Monday Feb 17 2025 (Day 8 - Vang Vieng, Laos) - my last visit to Vang Vieng was in 2017 together with 3 of my Klang travel buddies, this "cowboy" town is a backpacker's haven, especially if you enjoy outdoor adventure sports like kayaking, river tubing, cave climbing, air balloon flights, motor paragliding etc, a brief stopover for a night before leaving for Luang Prabang ! I am great to return to Vang Vieng and I observed this town has made tremendous progress in recent years & become more lively & vibrant, attracting & welcoming more foreign tourists to explore & enjoy their stay in this countryside town of Laos !
Ground Transport + Food: LAK463,000
- Laos Train (Vientiane > Vang Vieng): LAK 223,000 + LAK20,000 service fee
- Laos Grab: LAK150,000 @LAK37,500 (cost sharing of 4)
- Food: LAK50,000 + LAK50,000 + LAK82,500
1) E-hailing a cab (LAK150,000 = US$7) from Vientiane City Center (Hard Rock Cafe) > Vientiane Railway Station
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2) Vientiane Railway Station, Laos - the highspeed China - Lao Railway link certainly has given the Laos economy a tremendous boost as well as the tourism industry ! Vientiane Railway Station stands tall in the capital city of Laos ! A Laotian pride ! Another big boost to Laos economy will soon happen in the near future is when Thai government completed their high speed train network linking Thai / Laos / China, this will make travelling among the 3 countries much more convenient & good news for travellers especially for Malaysians as this means a shorter travelling time for those interested in visiting these three countries overland !
3) Queuing & boarding Lao train K22 (LAK223,000 = US$10.35) ETD 08.42 from Vientiane Railway Station > Vang Vieng Railway Station (train journey approx 1hr)
4) Suburban & countryside scenery as viewed from the moving train from Vientiane > Vang Vieng
5) Arriving in Vang Vieng Railway Station, Laos
6) E-hailing a cab (LAK80,000 = US$3.70) from Vang Vieng Train station > Sout Jai Guest House, Vang Vieng Town Center (12km)
7) Hotel Accommodation (Vang Vieng): our group's one night stay in Sout Jai Guest House, room tariff Rm60 = US$13.50 twin sharing.
8) Vang Vieng Town Center, Laos - a small countryside town in Laos along the Nam Song River & surrounded by karst limestone formations, tourists enjoy their stay in this quaint little town offering a range of outdoor water & adventure sports ie kayaking, river tubing, rock climbing, hot air balloon flights, motor paragliding & visits to 2 famous caves Tham Poukham (Blue Lagoon) & Tham Nam Cave
9) Travel agencies promoting various adventure sport activities & touristy places ie caves & blue lagoon (half day or full day) to tourists in Vang Vieng.
10) Walkabout on a wooden bridge over the Nam Song River - scenic views of mountains & river !
11) Hotels, resort homes, temples, eatery stalls, convenient stores lined the main street / side lanes of this tourist town
12) A panoramic view of Vang Vieng town from our hotel's balcony.
13) Takeaway lunch (LAK50,000 = US$2.30), sandwich bread with bacon, egg, cheese, tomatoes, onions, salad vegetables & mayonnaise + a bottle of chilled Somersby apple cider (Lak50,000) eaten in the comfort of our hotel room ! A very filling afternoon lunch for me !
14) Evening stroll towards another end of the main road in downtown Vang Vieng. Well done, KM ! You have been very sporting from Day 1 !
15) A Buddhist temple in suburban Vang Vieng & a row of local eatery / food stalls catering for the neighborhoods !
16) Vang Vieng Night Market - our group's stray walking led to this Night Market ! Shoppers lacking in this Night Market at the time of our group's visit !
17) My group of 2 (KM & KF Wong) bought grilled pork (LAK100,000 = US$4.65 + mango LAK35,000 = US$1.84 + sticky rice (LAK30,000 = US$1.40) from a roadside eatery stall as dinner of the night & enjoyed eating the food in the comfort of our hotel room.
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