Back in my youth (when I first dreamed of visiting South East Asia but ended up in East Africa instead!) I’d heard many stories about backpacking in Laos - including the fabled ‘party town’ of Vang Vieng.
And the stories were awful, by any accounts - loud, rude, drunken backpackers taking over the town, cafes that played reruns of ‘Friends’ from morning to night, open-air drug markets and ‘tipsy tubing’ down the Nam Song river.
No-one was curious about Laotian culture, few wanted to explore the wats…this was a place to come for booze, drugs and fast living.
It was the last that really provoked the Laos government into action, after a number of alcohol-sodden young kids died - think imbibing from ‘cocktail buckets’, then floating down the river semi-conscious in a tube, from one bar to the next, followed by some rope swinging, knocking oneself out and possibly drowning.
And the stories were awful, by any accounts.
Loud, rude, drunken backpackers taking over the town, cafes that played reruns of ‘Friends’ from morning to night, open-air drug markets and ‘tipsy tubing’ down the Nam Song river.
No-one was curious about Laotian culture, few wanted to explore the wats…this was a place to come for booze, drugs and fast living.
Imbibing from ‘cocktail buckets’, then floating down the river semi-conscious in a tube, from one bar to the next, followed by some rope swinging, knocking oneself out and possibly drowning. This was what the place was all about.
After around 25 backpackers died in a short period of time, the Laotian government swung into action. The powers that be cracked down, big time, closing riverside bars, shutting down much of the drug trade and making it known, quite clearly, that if you wanted hedonism, you should not head here.
This was back in 2012, so the place has had a chance to redevelop and, en route to Vientiane, I thought it was worth a stop. I’m not the adrenalin junkie I used to be but I was told there’s still plenty to do - including a toned-down version of tubing, kayaking, rock-climbing, hot air ballooning, biking trails, hiking paths and caves to explore.
And, the truth is, it’s a beautiful spot, surrounded by limestone mountains, dense forests, caves and a lagoon, rice fields and picturesque views that will make you sigh. For those who love the outdoors, you could really settle in for a while - lush greenery, hiking paths, the Tham Pu Kham (‘Blue Lagoon’) cave with its reclining Buddha inside, taking a pricy ride up in a balloon at sunrise or, as I did, hiking a mountain trail one morning and kayaking down the river on afternoon.
Nevertheless, for me the town still has an air of sadness to it.
Whilst it’s no longer a party town, it seems run-down and a bit tawdry.
I was also told that there’s a fair bit of police corruption, which has put backpackers on guard.
I didn’t go out on any drinking sprees or head off got drugs - that’s not my thing. Even so, I can only imagine what the inside of a local police cell would look like in Laos.
The town is surely less wild than it used to be, and there’s no denying that the surrounding natural beauty is astonishing.
Indeed, I really did feel privileged, on my second night, sitting atop a restaurant in the hills, gazing at the sunset over the mountains as I sipped at my coconut shake.
Vang Vieng is, for sure, worth a visit (though, beware, some of these activities are pricey, so bring wads of dollars) but for now it’s time to head south to the capital and then back over the border into Thailand…