Vang Vieng – 21-25 Feb 2024

Railway stations in Laos are probably an afterthought. Vientiane's is a whopping 16km away from its town and even Vang Vieng's is over 4km from the latter's town. Luckily the roads between these two towns are in good conditions. For these reasons, taking a mini bus is a popular way to travel between them. Tickets are easily available from many "travel agents" and the buses usually pick up from or near your hotels.

It took us 2 hours by minibus to reach this backpackers' favourite spot in Laos. The availability of various adventurous activities all in one small laid-back place attracts hoards of thrill seekers on a shoestring.

Restaurants (in order of preference):

1. Namphet Khemsong Restaurant:
   • An amazing restaurant by the river. The food is awesome (especially the fried squids and curry paste flower crabs). It is set nicely by the river and a bit away from the main tourist area.
2. Green Restaurant:
   • A nice place to enjoy a cold beer with great sunset views, and also watch hot air balloons. They serve food too.
3. 2friends (no longer on Google Maps):
   • A small restaurant in a quiet stretch of an alley. Tom yum mixed seafood and beef noodle soup are both delicious.
4. Vela Cafe and Restaurant:
   • Good food and a nice restaurant. But it took an hour to prepare our food while many customers were waiting patiently. Otherwise, it'd have been my first choice!

Places worth visiting (in order of preference):

1. Nam Xay Viewpoint:
   • A very steep 30-45 degrees climb all the way up. It's not easy, especially hard at the beginning and end sections with huge slippery rocks to navigate. However, the stunning views there are definitely worth the efforts! Entrance fee 20k kips per pax.
2. Join a full-day tour for 300k kips per pax:
   • Tubing @ Than None Water Cave 30 mins and kayaking 1 hour along Nam Song River.
3. Blue Lagoon 2:
   • Blue lagoon 1 is located closest to town and gets loads of tourists every day. We decided to go to Blue Lagoon 2 instead. Going there is quite challenging: 30mins motorbike ride on roads in poor conditions and full of potholes. But it is a nice lagoon and we had a nice time swimming and relaxing there.
4. Jang Cave @ Tham Chang:
   • To enter Tham Chang cave, tourists need to pay a small entrance fee and take about about 15-30 minutes to climb a couple hundred steps.

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