Vang Vieng's infamous party scene

Laos has a very established backpacker itinerary: cross the border from northern Thailand, take the slow boat to Luang Prabang, party at Vang Vieng, then head back to Thailand after maybe stopping at Vientiane. It's very popular, and the ratio of young backpackers to locals at some points can get so high that, for example, I was wondering if our slow boat was going to Luang Prabang or Coachella.

Backpacker influence has had the biggest effect on Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng used to be an obscure town until Laos opened to tourism in the 90s. Vang Vieng was cheap, had a beautiful riverside/cliffside setting, and drug laws weren't enforced. Word got around and Vang Vieng grew into the drugs and party capital of Laos.

The scene couldn't last forever. Dozens of tourists were dying every year from the lethal combination of drugs, alcohol, and water sports, and the government cracked down in the mid 2000s. Vang Vieng has since pivoted from drugs to adventure sports. Tubing down the river is still the main attraction (stopping at riverside bars along the way). The TV bars showing "Friends" all day are still there, probably showing the same DVDs from the heyday. Now the town is in the middle of a development boom and attracts busloads of package tourists.

I liked Vang Vieng much more than I expected. The atmosphere is still relaxed away from the main strip. We stayed longer than we planned because we took turns getting stomach bugs, but we had just enough time in between to get out on the water.

Our first stop was the water cave. We sat in tubes and spent an hour in a cave! You pull yourself along by ropes hammered in to the cave walls, and the only light is from your headlamps.

After lunch we went kayaking down the river. Same river as the tubing, but no stopping at bars for us.

As experienced older backpackers it's easy and tempting to look down on the younger crowd who dress inappropriately, drink all the time, and are generally loud and inexperienced. I try not to judge; it's great they're seeing the world and having fun, and actually talking with them is almost always a good time. Yes, that guy walking in the middle of the street barefoot in only a swimsuit is probably on something, and arguing with the older gentleman who is a conspiracy theorist is frustrating, but they are exceptions.

There's much more we didn't get to: tubing, blue lagoon, dirt bikes, ziplines, more caves. Not enough time though, and we'd rather get off the main tourist circuit.

-Peter