July 20
Traveling to Vang Vieng, Laos
Saying good-bye to Vientiane, it was time to head out into the countryside again. The destination is Vang Vieng. There are lots and lots of travel videos and online travel blogs about Vang Vieng and its 20-something backpacker centric, hipster hedonistic lifestyle. Not (necessarily) wanting that, there are equally as many videos and online travel blogs that talk about the sheer beauty of the landscape around Vang Vieng and its ideal location as a headquarters for adventure day-trips.
With all of that in mind, I headed to the new high-speed train station in Vientiane to go see for myself what Vang Vieng had to offer. When I say “train station in Vientiane” that’s being generous. It is pretty far out of the town center, and it took 45 minutes by car to get there.
Once I did arrive, I saw a massive building that serves as the train station for the new high-speed (250km/h) train that connects Vientiane to Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, and crossing the Laos-China border, as far as Kunming, China.
The huge train station in Vientiane. It only serves the high-speed train going north, and has wings dedicated to retail and restaurants, but all that is empty space right now.
The high-speed train takes under an hour to make its way to Vang Vieng, with a ticket that starts at about $6 for a 2nd class seat. For $10 you can get a 1st class seat, which is what I did, and for $25 you can get a business class seat. Business class was sold out when I got my ticket.
The new train plies the way between Vientiane and Vang Vieng in less than an hour. The original time for a bus, before the opening of the new freeway between he two cities was about 4 hours taking backroads. Today on the new freeway, the bus takes about 2 hours.
The train trip was quick and comfortable, with minimal fuss. This mode of transport is something I really wish could be built in the US.
The fancy high-speed train in Laos. Like the one in Indonesia, It’s a joint venture between the local government and China.
The stunning landscape of Vang Vieng sucker punches you the moment you get off the train and see the high cliffs beyond the train station. I think the only other time I’ve had this feeling was when I saw Yosemite Valley for the first time early in the morning after having arrived the previous night in darkness. The scale and beauty are beyond description. On several occasions I found myself just gazing into the countryside and wondering at the serenity and drama of sheer cliffs shooting out of the valley floor.
The view from the Vang Vieng train platform is stunning. It’s the first thing you see when you alight the train.
Finding a ride into the town center to my hotel was really easy. There are shared minivan shuttles waiting at the parking lot of the train station, and it is organized so that shuttles go into the town full. That’s both better for the environment and the finances of the shuttles. The ride was only $1.50, and it was nice not to have a dozen or more drivers hawking their rides nosily.
Actually, that has not been a thing here in Laos as a whole. Unlike Cambodia or Indonesia, where there’s a constant underlying buzz of people trying to sell rides, services, or goods as you walk around town, there’s none of that in Laos. The street vendors don’t yell out their wares, and even the tuktuk and motorcycle taxi drivers don’t ask, they expect you to initiate the conversation if you need a ride.
After checking into my hotel, I took a quick walk around town to see what the general layout was. Vang Vieng is quite small, easily walkable down three main streets that parallel the river. Once again, it is the landscape that dominates the view. All the superlative descriptions: dramatic, beautiful, stunning, spectacular, and many more all apply.
After seeing a bit of the town, I inquired about some tours to the cliffs, waterfalls, and other areas. Ultimately I decided to just rent a scooter and go see the sights on my own.
The limestone cliffs are the dominant feature no matter where you are in Vang Vieng
Walking around the downtown area a little more, I ran into a couple of temples and also the night market. Because it’s the rainy season, there are not that many tourists, but this is the first time on my trip since Ipoh, Malaysia that I did see organized tour groups. Some were from China, but most were from Korea. There’s a very large Korean presence in Vang Vieng, which took me by surprise.
After dinner and getting some advice from my hotel about where to rent a scooter, ended up renting a scooter from a local business called “Mr. Ta’s Moto Rental” and getting things ready for my next few days of adventure.
Night Market, Vang Vieng