"peaceful Vang Vieng" Top 5 Page for this destination Vang Vieng by Maximilian21

Vang Vieng Travel Guide: 166 reviews and 336 photos

Vang Vieng:hippie haven

Vang Vieng is one of those remote coners of the world that u just dream about. The place where your exisitence basically revolves around waking up in the morning staying in a hut next to the river.

A place where you simply forget about all the stressful respnosibilities you may have back in "civilisation".

Unfotuntely i only stayed a few days in this place but it still remains deeply imprinted in my memory.

I arrived there by mini bus from Luang Prapang. The trip takes about 5 hours through moutainous rural terrain which is extremely winding which proves somewhat taxing on the stomach. The road has also been notorious for bandit activity but this has somewhat dimished in recent years. The government has beefed up the armys presense in the region and attacks and robberys have dimished significantly.

Getting to the town is like a breath of fresh air. Being cooped up in a tiny mini van for several hours is no fun and to get out motivated a few to kiss the ground.
You will see when you get to this place that there isnt much at all in way of infrastructure. It has dirt roads and no street lights. What is does have is an amazing setting, with limestone hills similar to that found in guilin china ,it creates a picturesque backdrop.

You will quickly see that most of the people staying there are in fact backpackers themselves, some of whom have fallen in love with the place and have stayed on for a while.

Pros and Cons

Pros:nice stop off, relaxing
Cons:bad roads to get there
In a nutshell:lovely stop off, might end up staying longer than planned

Intro Updated Jul 10, 2005
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Reviews (9)

Not much here Favorites (3)

I expected something different from the town being a popular stop off spot. However, there really isnt much here, other... more travel advice

Bridge over the Nam song Favorites (3)

Probabaly one of the best pieces of architecture in the region is the brige over the nam song, I used to enjoy takes... more travel advice

Vang Vieng Sunset Nightlife (1)

One of the most beautiful sites in Loas is witnessing a sunset in Vang Vieng. The way the sun set just over the... more travel advice

Bus from Vang Vieng to Vientiane - Vang Vieng

Bus from Vang Vieng to Vientiane Transportation (2)

The buses on this line are usually a lot better and the roads are a lot smother. this trip ususally takes about 3 and a... more travel advice

Things to Do (2)
See All Caving

Warnings and Dangers (1)
Happy Shakes

Comments (5)

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blacksnail Jul 17, 2008 at 7:01 PM

Hello Maximilian, I didn't see beautifiul sunset like u did in vang vieng.. where did u see this?

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j-san Apr 13, 2007 at 9:29 PM

Oh I remember reeeeally needing to pee after the long winding trip! Yes, it is a gorgeous place. And yes, those "happy" things can be very strong.
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budapest8 Apr 4, 2007 at 2:52 AM

Truly wonderful tips and pics....Those shakes sound like they were spiked with something! Good that these wonderful places are not easy to get to.... keeps them unspoilt for a bit longer, well the backpackers found the place...Tim
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schlumpf Aug 27, 2005 at 8:48 AM

..i wonder if someone i know would like to share a beerlao with me right now watching the river...Is that you?!
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jessicadf Jul 12, 2005 at 9:32 PM

Yikes! What's in the not-so-happy-shakes??