We took the new high-speed Laos-China Railway from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. It took only 1.5 hours and we reached speed up to 160km/hr (99mph). Traveling by car or bus would have taken 5 to 6 hours since it is all mountainous karst landscape, and the roads are in poor condition. The train was flat and smooth and went through many tunnels.
The line was built in partnership with China who is investing a lot in Laos and other neighboring countries to improve infrastructure and cooperation. It was fully opened in 2021 to connect Kunming in China’s Yunnan Province and Vientiane, the capital of Laos – passing near the cities of Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. It was interesting as some things seemed very new and modern, while others (like the train station bathrooms and seating) were already looking worn out and dated.
Another unusual thing was that at the Vang Vieng train station, the ride share drivers picked us up and dropped us off outside of the train station entrance – where the road ended and you had to jump over a stream with your luggage in hand to get to the other side of the road. They clearly didn’t want to pay the entrance or parking fee imposed by the station.
Vang Vieng is a picturesque outpost that became popular with the backpacker crowd in the early 2000s as a place to tube down the Nam Song River, hike the surrounding limestone karsts, and explore the numerous caves and natural swimming pools. It also became a bit of a wild party scene, but has since cleaned up its reputation and is now more known for eco/adventure tourism.
When we arrived, the dry season smoke was making the landscape very hazy. “Slash and burn” agriculture is still common throughout South East Asia. Laos has a lot of undeveloped land, and cutting trees and burning the brush is the cheapest way for them to clear land for agriculture and other projects. It had not rained in many days and the smoke had accumulated around the mountains and valleys. Fortunately, rain was forecasted and that could clear up the smoke.
It was late afternoon when we got to our hotel, the Riverside Boutique Resort, where we would spend 2 nights. We decided to have supper at the hotel restaurant called Le Crabe d’or, since it was more convenient than walking back to town to find a place to eat (and it was also ranked number one in Vang Vieng on TripAdvisor). We were not disappointed as we decided to share their Lao degustation menu consisting of 5 local dishes. We tasted Laarb (minced meat salad), Or Lam (beef stew with eggplant and herbs), Soob Phak (steamed vegetables with ginger, garlic, sesame seeds and chilies) and Mok Nor Mai Sai Sin Moo (steamed pork and bamboo shoots in banana leaves), all eaten with sticky rice of course. And to top it off, mango sticky rice prepared the Lao way – it was another delicious meal in Laos!
We were planning to do some hiking in the mountains, explore a cave and swim in one of the natural lagoons the next day. But it rained nonstop so we had to cancel our plans. The hiking trails would have been too slippery and dangerous, and the dirt roads pretty bad under the pouring rain.
We ended up spending the day at our hotel enjoying the pretty grounds and the lush landscape. We had great views of the mountains across the river from our balcony. The smoke gave way to clouds which danced around the karsts giving us different views throughout the day. We caught up on some blog work and had a pleasant and relaxing time regardless. We had another great supper at the Crabe d’or, where we tried a few more Lao dishes – some fresh spring rolls, a delicious soup called Kaeng Juud Look Sin Kai (Grilled Ginger Soup with Chicken & Coriander Meatballs) and Mok Pa (steamed white fish wrapped in banana leaves). We thoroughly enjoyed them as well as a yummy chocolate dessert.
The rain stopped the next morning, so I borrowed a mountain bike from the hotel to explore a bit before we had to leave, while Sophie stayed back to finish getting ready. The roads and bridges were pretty rough. I crossed two wooden bridges that literally had holes and broken boards in places. All the roads were full of potholes and mud. We would have gone that way to go hiking, so I was glad we canceled our plans the day before. The limestone karsts, however, were amazing and I am sure we would have had even better views if we could have hiked amongst them.
Another way we could have enjoyed the views was by exploring from the sky with motorized parachutes called paramotors. Think of it like strapping a fan on your back with a giant parachute (which is actually more like a paragliding wing) overhead. The motor provides the power to take off from flat ground – no need for hills or being towed! Once you are up, you control the direction with handles that adjust the shape of the wing, and a throttle to go up or down. It was a very popular activity there (you rode with a pilot behind you – not alone), but it was only offered a couple times a day. With rain still forecasted, we were afraid we wouldn’t be able to go, so we didn’t book the early morning slot. Something we regret.
We had a train to catch at noon to the capital city of Vientiane. If we ever come back, we will be better prepared to enjoy the nature and scenery around Vang Vieng. We left with the sunshine and got some glimpses of scenery through the train windows watching the mountains give way to rice terraces as we approached the capital.
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