Vientiane to Vang Vieng –The road from Vientiane to Vang Vieng
Day 21Vientiane/Vang Vieng by [ Ссылка ]
Enjoy the beautiful limestone karsts surrounding Vang Vieng. Free time to hike, bike, swim or go caving.
A picturesque drive north takes us to beautiful Vang Vieng. This quiet town is set along the Nam Song river amidst rice fields and limestone karsts.
Private Vehicle
Vientiane – Vang Vieng3h-4h
Stretch out and scan the scenery from the comfort of a private vehicle.
Free Time
Vang ViengAfternoon
Set off and explore the beautiful Vang Vieng area, or relax to your heart's content.
Optional Activities
Hiking
Vang Vieng
Set off along the banks of the river to explore nearby caves, countryside and meet local villagers to find out more about their way of life.
Cycling
Vang Vieng
Rent a bike and explore the countryside.
Swimming
Vang Vieng
Head to the river for a dip. There are also tube rentals available in the area if you'd rather spend some time floating around.
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Vientiane (/vjɛnˈtjɑːn/; French pronunciation: [vjɛ̃ˈtjan]; Lao: ວຽງຈັນ, Viang chan, IPA: [ʋíəŋ tɕàn]) is the capital and largest city of Laos, on the banks of the Mekong River near the border with Thailand. Vientiane became the capital in 1563 due to fears of a Burmeseinvasion.[2] Vientiane was the administrative capital during French rule and, due to economic growth in recent times, is now the economic centre of Laos.
The estimated population of the city is 760,000 (2015). The city hosted the 25th Southeast Asian Games in December 2009 celebrating the 50 years of Southeast Asian Games.
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Vang Vieng
History[edit]
Vang Vieng was first settled around 1353 as a staging post between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Originally named Mouang Song after the body of the deceased King Phra Nha Phao of Phai Naam was seen floating down the river, the town was renamed Vang Vieng during French colonial rule in the 1890s.[2][3]
Significant expansion of the town and its infrastructure occurred during the 1964-73 Vietnam War when the US constructed an air force base and runway that was used by Air America. The airstrip was then called "Lima site 6". In more recent times, the town has grown substantially due to the influx of backpackers attracted by the opportunities for adventure tourism in a limestone karst landscape.[1]
Tourism[edit]
Landscape, Vang Vieng.
Vang Vieng has become a backpacker-oriented town, with the main street featuring guest houses, bars, restaurants, internet cafes, tour agencies, and Western tourists[4] Attractions of the town include inner tubing and kayaking on the Nam SongRiver, which, until the third quarter of 2012, was lined with bars selling Beer Lao and Lao-Lao, and equipped with rope swings, zip lines, swimming and diving into blue lagoon, and large decks for socializing.[5]
Vang Vieng locals have organised themselves into a cooperative business association to sell tubing as an activity, in a system in which 1,555 participating households are divided into 10 village units, with each village unit taking its turn on a ten-day rotation to rent inner-tubes to the tourists.[2]
Thanongsi Sorangkoun, owner of an organic farm in Vang Vieng, says that tubing inadvertently began in 1999 when he bought a few rubber tubes for his farm volunteers to relax on along the river.[6]
During the wet season, the river can be a series of rapids.[1]
Other activities include trekking and rock climbing in the limestone mountains.[4] There are also numerous caves, such as Tham Phu Kham half an hour north of Vang Vieng by tuk-tuk or the Tham Non and Tham Jang caves closer to Vang Vieng.[7]
A market five kilometres north of town sells Lao textiles, household items, and foodstuffs. The town is on the main north-south highway, Route 13 from Luang Prabang to the capital, Vientiane. It is about eight hours by bus to Luang Prabang and four hours to Vientiane (152 km).[5]
Just a short walk from town are many ethnic Lao, Kmou, and Hmong villages, while Vang Vieng Organic Farm is around 4 km north of the town in the village of Phoudindaeng. There are opportunities for community involvement such as teaching, while it's also possible to stay in a house made of mud bricks at the organic farm.[8][9] Another new organisation since December 2012 providing community activities is FruitFriends.
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Nam Song River
