Another Asia road trip that I wasn’t sure if I would survive. Albeit not the worst I have ever had by far. Vientiane to Vang Vieng 157 km, took 5 hours hotel door to door in a mini-van, cost £5 per person. That included a 20 min stop and 2 tyre changes! I gave the Laos BBQ at their equivalent of our motorways services a miss – mainly on the grounds I wasn’t sure what it was…
Laos Truck Stop BBQ
You dodge a plethora of vehicles / people / cows / water buffalo / dogs / goats and potholes along the way. I am surprised the poor young Korean lad next to me lasted the journey – he looked rather shell-shocked at the whole experience, especially the overtaking!
Vang Vieng lies on the Nam Song River & is an outdoor activity town. It is a good stop off to split the journey from Vientiane to Luang Prabang for one day, unless you want to do any of the activities which many tourists do.
You can take part in kayaking/tubing/zip lining etc, if that’s your thing. The mountainous backdrop, cliffs and paddy fields are a sight to see. You can wander across the bamboo bridge (watch out for motorbikes!) and walk in the beautiful countryside. Pay 80p to climb to the tops of one of the mountains/caves. However, the man-made steps are very steep, rickety and wobbly!
The town is plentiful of restaurants and bars. Laos isn’t a party country, unlike its neighbouring Thailand, however, this town does attract a lot of young thrill seekers. You will find that most bars and restaurants shut down around 10 / 11 PM to abide by local laws.
The Nice View Guesthouse was a great a stay – 16 GBP for an ensuite room for 2 persons. It had a lovely veranda and a ‘nice view’ of the mountains. Eating out is cheap here – you can pick up a large portion of curry & rice for £3.50 in a mid-range restaurant.
A must for me was the early morning meat/vegetable market near the Nam Xong River. I love a spot of people watching and street photography.
Check out my Vang Vieng and road trip highlights below.
