Picture this: towering limestone mountains piercing the sky, hot air balloons floating dreamily over lush green valleys, and a cozy little town where adventure is just around the corner. That’s Vang Vieng for you—a small but mighty destination that blends stunning landscapes with heart-pumping activities. Whether you’re a thrill-seeker, a nature lover, or just here for the vibes (and the sandwiches, more on that later), this town is guaranteed to steal your heart.
Now, let’s get into how to make the most of three days in Vang Vieng without breaking the bank (or your back on those shaky bridges). This is one of the most EPIC cities we visited!
We spent two weeks in Laos so check out some of our other blogs about Vientiene and Luang Prabang (coming soon)!
Curious about other destinations on our journey? Check out our blogs on Japan, Indonesia, Thailand or the Philippines!
Disclosure: Some links in this post are affiliate links, meaning we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase—at no additional cost to you.
TLDR 🫣
Vang Vieng is a breathtaking adventure hub in Laos, where towering limestone mountains, vibrant hot air balloons, and adrenaline-fueled activities meet laid-back countryside vibes. Whether you're kayaking down the Nam Song River, hiking to epic viewpoints, or indulging in life-changing sandwiches, this town delivers an unforgettable experience.
Itinerary
- Day 1: Arrive, devour Mama’s Sandwiches, book a day tour, explore the night market
- Day 2: Cave & kayak tour
- Day 3: DIY adventure—bike to Tham Chang Cave, swim at Blue Lagoons, hike Nam Xay Viewpoint
Pro Tips:
- Book your train tickets in person to avoid overpaying.
- Confirm your tuk-tuk drop-off location—accommodations here have similar names.
- Skip river tubing if you’re not into the slow, party scene—kayaking is a way better experience.
- Go to Mama’s Sandwiches twice. Seriously. The best meal you'll ever have in Vang Vieng.
Top Awards:
- Best Experience: Kayaking on the Nam Song River & Hiking the Nam Xay Viewpoint at sunset
- Best Eats: Mama’s Sandwiches (no competition)
- Best "Bang for Your Buck" Hotel: River View Villas on Airbnb (if you can brave the shaky bridges; not sponsored)
- Best e-SIM: Airalo (You can use our referral code “CELINA4205” to save $4.50 CAD OFF your first purchase).
How to Get to Vang Vieng
We were coming from Vientiene, the capital city located south of Vang Vang. You might be too, or you might be coming from the northern city of Luang Prabang. Either way, there’s no airport in this city, so you’ll likely be coming by bullet train. We highly recommend this method as it cuts down on travel time by over half (long gone are the days where you’d need to take a bus)!
We booked our tickets through 12.goasia in advance, and in hindsight, we overpaid. Learn from our mistakes! Instead of shelling out $58 CAD for two tickets online, we could have bought them in Vientiane the day before for much cheaper. To make matters worse, the Vientiane train station is way out of town, so we had to pay an extra $15 CAD for a Loca (a local tuk-tuk).
Pro Tip: Check with your hotel in Vientiene before booking anything online! Ours was offering a package deal for the train ticket and a ride to the station at a much better price.
One smart move we did make? Booking our tickets OUT of Vang Vieng (to Luang Prabang) as soon as we arrived. The train fills up quickly, and trust me, you don’t want to be stranded here (unless you plan to live on Mama’s sandwiches forever, which, honestly, isn’t the worst idea).
Once you’ve bought your onward tickets and exited the station, expect a chaotic swarm of mini-vans and small buses and this beautiful view. Yep, you’re out of the city and in the countryside now!
The ride into town should cost you ₭60,000 (about $5 CAD for two people). If anyone tries to charge you more, you should consider negotiating. There are plenty of options, so most operators should be charging comparable rates.
Where to Stay in Vang Vieng
We booked an Airbnb called River View Villas, located across town. Sounds dreamy, right? Well, it was—until we realized we had to cross two incredibly shaky, not-up-to-code bridges to get there. Our bus from the train station outright refused to cross them, so we had to lug our bags across on foot.
Would we recommend it? Yes, but only if:
✔️ You travel light.
✔️ You have zero fear of questionable bridges.
✔️ You want a quiet stay near a great breakfast spot.
The walk across the two bridges is not actually far and you get to cross over the main river in town, the Nam Song River. Look at this view! We would have never gotten this beautiful photo unless we were staying on the other side of town.
Plus, it’s not that far! You’ll get into the main part of town in less than 15 minutes by foot. But if safety is your top priority, it’s probably better to pick something on the main side of town and save yourself the balancing act.
How to Get Around Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng is small, but not walk-everywhere small. Your options include:
Bicycles – Great for short distances, especially if your accommodation provides them for free.
Scooters – Affordable and convenient, but be prepared for some bumpy, dusty roads.
Tuk-tuks – Ideal for longer distances or if you’re heading out to the lagoons and viewpoints.
Pro Tip: If you’re taking a shared van/bus from the train station to the Airbnb, confirm exactly where they’re dropping you off. Many places in Vang Vieng have similar names (River View, Riverview, View River, etc.), and getting dropped at the wrong spot is inconvenient, although perhaps, a rite of passage here.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Getting Settled (And Eating the Best Sandwich of Your Life)
After dropping our bags, we set out to find food ASAP. That’s when we stumbled upon Mama’s Sandwiches, a humble street stall serving the most EPIC sandwiches (hot dogs) we’ve ever eaten. These things were massive, packed with fresh ingredients, different sauces, and only ₭80,000 for two ($5 CAD).
Pro Tip: Try the BACON and AVOCADO one—absolute perfection. We still dream about it.
With our bellies full, we:
✔️ Checked out tour agencies and booked a cave tour for the next day (₭630,000 or $38 CAD for two—solid deal) with JTP tours.
J was so informative, patient, and kind. He answered all our questions and would give us time to think without pressuring us to purchase any of his tours. We ended up choosing Tour Option 4 as it was the best “bang for your buck”, and we knew we wanted to save the lagoons for another day when we had more time to enjoy relaxing in the waters.
✔️ Did laundry at our Airbnb (a necessity after all that Laotian humidity) and started walking to the edge of town to catch the sunset.
✔️ Saw the most epic sunset in the countryside. Can you believe this view? The mountains. The cows. The … hot air balloons?! What is this magical land? We couldn’t put our finger on it. It just seemed like a dream!
You can book a hot air balloon ride at any of the agencies in town (we heard it was about ~$90 USD per person), so sadly, out of our budget.
✔️ Explored the Vang Vieng Walking Street Night Market, where we picked up fresh mango and jackfruit (₭40,000 or $2.50 CAD).
✔️ Had dinner at Bamboo Bistro Garden (₭248,000 or $15 CAD). We ordered larb (Laotian meat salad), pad thai (this was AMAZING), a Beerlao, and a mango smoothie. Honestly, we were loving the affordability of Laos!
Day 2: Caves and Kayaks: A Shared Tour
We kicked off the day with breakfast at Hom Café (connected to our Airbnb, super affordable at ₭185,000 for two meals and two drinks).
Then it was time to cross the bridge again, to get to the meeting spot for our shared tour. Just look at this view!
Our Day Tour started with a ride in an open back truck/tuk-tuk, driving through the beautiful countryside.
Then we:
✔️ Visited the Elephant Cave & Water Cave – Pretty cool, but not the highlight.
Although tubing through a dark cave was an experience like no other. We were also fed a small rice and skewer lunch! That was a pleasant surprise.
✔️ Kayaking on the Nam Song River – THE BEST PART.
Now, you could do the famous river tubing, but here’s why we skipped it:
🚫 The river flow is so slow you’ll be floating for hours.
🚫 Once you start, you can’t leave until the end. And the river is LONNNNG.
🚫 It’s mostly for the young, party crowd, and that wasn’t our vibe. Although the tiny, colourful chairs are a cute sight.
Instead, kayaking was perfect. We soaked in the views, enjoyed the peaceful water, and paddled at our own pace. Highly recommend!
After the tour, we said bye to our new friends that we made on this shared tour and headed back to our Airbnb to shower and get ready for dinner. And yes, we had to cross those bridges again!
But just look at those views!
For dinner, we hit up Khop Chai (₭208,000 for two), a restaurant attached to one of the fancier hotels in town. We ordered a spicy papaya salad, pad thai, and spring rolls. Those spring rolls were *chef’s kiss*!
It’s a bit pricier, but look at this view! I know… by now, we sound like a broken record, but Vang Vieng is beautiful EVERYWHERE.
Then, we booked a private driver with JTP tours for the next day. It was ₭600,000 ($36 CAD) for a full-day custom tour, and SO worth it. More on that in Day 3’s itinerary.
We ended up swinging by the Night Market again. This time, we picked up a Lotte pancake filled with nutella!
Day 3: Exploring on Our Own – Lagoons and An Epic Hike
Morning Adventure: Jang Cave (Tham Chang)
🚴 Rode our bikes from the Airbnb.
🌉 Crossed the famous orange bridge (₭10,000).
🕶️ Explored the cave (₭30,000 for two).
It was quiet, beautiful, and gave us that “hidden gem” feeling. Major win!
Private Tuk-Tuk Tour
We rode our bicycles back to our Airbnb and awaited our private tuk-tuk driver. Now, you can rent scooters, but given that we weren’t confident riders, we opted for the driver.
Here are the places we checked out from 10:30am -6:30pm.
1️⃣ Blue Lagoon 1 – A bit touristy, but a classic stop. Enjoy the clear blue waters and jumping off trees into the deep lagoon! Entry for two people was ₭40,000.
2️⃣ Blue Lagoon 3 – WAY BETTER! Fewer crowds, zip lines, and a chill atmosphere. Entry for two people was ₭40,000.
We even enjoyed a quick lunch there – wings, noodles, and of course, a BeerLao for ₭177,000!
3️⃣ Nam Xay Viewpoint – One of the best hikes ever. It’s a bit of a trek, but once you get to the top, you’ll understand why this is such an epic hike!
There’s a motorbike at the top for super cool photos and the sunset here was breathtaking. Entry was ₭40,000 for two people and definitely worth it.
After our adventure-packed day, we went back to (Big) Mama’s Sandwiches for our final meal in Vang Vieng. No regrets. Just look at the extensive menu. This time, I actually remembered to take a photo of Mama and all the combinations! ₭80,000 for two sandwiches, and they were just as good the second time.
TOTAL COST for 3 Full Days in Vang Vieng (Approximate CAD for 2 people):
Activities: $94
Accommodations (3 nights): $161
Food: $57
Transportation (Locas, bullet train tickets in and out of Vang Vieng, vans/buses): $99
Souvenirs: $1
TOTAL: $412 (Roughly $69 per person, per night)
Final Thoughts: Why Vang Vieng Stole Our Hearts
Vang Vieng was hands-down our favorite city in Laos. It’s got everything—stunning landscapes, countryside vibes, and those iconic hot air balloons. Whether you’re here for adventure, nature, or just ridiculously good sandwiches, this place is something special.
Would we come back? In a heartbeat.
Would we eat another Mama’s sandwich? Without question.
Until next time, Vang Vieng! 🚀🌄
Discover more from Where's Ryan and Celina?
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.