Natural Vang Vieng — No Tube Required

There’s a lot to say about Vang Vieng. It’s been a backpacker magnet since the early 2000s, pulling in a party crowd that created a pressure cooker of tourism, money, and vices. And while yes, we went tubing, got free t-shirts at Sakura, and lounged around watching Friends, my favorite part was natural Vang Vieng, beyond the city limits.

This place is flipping gorgeous.

I feel a little bit cheated by the travelers who went before me. Nobody told me about the stunning natural beauty of Vang Vieng! All anyone ever talked about was the partying and the magic mushroom milkshakes and the death swings. There’s so much to see and do here besides get tipsy on the river! If you’re an adventurous traveler backpacking Laos, here are some alternatives to beer pong with twenty-somethings.

Go amateur spelunking

There are dozens of caves riddling Vang Vieng’s limestone mountains. We ended up picking one basically at random, climbing up the steep and sometimes non-existent steps to the entrance. I haven’t been to that many caves in my life, but Vang Vieng’s caves are something I feel like I could tumble down into and disappear forever. We climbed down into the cave, clambering over rocks to stumble (almost literally) on this gorgeously lit shrine. I could have sworn I was Indiana Jones in that moment.

That’s when the exploration got a little more… basic. We guessed at where the red spray-painted arrows were leading us and slipped around corners and through crevices until we were shuffling around in absolute pitch darkness punctuated only by our cell phone flashlights.

“Let’s turn off our lights, just for fun,” Boyfriend said.

That to be honest did not sound like fun to me, but I still like impressing this guy and I was living off my Indiana Jones high, so we switched off our lights.

Even when I used to hide in my closet for hours in lieu of running away, I’ve never been in a place that dark. There’s dark and then there’s the feeling that maybe you’ve misplaced your body in the eternal abyss.

I switched my light back on. The better to see the sparkling mineral deposits and puddle like rock formations, I explained.

Also ‘cause I wanted to make sure I still had a corporeal presence.

Laze about the lagoon

The Blue Lagoon is a hypnotizing turquoise blue and a great place to enjoy natural Vang Vieng if you’re still suffering from the effects of tubing. It’s not very big, but there are a few fun rope swings to play on. And if you’re really lucky someone will spend several minutes at the top of the tree debating the pros and cons of jumping into the near-radioactive blue waters.

Get Yourself on a Motorbike

I’ve now been on the back of a motorbike in six countries, and Laos might be my favorite. Kicking up dust on those red roads, staring at the karsts looming on either side of the road, I squealed “WOW” so many times Boyfriend stopped asking me what happened. We passed a herd of cows meandering their way home and dodged children weaving around on their bicycles.

If you’re a beginner driver, Vang Vieng would be a great place to learn or improve. The roads are generally flat and straight (though you might have to cross a rickety bridge or two), and there’s not much traffic on the road. I’m kicking myself for not taking advantage of the chance to learn there!

Chase waterfalls

Apparently there’s a really spectacular waterfall outside of Vang Vieng, but we didn’t have enough time to see it. Well, maybe we had the time, but we didn’t really have the energy after our tubing activities the day before.

We were only in Laos a paltry five days – not enough to form a full or truly educated perspective on a place – but I have mixed feelings about my experience traveling there. It’s clear that the local-tourist relationship is very complicated. If I were to return, though, it’d be to go slow and focus on the breath-taking natural beauty of Laos. There’s plenty more here than just a crazy party.

If you’re going to Vang Vieng, I’m not going to tell you not to tube, but I also want to encourage you to save at least two days for exploring outside the town. The tourist scene in Vang Vieng is changing, and I’m happy to support this reinvention. Let’s make jagged limestone mountains and burnt red muddy roads the first thing people think of when they talk about Vang Vieng.

Have you been to Vang Vieng? Did you get to enjoy natural Vang Vieng beyond the river?