Vang Vieng Travel Guide

Other Things to See and Do in Vang Vieng

1. Try rock climbing

There are several options for rock climbing in Vang Vieng, whether you are a first-time climber or a professional. Adam’s Climbing School will show you the ropes (pun intended). For a half-day of lessons and climbing, expect to pay 180,000 LAK ($20 USD).

2. Check out the Water Cave

The Water Cave is one of the main attractions in Vang Vieng. You’ll tube through the cave while holding onto a rope with only a flashlight to light the route ahead of you. A tube and flashlight rental is only 10,000 LAK ($1.15 USD), but many tours plan the tubing in the morning and follow it up with a BBQ picnic lunch. A full-day adventure with Wonderful Tours Laos includes the Water Cave, zip-lining, and kayaking for about 450,000 LAK ($52 USD).

3. Take a hot air balloon ride

Hot air balloon rides are offered during the dry season. Rides usually last about 45 minutes, and it is one of the best ways to take in the mountainous scenery around Vang Vieng. Expect to pay at least 735,505 LAK ($85 USD). You can book directly through Balloons Over Vang Vieng or through a third-party company like Wonderful Tours.

4. Go biking

Rent a bike and take a self-guided tour along Route 13’s paved roads through farmland, rice paddy fields, and jungle-covered mountains. Regular bicycles are available for around 20,000 LAK ($2.30 USD) per day, while mountain bikes are from about 30,000 LAK ($3.45 USD) per day. Alternatively, hop on a guided half-day tour starting from 432,875 LAK ($50 USD).

Vang Vieng Travel Costs

Hostel prices – Hostel prices start at about 43,300 LAK ($5 USD) for a bed in a dorm that holds ten or more people. Smaller dorms cost around 60,620 LAK ($7 USD) for a six to ten-person dorm, while a four-person dorm is about 86,600 LAK ($10 USD). These prices are pretty consistent anywhere in town.

Private rooms average about 173,590 LAK ($20 USD) per night for a room with an ensuite bathroom.

Free wifi is standard, and most of the hostels offer free breakfast too.

Keep in mind that almost none of the hostels have kitchens so you will need to eat out for your meals or find a local guesthouse with a kitchen.

Budget hotel prices – Rooms at two-star hotels with free wifi, air conditioning, and free breakfast start around 173,060 LAK ($20 USD) per night.
Some properties on the river are more expensive. Expect to pay around 302,855 LAK ($35 USD) per night for one of them.

In addition to hotels, there are lots of Airbnb options in Vang Vieng. Shared rooms (like dorms) are from 86,575 LAK ($10 USD) per night. Private rooms start from 130,190 LAK ($15 USD) but average more like 173,590 LAK ($20 USD). There are very few full apartments or homes for rent, but if you find one, they start at 390,575 LAK ($45 USD).

Average cost of food – On average, you will pay between 15,000-35,000 ($1-4 USD) for street food. Coffee will run you about 5,000 LAK ($0.60 USD) while a fruit shake costs about 17,000 LAK ($2 USD).

Restaurants selling traditional food (especially rice and noodles) usually have meals for about 25,959 LAK ($3 USD). Western food will start from around 30,000 LAK ($3.50 USD) for a burger or a slice of pizza but can be as high as 86,795 LAK ($10 USD).

If you want western food, the Irish bar (yes, that’s the name) is a good option. A delicious bowl of carbonara and a large beer will cost you less than 75,000 LAK ($8.65 USD).

A small bottle of water will cost around 2,700 LAK ($0.30 USD), and you can easily find beers at restaurants and bars for 8,653 LAK ($1 USD).

Food from the local markets is relatively inexpensive, with a week’s worth of groceries costing between 150,000-250,000 LAK ($17.30-29 USD). But since most places don’t have kitchens, I wouldn’t recommend cooking your own meals anyways.

Backpacking Vang Vieng Suggested Budgets

On a backpacker budget, you will spend about 243,025 LAK ($28 USD) per day. This budget will cover staying in a hostel dorm, eating street food, drinking some beers, renting a bicycle to get around, and enjoying at least one activity per day.

On a mid-range budget of about 607,560 LAK ($70 USD) per day, you’ll get a two-star hotel room, or a private hostel dorm or Airbnb room. You’ll eat street food and local food, take some taxis or tuk-tuks, and do more activities.

A luxury budget will cost you from 1,215,120 LAK ($140 USD) per day, and this is the floor. You will stay in a four-star hotel, eat out for all your meals, enjoy lots of drinks, hire private tuk-tuks, and do some guided tours.

Use the chart below to get some idea of how much you need to budget daily, depending on your travel style. Keep in mind these are daily averages – some days you’ll spend more, some days you’ll spend less (you might pay less every day). We want to give you a general idea of how to make your budget. Prices are in USD.

Vang Vieng Travel Guide: Money Saving Tips

Vang Vieng, like the rest of Laos, is pretty cheap. As it’s a popular tourist destination, prices are a little bit higher than elsewhere in the country, but they aren’t going to break your bank. If you drink a lot, you’ll spend a lot. That said, here are some ways to save money when you visit Vang Vieng:

• Stick to the local food – Western food is always more expensive than local cuisine. While the prices aren’t that high, it will slowly add up throughout your trip. And anyway did you come to Laos to have a terrible burger? No. Eat the local food!
• Don’t party too hard – While Vang Vieng isn’t the crazy place it once was on the party scale, skipping out on a lot of drinking is one way to go to cut costs.
• Limit your activities – Between tubing and rock climbing, exploring caves and riding hot air balloons, there is a lot to do in Vang Vieng. You’ll end up breaking the bank if you try to do everything, so consider picking your top activities and just doing them.
• Pack a water bottle – A water bottle with a purifier will come particularly in handy in Southeast Asia since you can’t drink the tap water. Save money and thousands of plastic bottles and get a bottle that can purify the tap water for you. My preferred bottle is LifeStraw ($49.99).

Where To Stay in Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng has lots of accommodation options, and some hostels even come with pools or epic views of the mountains. My suggested places are:

• Real Backpackers
• Nana Backpackers Hostel
• Vang Vieng Freedom Hostel
• Easy Go Hostel

How to Get Around Vang Vieng

It’s super easy to get around Vang Vieng on foot. The town is small, and if you’re here for adventure activities, transportation is likely included in your tour ticket.

Bicycle – Bicycles are a great way to navigate Vang Vieng and its neighboring areas. It’s possible to rent a bicycle at lots of different shops in town, and sometimes at your accommodations. Regular bicycles are available for around 20,000 LAK ($2.30 USD) per day, while mountain bikes are from about 30,000 LAK ($3.45 USD) per day.

Motorcycles – At many of the bicycle rental shops you’ll also find motorcycle rentals. Rentals are from 50,000-70,000 LAK ($5.75-8 USD) per day.

Tuk-Tuks – There are some tuk-tuks around town, and 10,000 LAK ($1.15 USD) will be enough to get you anywhere you need to go. A full-day hire will cost about 130,000 LAK ($15 USD). If you want to get beyond Vang Vieng (like to the cave sites), you can hire a tuk-tuk from the old market for about 86,795 LAK ($10 USD) per trip.

ATV – Want to do some off-roading? Rent an ATV! It’s one of the best ways to see the stunning countryside around Vang Vieng. Prices will vary depending on what you rent, but for hourly rentals expect to pay around 70,000 LAK ($8 USD).

When to Go to Vang Vieng

Between November to March is the best time to visit Vang Vieng. This is when the area’s weather is consistently warm and dry, and if you’re here primarily to do adventure activities, this kind of climate is perfect. Temperatures are quite cool if you’re spending most of your time in the mountains. In the city itself, the average daily temperature is 77°F (25°C). This is the busiest time of year as well, so you can expect higher prices and bigger crowds.

March to May tends to be the hottest months, with temperatures as high as 104°F (40°C). Humidity is high as well. July and August are popular months to visit Vang Vieng for European and South American travelers making the most of their holidays.

The rainiest times of year are September and October. This isn’t great for adventure activities as the area may experience flooding, and the thick mud makes it difficult to get around. Plus, if you want to get out into the mountains, there’s a higher risk for landslides.

How to Stay Safe in Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is a very safe place to backpack and travel. Since the government shut down most of the party tubing scene, safety has drastically improved. The town also doesn’t have the same amount of tourist traffic anymore, so petty crimes like pickpocketing are also rare (but by no means unlikely).

As with most places in Southeast Asia, people and businesses will often try to rip you off. Worried about travel scams? Read about these travel scams and make sure you don’t fall for any!

Always trust your gut instinct. If a taxi driver seems shady, stop the cab and get out. If your hotel is seedier than you thought, get out of there. Make copies of your personal documents, including your passport and ID.

When people get into trouble here, it’s mostly because they’re tangled up with drugs or the sex industry. Laos is strict about punishment when it comes to these offenses, so avoid at all costs!

If you don’t do it at home, don’t do it when you’re in Vang Vieng. Follow that rule, and you’ll be fine.

The most important piece of safety advice I can offer is to purchase good travel insurance. Travel insurance will protect you against illness, injury, theft, and cancellations. It’s comprehensive protection in case anything goes wrong. I never go on a trip without it as I’ve had to use it many times in the past. You can use the widget below to find the policy right for you:

Vang Vieng Travel Guide: The Best Booking Resources

Below are my favorite companies to use when I travel to Vang Vieng. They are included here because they consistently turn up the best deals, offer world-class customer service and great value, and overall, are better than their competitors.

• Momondo – This is my favorite flight search engine because they search such a wide variety of sites and airlines. I never book a flight without checking here first.
• Skyscanner – Skyscanner is another great flight search engline which searches a lot of different airlines, including many of the budget carriers that larger sites miss. While I always start with Momondo, I use this site too as a way to compare prices.
• Airbnb – Airbnb is a great accommodation alternative for connecting with homeowners who rent out their homes or apartments. The big cities have tons of listings!
• Hostelworld – This is the best hostel accommodation site out there, with the largest inventory, best search interface, and widest availability.
• Agoda – Other than Hostelworld an Airbnb, Agoda is the best hotel accommodation site for Asia as it has the largest inventory and offers the best rates. If you want a guesthouse or hotel, book it via this website!
• 12go.asia – 12go.asia is the best website for booking transportation around Southeast Asia. You will be able to research your journey ahead of time and figure out the best schedule and prices.
• Rome 2 Rio – This website allows you to see how to get from point A to point B the best and cheapest way possible. Just enter your departure and arrival destinations and it will give you all the bus, train, plane, or boat routes that can get you there as well as how much they cost. One of the best transportation website out there!
• Intrepid Travel – If you want to do a group tour around Asia, go with Intrepid Travel. They offer good small group tours that use local operators and leave a small environmental footprint. If you go on a tour with anyone, go with them. And, as a reader of this site, you’ll get a discount when you click the link!
• World Nomads – I buy all my travel insurance from World Nomads. They have great customer service, competitive prices, and in-depth coverage. I’ve been using them since I started traveling in 2003. Don’t leave home without it!

Vang Vieng Gear and Packing Guide

If you’re heading on the road and need some gear suggestions, here are my tips for the best travel backpack and for what to pack!

The Best Backpack for Travelers

What’s the best backpack for traveling long-term? I recommend the REI Flash 45 Pack. It’s light and comfy, front loading, and fits perfectly in an airplane’s overhead bin.
Size: 45-47L
Straps: Thick and cushy with compression technology that pulls the pack’s load up and inwards so it doesn’t feel as heavy.
Features: Removable top lid, large pocket at the front, hydration compatible, contoured hip belt

If you want something different, refer to my article on how to choose the best travel backpack for tips on picking a pack and other backpack suggestions.

What to Pack for Your Trip

Clothes

• 1 pair of jeans (heavy and not easily dried, but I like them; a good alternative is khaki pants)
• 1 pair of shorts
• 1 bathing suit
• 5 T-shirts (Unbound Merino is my preferred company. If you’re a member of NM+, you can get 15% off your purchase)
• 1 long-sleeved T-shirt
• 1 pair of flip-flops
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 6 pairs of socks (I always end up losing half)
• 5 pairs of boxer shorts (I’m not a briefs guy!)
• 1 toothbrush
• 1 tube of toothpaste
• 1 razor
• 1 package of dental floss
• 1 small bottle of shampoo
• 1 small bottle of shower gel
• 1 towel
• Deodorant

Small Medical Kit (safety is important!!!)

• Band-Aids
• Hydrocortisone cream
• Antibacterial cream
• Earplugs
• Tylenol
• Hand sanitizer (germs = sick = bad holiday)

Miscellaneous

• A key or combination lock (safety first)
• Zip-lock bags (keeps things from leaking or exploding)
• Plastic bags (great for laundry)
• Universal charger/adaptor (this applies to everyone)
• LifeStraw (A water bottle with a purifier)

Female Travel Packing List
I’m not a woman, so I don’t know what a woman wears, but Kristin Addis, our solo female travel guru, wrote this list as an addition to the basics above:

Clothing

• 1 swimsuit
• 1 sarong
• 1 pair of stretchy jeans (they wash and dry easily)
• 1 pair of leggings (if it’s cold, they can go under your jeans, otherwise with a dress or shirt)
• 2-3 long-sleeve tops
• 2-3 T-shirts
• 3-4 spaghetti tops
• 1 light cardigan

Toiletries

• 1 dry shampoo spray & talc powder (keeps long hair grease-free in between washes)
• 1 hairbrush
• Makeup you use
• Hair bands & hair clips
• Feminine hygiene products (you can opt to buy there too, but I prefer not to count on it, and most people have their preferred products)

For more on packing, check out these posts:

• What I Pack For My Travels
• The Ultimate List For Female Travelers
• How to Choose and Buy the Right Backpack

Vang Vieng Travel Guide: Suggested Reading

Another Quiet American: Stories of Life in Laos, by Brett Dakin
This is Brett Dakin’s insightful book about living in Laos as a foreigner. Most of it focuses on the characters that Brett meets along the way, like his boss, an intimidating and wealthy general who scares everyone he meets. Then there’s an elderly prince who longs for the time of French colonialism, and the American pilot who left home to fight and then never went back. You’ll learn about the new generation of Laos people who have more money than they can handle, and a communist way of life that is quickly fading. It’s an excellent read.
 
  
The Coroner’s Lunch, by Colin Cotterill
This is not something I’d typically read, but the Dr. Siri mystery series is legendary. This first book is set in Laos in 1978 when 72-year-old Dr. Siri Paiboun has been made the national coroner of the new socialist Laos. His lab is anything but boring, and when the wife of an important politician comes through his morgue, Siri suspects she has been murdered. Siri and his team fight their way through obstacles like corrupt government officials, spies, and even shamans to find the truth. This makes good reading for a long bus ride!
 
 
The Ravens: The True Story Of A Secret War In Laos, by Christopher Robbins
The Vietnam War in Laos did not officially exist…or at least both Vietnam and the USA denied they had troops there. But in reality, thousands of North Vietnamese soldiers invaded the country during this time — and the Americans fought against them from the air. The Ravens were the names given to top-secret volunteer Laotian pilots who flew through heavy groundfire to identify targets, working alongside the hill tribesmen above the Plain of Jars to protect their land. This is a riveting collection of survivor stories, based on extensive interviews.
 
 
Ant Egg Soup: The Adventures of a Food Tourist in Laos, by Natacha Du Pont De Bie
Laos isn’t typically considered a food destination when compared with other destinations in Southeast Asia, but Natacha Du Pont De Bie’s foodie book is here to convince you otherwise. The author will trek for hours (or even days) to search for a good meal, and this light-hearted book is the result of her adventures and the people she has met along the way. You’ll read stories about everything from drinking raw turkey blood with herbs in a tribal village to chowing down on heaps of fried crickets. It might even convince you to get adventurous!