Things to do in Vang Vieng
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Vang Vieng
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months: dry with cool mornings, blue lagoons, clear balloon weather and safe river levels, but peak prices.
Shoulder: March is hot and hazy from burning season, while late October brings easing rains, a strong waterfall and better value.
Hot season at 35 to 40C with high humidity: viewpoints at sunrise only, middays in lagoons and caves.
Wet season, heaviest in September and into early October: lush and cheap, but murky lagoons, slippery trails and cancelled flights.
What's on
- Pi Mai Lao 13-16 April
Lao New Year: temple offerings, parades and town wide water splashing. Book transport and hotels weeks ahead.
- Boun Bang Fai mid-May
Rocket Festival: homemade rockets, music and processions in villages around Vang Vieng before the rains.
- Boun Khao Phansa July
The start of Buddhist Lent, marked at temples across Laos.
- Boun Ok Phansa and Lai Heua Fai End of Buddhist Lent, usually October
End of Lent: boat races by day and candlelit banana leaf floats launched on the Nam Song at dusk.
- Hmong New Year late November to early December
Celebrated in Hmong communities in the hills around town, with traditional dress, ball tossing games, music and food.
- That Luang Festival early November
In Vientiane, not Vang Vieng, but it affects train and hotel availability and is an easy train add on.
- Lao National Day 2 December
National holiday that affects train and hotel availability across the corridor.
Best things to do in Vang Vieng
Nam Xay Viewpoint
The best view in town: a steep scramble to a 360 degree panorama over karst towers, rice fields and the river valley.
Blue Lagoon 1
The original and liveliest lagoon, with swimming, a rope swing, jumping platforms and a cave above it.
Blue Lagoon 2
A quieter, greener lagoon with a zipline and jumping platform, away from the biggest crowds.
Blue Lagoon 3
The furthest and most spacious lagoon, with tubes, bamboo rafts, a zip into the water and room to fill hours.
Blue Lagoon 4
The least visited lagoon, pairing naturally with tubing through the Tham Nam water cave nearby.
Nam Song River Tubing
A slow 2 to 4 hour float back into town through karst scenery, now tame rather than a bar crawl.
Tham Nam Water Cave
Tube through a flooded limestone cave, pulling along a fixed rope by headlamp in complete darkness.
Tham Phu Kham Cave
A steep climb from Lagoon 1 into a vast cavern holding a bronze reclining Buddha and shrines.
Where to stay in Vang Vieng
Riverside, south end of town (Song River Road / Ban Viengkeo)
first trip, all-round base
Quiet at night with sunset river and karst views, yet a 5 to 10 minute walk to restaurants and the night market.
Town centre / Walking Street
nightlife and no-transport trips
Everything walkable, from the tubing office to tour shops, the market and bars, for short stays without a scooter.
West bank across the Nam Song (Vieng Tara / Tham Chang side)
scenery and quiet
Bungalows and villas among rice fields with the most photogenic breakfasts and the quietest nights in town.
South / outskirts on the old Vientiane Road and near Green Climbers Home
climbers and long stays
Cheaper weekly rates and a community feel, walkable to the crags, for climbing focused or week plus stays.
Think twice about
- Main party strip and immediately around Sakura Bar
The worst sleep in town: loud music past midnight, drunk crowds, dust, construction and scooter noise from dawn. Book one street back.
- Train station and highway area north of town
Nothing walkable there: no restaurants and no river view, so every coffee needs a shuttle or tuk tuk. Only for a dawn departure.
- Isolated west bank properties in peak wet season (Aug-Oct)
Access tracks flood and mud up, and tuk tuks refuse or overcharge for muddy runs. Check same month reviews for access.
Best restaurants in Vang Vieng
Restaurant du Crabe d'Or
The special occasion dinner: French technique and Lao ingredients in a calm riverside dining room.
Viman Vang Vieng
A German, Thai and international menu that works, with large portions, consistency and a mountain view terrace.
Gary's Irish Bar
Irish stews, pies and burgers by day, then live music, sport and an expat traveller living room by night.
Happy Mango
The best value Thai kitchen in town: proper curries, stir fries and mango sticky rice at cheap eats prices.
Green Restaurant
River view Lao and Asian cooking with a peaceful terrace and a menu vegetarians can actually choose from.
A.M.D Restaurant
A cheap, reliable local kitchen for broad Asian and Lao staples in the centre of town.
Mittaphap Restaurant
A smaller, less tourist facing Lao kitchen for laab, sticky rice and grilled fish or meat at lunch.
Veggie Tables
Vegetarian Lao cooking including a tofu laab with fresh herbs, huge breakfast sandwiches and iced green tea.
Best bars in Vang Vieng
Sakura Bar
The famous nightlife bar until about midnight, but read the safety note on free whisky promotions first.
Kangaroo Sunset
The calmer sunset drinks alternative to the party bars, for a drink as the karsts catch the last light.
Outdoor things to do in Vang Vieng
Nam Song River Kayaking
Half a day paddling under the karsts, more active and scenic than tubing, often with cave stops and lunch.
Paramotor Vang Vieng
Fifteen minutes tandem on a powered paraglider over the valley: lower and faster than the balloon, pure thrill.
Zipline Vang Vieng
Six plus lines over forest and river, best bundled with cave tubing and kayaking rather than done alone.
Green Climbers Home
The base for 200 plus bolted limestone routes, with beginner top rope courses and gear and guides by the day.
Buggy Rental Vang Vieng
A rented dune buggy solves the 24 km west bank loop, hopping viewpoints and lagoons without tuk tuk negotiation.
Kaeng Nyui Waterfall
A jungle trail to a 34 metre waterfall with a swimmable pool, thundering in wet season and thin by February.
West Bank Cycling Loop
The cheapest slow way round rural Vang Vieng: rice fields, villages, caves and lagoons on a rented mountain bike.
Nam Song River Longtail Boat
A fast, noisy 30 to 60 minute blast upriver at sunset, skimming shallows under the cliffs.
Best hotels in Vang Vieng
Riverside Boutique Resort
The consensus best hotel in town: Lao inspired rooms around a big pool on the river bank, quiet but not isolated.
Amari Vang Vieng
The only international chain hotel in town, with the most predictable service, a large pool and river view rooms.
Inthira Vang Vieng
Modern mid range hotel with a pool, central but off the noisiest block, popular with families and tour groups.
Silver Naga Hotel
River view mid range hotel with a pool facing the karsts: request a river facing upper floor room at sunset.
ViengTara VangVieng Resort
Stilted villas over rice fields on a wooden walkway, with Tham Chang behind: the most distinctive stay in town.
The Elephant Crossing Hotel
Long running riverside mid range with large balconies over the Nam Song and a breakfast terrace at the water.
Laos Haven Hotel
Clean, quiet for the centre and family run, with good beds and a helpful tour desk: the flashpacker upgrade pick.
Nana Hostel
The more social of the classic town hostels, with dorms, cheap privates and tour groups forming in the lobby.
Is Vang Vieng expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | LAK 550,000 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | LAK 1,400,000 a person |
| Splurge | LAK 3,850,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Hot Air Balloon Vang Vieng: a few days ahead
- Paramotor Vang Vieng: a few days ahead
- Vang Vieng Railway Station: a few days ahead
- Restaurant du Crabe d'Or: a few days ahead
- Riverside Boutique Resort: weeks ahead
- Amari Vang Vieng: weeks ahead
- Book balloons for your first morning in November to February so weather cancellations can be retried.
- Book Riverside Boutique and Amari weeks ahead in peak season and over Pi Mai; a week ahead is fine otherwise.
- Book train tickets 1 to 2 days ahead on weekends and holidays, and small group adventure combos in peak weeks.
- Book standard combos, tubing, tuk tuks and scooters in town, not online: prices are lower and you can compare group size.
Is Vang Vieng safe?
- Stick to sealed branded beer and sealed bottles: free or dirt cheap spirits carry a serious methanol risk here.
- Never tube, kayak or swim drunk or after heavy rain, wear a life jacket, do not dive, and meet the 6pm tube return.
- Wear a helmet on scooters, take proper shoes, a headtorch and water for viewpoints and caves, and tell your hotel your plan.
- Do not buy drugs or happy menu items, do not wander off marked paths due to unexploded ordnance, and carry adventure travel insurance.
Vang Vieng travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Never surrender your passport for a scooter: photograph the bike at pickup, note every scratch and keep the contract.
- Watch fuel station attendants reset the pump to zero before filling.
- Confirm combo tours in writing: which lagoon, which caves, lunch included, maximum group size and return time.
- Skip Blue Lagoon 1 at 1pm on a weekend, night market souvenir stalls, and any VIP tubing or bar crawl ticket.
Getting around Vang Vieng: public transport and more
- Walk the town in 15 minutes end to end; lagoons, viewpoints and caves all need wheels.
- Agree every tuk tuk fare before you get in, and share a tuk tuk to Lagoon 3 to save money.
- Scooters are the most useful hire at about 150,000 to 250,000 kip a day, and the biggest source of injuries.
- Take the Laos China Railway for Vientiane or Luang Prabang, about an hour each, and arrive 30 to 60 minutes early with a passport.
Who Vang Vieng suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Good |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make Vang Vieng your trip
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