Hello readers! Our travels have been going so insanely fast, and now I find myself a few weeks behind on blogging. However, now that Christmas is over, I can hopefully find some time to catch up. After leaving Luang Prabang, Danne and I travelled to Vang Vieng. I was a bit hesitant to visit Vang Vieng since it used to be a giant drunk party back in the days and I really had no idea what to expect. I was actually ready to hop over visiting Vang Vieng, but Daniel insisted he wanted to see what it was all about. So, here is the grand question of this blog post:
Am I too old to visit Vang Vieng?
What is Vang Vieng Actually Like?
As I said, I was a tad nervous to visit. I was imagining a big party on the river and travellers that I would not identify with. We did some research before arriving. However, the information we found was a bit mixed. Some blogs wrote about how in 2012, the government in Laos shut down most of the bars along the river. The government ripped out all of the dangerous activities along the Nam Song River (which is famous for tubing down) in an effort to clean up the city.
I also read that the Vang Vieng was still very much a party scene and that the government was unsuccessful in cleaning up the city. These blogs stated that the party scene was very much still alive in Vang Vieng. I was expecting young tourists acting inappropriately while abroad.
Right when we arrived, it was pretty obvious what the truth actually was. All of the hostels were quite quiet. It appears that the Lao government have done well with their initiative. Gone are the days of all-day partying and (thankfully) accidental deaths. I can’t imagine how it was in the “glory days”, when there was zip lining along the river and over 20 bars. Now, there is just a handful of bars left along the river, and they are all at the beginning. I expected a somewhat party atmosphere. However, this is not what we got. Vang Vieng felt more like a place to relax or have some sightseeing adventures. I was totally surprised by the calmness of the city. I have to admit that I found Vang Vieng a bit boring.
What is There to Do in Vang Vieng?
When I write that I found Vang Vieng a bit boring, I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way. I mean it more in the fact that I was suprised a surprised since it was the complete opposite of my expectations. Vang Vieng is a very dusty city situated beside a river and mountain range. So, what activities are there to do so you can enjoy your stay in Vang Vieng?
Go Tubing Down the Nam Song River
Although the days of wild partying are over, I still think it is worth it to go tubing down the river. I really think that this activity can be catered to all ages. We were both surprised that the majority of people we encountered on the river were in kayaks. However, most of the western tourists opted for tubing.
The day we went tubing, the weather was quite undesirable. It was cold and a bit damp, but our time was limited in Vang Vieng and we had to see what it was all about. I will note that the day we went, it was extremely unbusy on the river. This could contribute to why we thought it was such a chill experience. We rented tubes down the street from our accommodation and used their truck service to get dropped off at the starting position. I expected that I would have to float at least 15 minutes before encountering my first bar. However, the first bar was literally directly across the river.
So, Danne and I hopped on our tubes and took the 5-second journey across the river to our first bar. In the first bar, we saw a glimpse of how Vang Vieng was 10 years ago. Instead of visitors to chat with, almost everyone at the first bar was living in Vang Vieng. I love living abroad (it is seriously the best!) but I was a bit surprised that they decided to live here. Vang Vieng is definitely not my favourite place during our travels.
The expats we met at the first bar were really nice. However, I really cannot imagine having their lives. They literally do the same thing every single day. They wake up, get wasted, and then work at the bars during the evening. How does that not get old after a few weeks? I expected everyone to be around 19; however, one of the expats was 27. I was just a bit shocked that they all seemed to love their life when I just felt it was so boring. It was just after lunchtime and one of those expats ended up already puking. Thankfully, we met some other travellers and it was time to move away from this group of drunken expats and move to the next bar,
This was the only type of “inappropriate” party behaviour we saw during our entire stay in Vang Vieng. We ended up floating for another 30 seconds and had to pull over to reach the second bar. The next bar was even more empty than the first. It was a cool atmosphere but there were not many travellers.
We had been warned that just 3 or 4 bars were open all day, so we were a bit surprised that we had already done 2 stops within the first minute of tubing. We had quite a distance to cover and we wanted to actually reach our destination before dark. After floating for maybe another 10 minutes, we reached a big sign stating this was the final bar stop. This meant that the next 1.5 hours would only be floating. We took our last stop here before heading down the rest of the river.
We did have to tube a bit in the dark. Thankfully, the water was really shallow so it was not dangerous at all. However, be careful and be safe. For us, tubing was an extremely relaxing (and rather dull) event. During last 1.5 hours, it got a bit cold and I just wanted to be at the final destination. It was so chill to just float down the river. I can imagine it would be a bit more lively (and less cold) in good weather. However, my imagination ran wild before on how outrageous this tubing experience would be. It ended up being nothing like I preconceived. It was the opposite of wild of adventure seeking. So, definitely an acceptable activity for those that are 30+!
A word of caution, the kayakers will try to splash water on you. I was a bit surprised at first since I thought it was an accident. After the first encounter, I vowed to threaten to flip their kayak if they did it again. Luckily, (for perhaps me and them) it wasn’t busy so no else tried to mess with me. It could also be because I proclaimed quite loudly that I would flip them over…who knows?
Rent a Motorbike and Explore
I think renting a motorbike is on my itinerary for every country we visit. However, it really is the easiest and best way to explore a new place. We rented next door to where we got our tubes. We did a short day of motorbiking since we had bad weather while in Vang Vieng and just wanted to make the most out of our time there.
There is a bridge that costs money to cross. This is where all of the cars cross. However, there is a small wobbly bridge which motorbikes can go over for free. So, make sure you take that path. Since Vang Vieng is surrounded by mountains, it makes the perfect setting to go motorbiking and hiking. I do wish that we had better weather so we could have explored a lot further. Once you make your way out of town, you meet a fork in the road. Going left, you are met by non-maintained dirt roads. However, going right, you will find that the roads are more easily accessible.
We tried going left first (who doesn’t love a bit of adventure?) and reached Blue Lagoon 2. We were already told to hop over Blue Lagoon 1 and instead seek out Blue Lagoon 3. At the time we just thought why not check out Blue Lagoon 2?
Blue Lagoon 2 looked very man-made. It definitely did not have that pristine natural look with real natural landmarks. We were both a bit disappointed with how fake it was. However, with that cheap price tag, who cares? We really wanted to make our way to Blue Lagoon 3, but it was too far away and we had just a limited number of hours.
We decided to turn around and head off to a hike near Blue Lagoon 1. Based on the short climb up, this is one of the most rewarding hikes I have done. It only takes 15-20 minutes to climb up at a quick pace. When you arrive to the top, you are met with a stunning 360-degree view of the entire surrounding area.
This hike is so worth it. If you do not drive a motorbike, then you can rent bikes and bike out there. We met 4 tourists doing this and it didn’t seem too far away. I loved this hike since it was so close to the city and offered really rewarding views. The trail was quite well-maintained and there was only a steep part near the end of the climb.
I forgot to take a picture of the name of this hike, and I have had some troubles finding the name online. However, below is the location of the hike. As you can see, it is really close to Blue Lagoon 1. I know that there are other hikes nearby and I would love to know how nice the views are there.
So, go rent a motorbike and get some good views. The best way to see a new place is from a good view, right? Might as well assume that is the truth and get those great pictures for Instagram.
Eat Good Food
This is another staple in every blog post. If you haven’t guess yet, I am a huge foodie. My entire waking day revolved around thinking about food. Since I am a foodie, I scour blogs and Google Maps for the best restaurants available. Lucky us, Vang Vieng has some amazing restaurants in town. Here are 4 restaurants you should not miss out on!
Eat Me Vang Vieng
I stumbled upon this restaurant while in a panic from hunger after our bus ride from Luang Prabang. We needed to find food fast and I was sent out on the mission to find something satisfying. I passed Eat Me Vang Vieng while looking for another place, and I was so desperate I took it. I mean, the decor was quite cute with hanging umbrellas! After I ordered, I braved looking at the reviews on Google and was so happy to discover it was very well-reviewed.
After months without dairy, finding good dairy products is a dream. They have this amazing passionfruit yogurt smoothie which is to die for. I ended up getting one every day since it was the perfect blend of sweet and tangy.
The Lao food was really great. My favourite Lao dish has been the basil chili chicken. Daniel and I make a similar dish at home, but the version in Laos was amazing. Eat Me Vang Vieng did a great job of satisfying my hunger.
Happy Mango Thai Restaurant
After eating here, it is obvious why it is the top-rated restaurant on TripAdvisor. The Thai food here was fresh and well-flavoured. We absolutely loved our meal here and especially the service. The green curry and pad thai were quite amazing.
Il Tavolo
It is a strange concept to get good Italian food in Laos, but this place really hit the spot. With freshly made gnocchi and well-made crust on their pizzas, it was a hit!
Amigo’s Vang Vieng
Perhaps even stranger than Italian food is Mexican. Although this restaurant is not authentic at all (it is owned by a Canadian), the tacos tasted like home. The taste of home is always comforting while travelling. We were there on a Friday which was fitting since Swedish people love to eat tacos on Fridays. This random Swedish habit makes no sense to the rest of the world, but we can put it like this: I have had a lot of Taco Fridays since I moved to Sweden. So, Danne and I were both happy getting a taste of unauthentic but tasty tacos while in Laos.
Am I Too Old to Travel to Vang Vieng?
Back to my original question, the answer is hell no! Vang Vieng is a place to suit all travellers. If you just want to chill out and eat good food, then this is paradise. However, it is also great for hiking and seeing beautiful nature. If you are seeking the rumours of amazing parties and nightlife then you will be disappointed that Vang Vieng has changed and the country of Laos has taken control over it again. There are some bars which were quite nice to visit, but they were not too wild. Of course, you will encounter some expats who wish they were back in the “glory days”, but their numbers are few. Thankfully, tourism doesn’t need to always ruin these beautiful small towns.
Would you like to travel to Vang Vieng? Do you agree with my opinion of the city?
Let me know in the comments!
xx
Jasmine
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