Vang Vieng

We spent five nights in the charming town of Vang Vieng, staying at the Vang Vieng Remember Hotel. The town and its surroundings offered a mix of breathtaking nature and adventurous activities, making it an unforgettable part of our journey. The city is very much geared towards adventure tours which immediately becomes evident as literally every 20m you will see a place that cells tickets for all sorts of activities.
During our time there we visited Tham Chang Cave which you can reach within a short ride over a river with a small boat ferry. The cool thing about it is that it does not have an engine but uses a rope and the river’s current to make it from one side to the other. For further sightseeing and hiking in Vang Vieng we rented a scooter. Besides getting around, riding a scooter is a great way to see how people live in the countryside but also spotting some peculiar things we are not used to at home.
On our rides, we saw many cows strolling on the road, people who washed themselves in a river or with a hose in their backyard, and a bridge that is still used frequently but is broken to a point where it is borderline safe at best. While crossing this broken bridge on our scooter, Marina had to get off the scooter to rearrange some loose boards on the bridge such as to close some gaps too big to ride over. For our first hike, we went to Pha Ngern Silver Cliff View Point and got some breathtaking views from its two viewpoints. There is one with a motorcycle to take amazing pictures with and another one with a small hut.
After this sweaty activity we needed to cool-off, which we did at the Blue Lagoon 3, a place where you can swim, eat and relax. The cool thing about this place is that there are various rope swings and other equipment for a fun time in the water.

Our highlights in Vang Vieng though were a sunrise balloon ride, a sunset paramotor flight, kayaking at Nam Song River, and getting to know a German couple named Elena and Justin. The funny thing is that we ran into them about four times during our stay in Laos. The fourth time Elena started a conversation with us and asked us if we wanted to have dinner together. So we did and had an amazing evening. The day after, we also met for coffee and had some great talks.
Vang Vieng gave us adventure, beauty, and plenty of stories to take with us. It was a truly memorable stop on our journey. Leaving Vang Vieng, we traveled to Nong Khiaw by train and a bumpy minivan ride. The minivan frequently hit potholes, causing jolts. An experience we won’t forget anytime soon!

There were some good restaurants, cafés and bars we can recommend:
- Il Tavolo (Great italian food)
- Happy Mango (Excellent curries)
- Kiwi Kitchen (Try the pineapple and coconut smoothie)
- Golden Bamboo Restaurant (Good food but a bit expensive compared to other restaurants)
- Bon Appetit (Delicious food made by French)
- Napolitean Pizza (A small choice of pizzas but delicious pizzas)
- Naked Espresso (Coffee place)
- The Big Easy Bar Vang Vieng (A lively spot for drinks and socializing)Læs mere