Vang Vieng
A river town on the Nam Song, ringed by limestone peaks and riddled with caves, now under an hour by train from the capital.
- Arrival
- Wattay International, Vientiane · VTE
- To the town
- About 2 h 30 by road, or by train
- Private jets
- Land at VTE, open 06:00 to 18:00
- Best time
- October to March
The city
Karst on the Nam Song.
Vang Vieng is a town of some 25,000 people on the Nam Song, about 130 km north of Vientiane. Sheer limestone hills stand on the far bank, and the rock is full of caves: Tham Non and Tham Jang close to town, Tham Phu Kham half an hour north. People come to kayak, climb and float down the river, and there is a blue lagoon for swimming.
The figures below are for Vientiane, the nearest long-term record. October to March is dry, with afternoons of 29 to 35 °C. From May to September the monsoon brings over 230 mm a month, and the valley, by other estimates, gets a good deal more than the capital.
- Tham Phu Kham A cave in the karst, half an hour north of town by tuk-tuk.
- The Nam Song The river under the karst, for kayaks and slow inner-tube drifts.
- Wat Done Hor Built in 1903, the oldest of the town’s five temples.
Arriving
By road or rail from Vientiane.
Vang Vieng has no airport of its own; the American airstrip from the war years, still visible from the air, is not in use. Flights land at Wattay in Vientiane, and from there it is about 160 km by road, or a short ride on the Laos-China railway.
- Bangkok 1 h 10
- Phuket 2 h 00
- Tokyo 5 h 35
- Vienna 10 h 50 long-range jet
- Marrakech 14 h 05 long-range jet
When to go
October to March.
Long-term figures for Vientiane, about 100 km to the south; the hills around Vang Vieng draw more rain. The dry months run from October to March. April is the hottest at 36 °C, and August the wettest at over 330 mm.
- 29° J 7
- 32° F 12
- 35° M 31
- 36° A 90
- 34° M 236
- 33° J 271
- 32° J 244
- 32° A 332
- 32° S 278
- 31° O 81
- 30° N 12
- 29° D 4
Where to stay
On the banks of the Nam Song.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Tmark Resort Vang Vieng Given five stars by the Lao tourism ministry in 2022, the first resort in town to hold them, with a large pool and mountains across the water.
- Riverside Boutique Resort Thirty-four rooms in French colonial style, each themed on one of eight regional ethnic groups, chosen for the MICHELIN Guide.
Elsewhere in Laos
More reasons to come.
Flying to Vang Vieng?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.