An exciting day in Vang Vieng

From Luang Prabang, I took a minivan for about 6 hours over a nerve-wracking winding road through the mountains to Vang Vieng, a rural and dusty place on the river between cliffs and rice fields. There are numerous caves to explore in the region.

Just a few years ago, Vang Vieng was on its way to becoming a party mecca in Southeast Asia, with wild parties tubing on the river, hard drugs, and lots of alcohol. It is said that every year until 2011, about 20 tourists died of heart attacks, drowning, or broken necks. In response, the Laotian government banned this excessive partying.

Vang Vieng definitely has much more to offer than parties. You can explore the area wonderfully with a scooter. I decided to visit 2 viewpoints first. It was a sweaty and strenuous 1-hour climb up the mountain at the Pha Ngeun Viewpoint, partly with small climbing sections. When I finally reached the top, despite the fog, I had a magnificent view. The same was true for the next destination, the Namxay viewpoint, where I had to climb steeply for 20 minutes. Here, I had a spectacular panoramic view and a world-class photo opportunity with a motorcycle. After all the effort, I just wanted to cool off in one of the many lagoons, where you can lazily float on a raft or a tire or swing into the water with a swing.

The return journey on the gravel road was a very dusty affair, and I almost had a collision with an angry herd of cows that suddenly galloped onto the road from the right. I made a full braking on the slippery gravel and almost slid into the herd. But everything turned out fine, the cows are fine, and so am I.