Things To Do In Vang Vieng – Visit Vang Vieng – Budget Travel In Laos

Visit Vang Vieng, Laos to experience an idyllic yet lively town filled with bars, restaurants, incredible views and a bucket-list tubing experience.

Vang Vieng divides opinion amongst travellers. It is either a beautifully serene, small, riverside town blessed with amazing mountain views or a tourist hellhole filled with young, loud backpackers wasted on drugs and booze.

Read how to get from Vientiane to Vang Vieng here.

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Things To Do In Vang Vieng

The first thing we did after we checked into our hostel was head towards the river and those mountains. There isn’t a riverside walk as such but it can be accessed at certain points. We found a way to get out to the river. The view was breathtaking. After a fairly average few days in Vientiane, this was the point where Laos started to really impress.

Cycling In The Vang Vieng Countryside

We decided to take mountain bikes to the blue lagoon at Tham Poukam Cave (map). We paid 30,000 kip for the bikes from a shop next door to our hostel (map).

Tham Poukam Cave is located on the west side of the river so we had to take the bridge over and pay a toll (6000 per person with bike return). We then cycled for around 6 km through some amazing Laos countryside. The journey was pretty flat and along the way some houses also sold drinks and snacks. It was a great route as it was not too busy and is surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Drugs in Vang Vieng

In mainland Thailand, drugs are a definite no-no. Even simple possession of marijuana can lead to heavy fines and prison sentences (and usually does). It’s simply not worth the risk. I expected Laos to be the same, even though I had read about tourists smoking weed openly in Vang Vieng. Our hostel had a sign on display informing its guests that anyone caught by the police smoking weed would face a 5 million kip fine. The Smile Beach Bar warned its customers of the same fines and also that policemen patrolled the beach, sometimes undercover, looking for a nice financial bonus.

However, there are bars that will sell you marijuana, opium and mushrooms. It seems that the local police turn a blind eye to recreational use of drugs, but only in the establishments that sell. Such a system is open to corruption and there are some horror stories of bent policemen taking advantage of naive tourists. It’s probably not worth the risk but if you decide to take drugs in Vang Vieng, do so only in the happy bars.

Food And Drink In Vang Vieng

Earth Bar (map) has a nice vibe and I enjoyed a beer in the beer garden whilst chatting to an Irish couple who were also travelling in South East Asia. This seemed a popular place for backpackers to meet and share stories around the fire in the beer garden.

Emily’s Restaurant (map) is one of many bars in the centre of Vang Vieng. It is also known as ‘Sakura 2’. Having 2 names should have been a warning. Our fruit shakes arrived and were very weak. Then the food arrived. It was supposed to be a Chinese noodle soup with sirloin steak. The broth was basically hot water with some chilli powder. The meat was like nothing I’d ever seen.

I complained when they gave us the bill as I had barely touched it. I showed them the meat and asked them what it was? They looked embarrassed! They decided not to charge me. STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE!

Full Moon (map) is a ‘happy bar’ with a great atmosphere. The Bob Marley pictures in the entrance make it clear what kind of place it is. Sure enough, on ordering a Beerlaos, out popped the ‘happy menu’. I noticed they did a weed and magic mushroom soup which sounded interesting, but I stuck to the beer.

Jungle (map) is THE place to go if you are wanting to party beyond the closing times of the bars in the city. Jungle is a Friday night event just outside the main town. Tuktuks pick up punters from the local bars and take them to party on until the small hours.

The Island Bar (map) is a great place to enjoy the sunset over the river. They played great music music too (Beatles, Floyd, Zeppelin). Unfortunately, on our visit, the music was drowned out by the soundcheck of a nearby festival that was happening that evening.

Oh La La Restaurant Bar (map) is one of many restaurants in the centre of Vang Vieng. It had a big menu and catered for veggies. Once we were seated, we checked the reviews on Google Maps. They were not very favourable! However, my vegetable red curry was very nice and hit the spot!

Reggae Bar (map) is one of the happy bars in Vang Vieng. It took me by surprise as I only went in for a beer, only to notice the ‘special’ menu on the counter.

Yes, that’s right. You can buy weed, opium and mushrooms in this place. I really was not expecting that! The bar itself was very much like an Amsterdam coffee shop and the music was, as you’d expect, of a reggae vibe. 🙂 I did feel a little uneasy as I wasn’t expecting it. I had just one more large beer and then moved on 🙂

Sandwich Street (map) is basically a small street food market where every stall sells exactly the same thing. If you want burgers, sandwiches, pancakes or fruit shakes, you are in luck. Anything else and you can forget it.

After a disastrous meal at Emily’s (see above), I decided to give the burgers a try. I had the burger with EVERYTHING and it was pretty damn good!

Saylomyen (map) is a popular restuarant in the heart of the city. The food here was quite good but nothing amazing. It was fast to arrive and we were in and out of the place in half an hour.

Smile Beach Bar (map) is located on the banks of the river and is the end point for tubers. We came upon it by chance on our first night in Vang Vieng.

Chilling out in hammocks sounded just wonderful so we decided to investigate further. We descended the rickety staircase and crossed the bridge. We could hear psy-trance music playing in the distance and headed in that direction.

After a few minutes we reached the bar itself. We bought a beer (150,000 for a large Beerlaos) and the barman pointed us in the direction of the hammocks. There were a number of cabanas lined up at the riverside, each with two hammocks, facing the mountains. We settled into the hammocks with our Beerlaos. I think it was at that precise moment that we started to fall in love with Laos. Lazing in a hammock, drinking a beer, watching the sunset behind the mountains by the river. A truly incredible experience.

We stayed for another beer until the sun had disappeared. The sunset in Vientiane was great but this was something else. You must visit the Smile Bar in Vang Vieng. It is the best of the Vang Vieng nightlife.

By the time we left Smile Beach Bar, darkness had fallen on the town and it had a different atmosphere. The street vendors were out, though there wasn’t much choice. The first street had a row of identical vendors all selling exactly the same thing (baguettes and burgers). I found someone with a tiny grill and bought a sausage.

Space Bar & Tifalcony Restaurant (map) is another bar that offers a ‘happy menu’. They played some good electronic music and even had an acoustic guitar which I enjoyed using to add some dub rhythms to the beats. The server was very friendly and it was a great place to have my final beer in Vang Vieng.

River Tubing In Vang Vieng 

One of the most well known activities in Vang Vieng is ‘tubing’ on the Nam Song river. This involves renting a rubber tube to sit in and float 4 km down the river, stopping off at bars on the way. It is partly because of this that Vang Vieng has developed a bit of a bad reputation.

Vang Vieng Deaths

Around 10 years ago, the tubing ‘scene’ was much different. There were around 11 bars on the river, all intent on getting tourists as drunk as possible. Free whiskey and ‘special’ menus ensured that, by the time they reached the end of the river, the average tourist was well and truly hammered. There were many deaths caused by out-of-it tourists jumping from swings into water that was too shallow and drowning. In 2011, when the number of Vang Vieng tubing deaths in reached an all time high, the Laos government decided to act. Nowadays, only 4 bars can operate at any one time and the ‘special’ menus are forbidden.

Is Tubing Worth It In Vang Vieng?

We were a little hesitant as we really did not know what to expect or whether it would be safe (especially as I’m not a great swimmer). We thought about kayaking instead but then decided to go for it. In hindsight, this was a good decision.

Where To Get Your Tube In Vang Vieng

We started our tubing experience in the town centre. The hire shop we used was very popular (I think it might be the only one doing the packages). Go to Haley’s Coffee (map) and turn left towards the river and the tube hire is on the left hand side. You will notice it by the crowd of young adventure-seekers already with Beerlaus in hand.

We were required to complete a waiver form and pay 60,000 kip (plus a 20,000 kip deposit that is returned if you return the tube before 8 pm). We were then put on a songthauw, already loaded with tubes, which transported us to the Organic Farm & Restaurant where the tubing began. The songthauw was included in the price.

Tubing Bars

As soon as we got in the river, we noticed a bar almost immediately. Playing extremely loud, cheesy music, this one seemed more catered for the younger traveller wanting to partake in beer pong and other such games, designed to get you hammered. We floated past this one.

There are about 4 bars at the beginning of the route. As we floated past the second one, the owner shouted us in. We declined. Too early for Joanna. As we drifted slowly past, Joanna decided it wasn’t too early after all. We shouted to him and he threw a rope attached to a bottle filled with water. I grabbed it and he started to pull us in. This was a more relaxed place with no booze games though the music was incredibly loud.

Tubing Down The Nam Song

After a Beerlaus, we got back in the tube and began our slow float down the river. It was such a great experience. There were times when it seemed like we had the whole river to ourselves, only to be passed by kayaks filled with shouting and singing tourists that reminded us we weren’t alone in the world.

Along the way, we floated past the most amazing mountains, small riverside communities, fishermen in the river, goats, cows, ziplines and some of the most amazing views.

The tubing ends at Smile Beach Bar; the place we discovered the previous day. It is about five minutes walk to the tubing shop where we returned the tubes and picked up our deposit.

No Photos?

The most disappointing thing about tubing is that we saw the most amazing scenery but were unable to take any photos as we had chosen to leave our phones back in the hostel. Being on water, I just couldn’t trust myself to take it with me. I’m afraid these memories are for us only. If only I had a GoPro!

GO TUBING IN VANG VIENG!

So, in answer to my earlier question: YES, YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY GO TUBING IN VANG VIENG. Don’t be put off by the horror stories of death and injury of excessively drunk backpackers. If you don’t like the look of a bar, just float on past. It is very slow moving, apart from a couple of spots, and is one of the most chilled out experiences you can have. It really is one of the top things to do in Vang Vieng.

Sae Lao Education Project

On the way to the blue lagoon, about 200 metres before the entrance, we came  across ‘Sae Loa Education Project’ (map). It is a project that is run by volunteers to provide educational opportunities to the young people in the area. We stopped for breakfast and the place was full of backpackers from all over the world teaching local youngsters how to speak English. The project offers workaway for travellers looking to help for up to a month. It is a great place and by eating here, you are contributing to the local community. Not only that but the omelette I had was the best omelette I had on my whole trip so far! And the shake was great too! Highly recommended.

Sae Loa Education Project Opening Times: 9 am – 4 pm, every day.

Tham Poukam Caves And Blue Lagoon Vang Vieng

We hired bicycles to reach Tham Poukam Caves And Blue Lagoon (see above). We reached the entrance to the blue lagoon, paid our admission (20,000 kip) and parked up our bikes. Some reviews have criticised this place for being too full of tourists, but it was not too overcrowded on our visit.

We walked past the blue lagoon to the entrance of the cave which, we discovered, was up a very steep climb!

The cave itself was very impressive as it is huge. We were left to explore by ourselves and, apart from a few arrows chalked on some of the rocks, we really didn’t have any idea where to go. It gets very dark inside and we only had our phones for light. It seemed quite dangerous in parts and, as my foot was still weak from an accident in Vientiane, I didn’t want to go too far in. Apparently, it goes on for about half a km. It’s not the easiest of caves to explore so we headed back outside to the serenity of the blue lagoon where Joanna enjoyed having a swim in the sweltering heat!

Tham Poukam Cave And Blue Lagoon Opening Times: 7 am – 5.30 pm
Tham Poukam Cave And Blue Lagoon Entrance Fee: 20 000 KIP

Vang Vieng Night Market

Vang Vieng Night Market (map) offers a better choice of street food. You can also buy fresh fruit such as mango and durian. Vendors sell the usual street market products such as t-shirts, baseball caps and tubing/snorkeling paraphernalia. There are also a number of restuarants lining the street including a German restaurant.

Vang Vieng Night Mark Opening Times: 6 pm – 10 pm, every day.

Is Vang Vieng Worth Visiting?

I think Vang Vieng must have quietened down over the last decade. It is nothing like the hellhole that some reports had led me to believe. I didn’t see any tourists behaving badly so maybe it is finally losing that hedonistic appeal. It is stunningly beautiful and the tubing is an amazing experience. If you are coming to Laos, then you must visit Vang Vieng.