The town of Vang Vieng is the main reason why I was drawn to visit Laos.
Vang Vieng is known for its beautiful landscape of tall Karst hills surrounding the small town, which is seated at the banks of Nam Song (Mekong) River. Vang Vieng became famous to travellers, particularly the young party goers, during the year 2005 onwards, for its riverbank bars , extreme parties and drunks drifting themselves on tubes down the river. Until the last quarter of 2012 when the parties already brought too much hazard and accidents , that the Lao government decided to cease the trend.
Today, Vang Vieng without the parties, may be considered a boring destination for many. But to some , including myself , Vang Vieng of today was brought back to its small town beauty ; humble, relaxing atmosphere , beautiful landscape by the river , where one can enjoy local beer and just sit by the river on a lazy afternoon.
Woke up early one morning to check on the streets and the Market.
People these days visit Vang vieng to do Mountain trekking, kayaking, caving and tubing, which is what I exactly did . All that activity including lunch and transportation for only 12 USD . Drifting down the Nam Song river surrounded by the Karst Hill landscape was pretty amazing , and is by far the best part of my Indochina Backpacking Trip.
Travelling to Vang Vieng from the Lao Capital, Vientiane by Van/Mini bus can be arranged with your hostel for only 35,000 kips (4.5 USD) with hotel pick up. You may opt to travel with a local bus from the terminal at the city market , for a cheaper price (an a lot of stops) , but the Van arrangement is more convenient and relatively practical.
Travel is a scenic 4 hours ride. Road is a bit bumpy on some parts. But hey! I am from the Philippines , so I should be used to bumpy roads and not complain about it. =)
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