friendly Australian.

The Blue Lagoon is a natural swimming pool surround by karsts and mountain caves. Although an undeniably beautiful place, it has been turned into a major tourist attraction and was bursting with tourists, diving, swinging and jumping into the cool blue water. Crowded or not, it was still a nice place to spend a couple of hours out of the sun.

Rope swings at the Blue Lagoon.

How To Get To...
The Blue Lagoon: Head out of town across the river on the toll bridge, follow the signs for 7km.
We Stayed At...
Phou Bain Guest House. Possibly my favourite place we've stayed in months. We almost walked past this place without checking the prices because it looked too posh for our budget, but for 55,000kip ($7/£4.20) per night it was a bargain. Wooden bungalow, huge gardens, river views.