Real Life Captured in Vang Vieng, Laos! (20 photos and historic description)
Vang Vieng, Laos was originally a staging post between the two main cities of Luang Probang and Vientaine dating back to the mid 1300's. The town was previously known long ago as Mouang Song named after when villagers saw the king's dead body floating down the river. Later on in the 1890s under French Colonial Rule the town was renamed Vang Vieng. In the 1960s the US government built an air base there during the Vietnam War. This added infrastructure and resulted in a rapid expansion of the town.
It wasn't until the late 1990s when an organic farmer gave his western volunteers tubes to float down the Nam Song River to have fun and relax. Somehow the word spread that Vang Vieng is the place to go tubing and get drunk on a river in South East Asia. Suddenly Vang Vieng was on the backpacker loop.
Things started getting out of control. Business boomed as the streets filled with booze and free love. The backpackers were doing more than polluting, drinking, doing drugs, and changing the overall culture and environment of the town. They were dying! Things got so bad in 2011, twenty-two people died on the river from either getting drunk and drowning or diving head first into shallow water!
Bars would line the river and it would be one endless party. Now there are only a few bars on the river, less backpackers and more tourist from Korea, Japan, and China looking to do outdoor adventure sports. They have dune buggies, paragliding, caving, rock climbing, kayaking, even hot air balloon rides!
Vang Vieng is a little hippy backpacker, a little adventure Korean tourist, and a whole lot of Lao! Here are some photos that were taken around town in the past week. Enjoy!
Not To be Missed!
Travel Tip #15: Think Twice Before Renting a Motorbike in Thailand!
Special Monuments and Structures of the Capital City. Vientiane Laos! (11photos and descriptions)
With over 10 years of travel experience I answer travel and international lifestyle questions. Leave a question in the comments and I may make a video just for you!
You knocked this one out of the park, Dan. Fantastic shots and text. I'm so happy to upvote, resteem and tweet for about 5 days.
The balloon photo!!!! I am just in awe.
Thank you so much Sharon. I've been busy the last few days. Putting together some posts for later and living the real life. I just post a great caving adventure post. You may enjoy. All good with you?
I'm stuck! Just sitting here looking at numbers I need to send my brother as this drags on and on...
I saw the caves - better you than me :)
Sounds like a head ache. Yeah I don't think you'd do well hanging off the side of cliff either! Crossed 400 followers on that last post. Just posted about that and my future travel plans. Going to take out Lao Kip which started in the form of Steem! This will be a first. I'm thinking I'll do a post on it. Hope you are well.
-Dan
Wow! That's a great exchange! Don't get too much kip though or you will lose it all.
On one of my trips, I had to pay 40 thb for the OT fee at the friendship border. I only had a 500 thb bill and the clerk was going to give me all kip in change. The guy behind me stopped this and gave me the 40 thb! He said I would be out of luck trying to change the kip in any other country. I wanted to pay him back in Thailand, but he said someone had done this for him on another crossing so he was paying it forward.
Congrats on the followers. You deserve it :)
Thanks Sharon. Really appreciate it. I just published the post on the exchange. It worked out out real well. I think it's a very cool post. Let me know what you think. -Dan
excellent and so informative!
Nice pics! :D
I'm thinking to go to Laos to make thai visa next time, should I visit Vang Vieng while I'm at it?
It's a fun little town. Not sure if fits your itinerary. But yeah come visit. I've got a bunch of adventure exploration post coming up on this place to help you decide. Just posted one on caving. That's a popular thing to do here.