Vang Vieng, Laos: The World'S Most Unlikely Party Town- 27 Tourist Deaths Last Year

[sbk]

Vang Vieng, Laos: the world's most unlikely party town

Vang Vieng, deep in the jungle of Laos, is a backpacker paradise where there are no rules. Last year at least 27 travellers died there, and countless more were injured.

It is Adam Axford's last day in Vang Vieng. We know this because scrawled across his naked torso in jumbo marker pen are the words "Last Day!" The 26-year-old Essex boy is returning to Ilford ("the real world") in the morning, and the message is designed to elicit "snogs and sympathy" from the spray-painted, bikini-clad women partying at a riverside bar in this tiny town in rural Laos.

continued here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/07/vang-vieng-laos-party-town

[tutsiwarrior]

yeah...I read that Guardian article...a bunch of unsupervised children will always end up hurting themselves...reminds me of Lord of the Flies...

[rak sa_ngop]

It's a pity they have to embellish the article with ridiculous statements statements like : "Vang Vieng is a four-hour bus journey on mostly dirt roads from the capital Vientiane" and "Vang Vieng, deep in the jungle of Laos"

[isaanbrit]

I remember my first (and last!) trip to Vang Vieng 10 years ago. It was just as horrible then as the article describes it now. The absolute worst breed of backpackers stay there - in particular it seemed to have loads of types who had been in SE Asia for 2 weeks and were now experts in all areas of local culture and politics (even though they spent all their time drinking rot gut alcohol with other westerners). Can you imagine going to a country as raw and exotic as Laos and spending entire days in cafes eating fake western food and watching bad american sitcoms? That's exactly what it was like 10 years ago and it seems to only have gotten worse.

Calm down mate. For some young travellers, like myself, places like Vang Vieng are a nice break from the immersion in southeast asian culture that we have been living in. It's a real chance to let your hair down, not have to be on best behaviour, eat western food, watch friends and chill out!

And I think it's a bit harsh to say that they're the "worst breed of backpackers". Most of them are just kids on a gap year having fun. I'm sure there all nice people

[louse1953]

I remember my first (and last!) trip to Vang Vieng 10 years ago. It was just as horrible then as the article describes it now. The absolute worst breed of backpackers stay there - in particular it seemed to have loads of types who had been in SE Asia for 2 weeks and were now experts in all areas of local culture and politics (even though they spent all their time drinking rot gut alcohol with other westerners). Can you imagine going to a country as raw and exotic as Laos and spending entire days in cafes eating fake western food and watching bad american sitcoms? That's exactly what it was like 10 years ago and it seems to only have gotten worse.

Calm down mate. For some young travellers, like myself, places like Vang Vieng are a nice break from the immersion in southeast asian culture that we have been living in. It's a real chance to let your hair down, not have to be on best behaviour, eat western food, watch friends and chill out!

And I think it's a bit harsh to say that they're the "worst breed of backpackers". Most of them are just kids on a gap year having fun. I'm sure there all nice people

I've seen the carry on in V.V.and it disgusts me,i'm embarrassed to have a white face.They have no thought at all about the locals who should be knighted for their tolerance.The yobbos are taking advantage of the situation.1999 it was way cool,same as Nepal, Bali and Thailand in the 70's.The yobs of today just want to get wasted,quicker the better.I was no angel myself,but i had a bit of decorum.At least i got pissed with the locals(life long friends still),not yobs you can meet everyday of the week back "home".

[edwinclapham]

I personally dont think you can tar all backpackers with the same brush, but I agree with Louse 1953 in many ways.

VV was a very special place now obviously destroyed in the name of tourism!

What really gets to me is that we have so much available information at our finger tips but ignorance and arrogance flows like the Nam Song.

Brett Dakin, the author of Another Quiet American, a chronicle of two years in Laos working for the tourist authority, said, "Each time a young Australian woman strolls down the street in a bikini, a bearded American smokes a joint on a guesthouse terrace, or a group of Koreans tumbles drunkenly out of a restaurant, it saps a little more of the essence of a town like Vang Vieng.".

[Tanaka]

I remember my first (and last!) trip to Vang Vieng 10 years ago. It was just as horrible then as the article describes it now. The absolute worst breed of backpackers stay there - in particular it seemed to have loads of types who had been in SE Asia for 2 weeks and were now experts in all areas of local culture and politics (even though they spent all their time drinking rot gut alcohol with other westerners). Can you imagine going to a country as raw and exotic as Laos and spending entire days in cafes eating fake western food and watching bad american sitcoms? That's exactly what it was like 10 years ago and it seems to only have gotten worse.

Calm down mate. For some young travellers, like myself, places like Vang Vieng are a nice break from the immersion in southeast asian culture that we have been living in. It's a real chance to let your hair down, not have to be on best behaviour, eat western food, watch friends and chill out!

And I think it's a bit harsh to say that they're the "worst breed of backpackers". Most of them are just kids on a gap year having fun. I'm sure there all nice people

Are you looking forward to celebrating your 12th birthday soon?

[preahko]

What are you smoking? Vang Vieng is NOT "deep in the jungle" of anywhere (I love how a basically South American concept of forested area gets magically transported to Southeast Asia in all sorts of neo-colonial tropes, and from there gets accepted as some sort of fact, haha).

Vang Vieng is a dusty town on the national road between Vientiane and Luang Phrabang, oh yeah, with a few caves and bodies of water nearby, that for some reason totally unfathomable to the Lao folks (and myself) has been seized upon by the great unwashed backpacker crowd as an actual DESTINATION where they get drunk and high, float on innertubes in the water, and then retire to their guesthouses to watch bad American movies on TV and eat internationally approved BACKPACKER FOOD like fruit shakes and pancakes...

If not for the Western backpackers, there would be NOTHING THERE. The idiots in question could just as easily get high and kill themselves anywhere, it has nothing to do with a "deep in the jungle," "wild" travel destination...

[dantilley]

Went to Vang Vieng 3 years ago and had a great time, the scenery around is stunning and there is some excellent local Lao food to be found if you avoid the obvious tourist-trap pizza joints and pancake stalls. We went in August so, with the fast flowing river and wet weather, there was little evidence of tubing and certainly no bikini-clad women wandering the streets. In any case, the tubing all takes place out of town and only finishes up in Vang Vieng itself. VV still remains one of my favourite places in Southeast Asia and I'd happily go back.

[bangkokburning]

It is hard to believe but this used to be a lovely, quiet charming little village mid-late 90s. I got pulled off the bus near VV many years ago and sent back to VNE. I had to stay the night.

It was a great place to break the bus trip from VNE up to Luang Prabang and positions fwd until about 1999-2000 (visit Lao year). What a disaster!

I stopped there years ago and literally found it impossible to find Laotian food. That is not hyperbole. Sure, many farang restaurants had a few farang faves on the menu at 8x the price but not only was the food overpriced, you can be sure it wasn't authentic AND farang restaurants I always think of as dubious in hygiene dept. I located ONE noodle shop - I ate every meal there.

What a craphole

I second - worst breed of backpacker. It's the promise of WEED. I encountered some totally bullshit Israelis on a minivan ride back down to Vientiane. Was about ready to pay the driver to leave them on the side of the road. I got a prime seat because I walked to the depot, spoiled baby backpacker Isrealis all got picked up. One bitch wanted my seat. As if I should just give up the best seat on the bus to this ugly, smelly hag. "I'm sick" - she was hungover! Well, they all decided to annoy the hell out of me the entire way to Vientiane singing their bullshit communist military and kibutz songs. Even clapping their hands directly over my head singing and yelling. They annoyed the driver to no end as well - each one took a turn, begging the driver to stop for a pee. Then they would all pile out and smoke cigarettes. We were about an hour late getting in and the driver was NOT happy as he makes his living ...DRIVING. I loathe the people - I have a million of these Israeli travelers tales. A million.

Edited April 23, 2012 by bangkokburning

[chicagoexplorer]

If you didn't know. . . The locals love the extremely loud obnoxious gap year kids. The locals believe that the caves around VV were once inhabited by mischevious spirits. All the loud music/ westerners have "scared" away these spirits. oh yea not to mention, MONEY MONEY MONEY.

I have a friend who runs a "drug bar." Used to help him do marketing and few other things for him. He was a yaba dealer to the locals and so they brought in stolen shit all the time and I would basically review and appraise each item. Cameras, IPODS, and laptops all day long.

$500 USD was the going rate for getting caught with drugs by Police and a ban from VV. Careful of the fake Police and the fake Police station too. I know some people that almost got taken advantage of and almost got robbed blind.

[chicagoexplorer]

I second - worst breed of backpacker. It's the promise of WEED. I encountered some totally bullshit Israelis on a minivan ride back down to Vientiane. Was about ready to pay the driver to leave them on the side of the road. I got a prime seat because I walked to the depot, spoiled baby backpacker Isrealis all got picked up. One bitch wanted my seat. As if I should just give up the best seat on the bus to this ugly, smelly hag. "I'm sick" - she was hungover! Well, they all decided to annoy the hell out of me the entire way to Vientiane singing their bullshit communist military and kibutz songs. Even clapping their hands directly over my head singing and yelling. They annoyed the driver to no end as well - each one took a turn, begging the driver to stop for a pee. Then they would all pile out and smoke cigarettes. We were about an hour late getting in and the driver was NOT happy as he makes his living ...DRIVING. I loathe the people - I have a million of these Israeli travelers tales. A million.

HAHA, reminds me of a thread I just saw. http://whatreallyhappened.com/IMAGES/GazaHolo/index.html

[loongjohn50]

It is hard to believe but this used to be a lovely, quiet charming little village mid-late 90s. I got pulled off the bus near VV many years ago and sent back to VNE. I had to stay the night.

It was a great place to break the bus trip from VNE up to Luang Prabang and positions fwd until about 1999-2000 (visit Lao year). What a disaster!

I stopped there years ago and literally found it impossible to find Laotian food. That is not hyperbole. Sure, many farang restaurants had a few farang faves on the menu at 8x the price but not only was the food overpriced, you can be sure it wasn't authentic AND farang restaurants I always think of as dubious in hygiene dept. I located ONE noodle shop - I ate every meal there.

What a craphole

I second - worst breed of backpacker. It's the promise of WEED. I encountered some totally bullshit Israelis on a minivan ride back down to Vientiane. Was about ready to pay the driver to leave them on the side of the road. I got a prime seat because I walked to the depot, spoiled baby backpacker Isrealis all got picked up. One bitch wanted my seat. As if I should just give up the best seat on the bus to this ugly, smelly hag. "I'm sick" - she was hungover! Well, they all decided to annoy the hell out of me the entire way to Vientiane singing their bullshit communist military and kibutz songs. Even clapping their hands directly over my head singing and yelling. They annoyed the driver to no end as well - each one took a turn, begging the driver to stop for a pee. Then they would all pile out and smoke cigarettes. We were about an hour late getting in and the driver was NOT happy as he makes his living ...DRIVING. I loathe the people - I have a million of these Israeli travelers tales. A million.

Israeli and English backpackers make Arabs look like polite, culturally sensitive people in comparison.

[bangkokburning]

"Deep in the jungle"

More like on the side of the largest highway in Lao! <deleted>?

I think I have a few photos somewhere of a carnival (booths, Ferris Wheel) on the big open tarmac, taken at least five years ago. Jungle - HAH, what a pant load.

Edited April 24, 2012 by bangkokburning

[isaanbrit]

I remember my first (and last!) trip to Vang Vieng 10 years ago. It was just as horrible then as the article describes it now. The absolute worst breed of backpackers stay there - in particular it seemed to have loads of types who had been in SE Asia for 2 weeks and were now experts in all areas of local culture and politics (even though they spent all their time drinking rot gut alcohol with other westerners). Can you imagine going to a country as raw and exotic as Laos and spending entire days in cafes eating fake western food and watching bad american sitcoms? That's exactly what it was like 10 years ago and it seems to only have gotten worse.

Calm down mate. For some young travellers, like myself, places like Vang Vieng are a nice break from the immersion in southeast asian culture that we have been living in. It's a real chance to let your hair down, not have to be on best behaviour, eat western food, watch friends and chill out!

And I think it's a bit harsh to say that they're the "worst breed of backpackers". Most of them are just kids on a gap year having fun. I'm sure there all nice people

Are you looking forward to celebrating your 12th birthday soon?

Nope

[bendejo]

teenage wasteland

[lovelaos]

It used to be a nice little town conveniently located roughly halfway on the road to Luang Prabang. The great unwashed have spoilt it now much to the dismay of the locals who see farang as smelly, loud, disrespectful idiots. I used to spend a week there every year to explore the beautiful unspoilt waterfalls and enjoy the simple life of the locals. I last went there 2 years ago and the place is now a mess and the once friendly locals have become anti farang. Shame. The local authorities are now on a mission to change the place back to what it once was, although I have heard that the Chinese are investing heavily in the town. Shame.

[GreenSnapper]

It used to be a nice little town conveniently located roughly halfway on the road to Luang Prabang. The great unwashed have spoilt it now much to the dismay of the locals who see farang as smelly, loud, disrespectful idiots. I used to spend a week there every year to explore the beautiful unspoilt waterfalls and enjoy the simple life of the locals. I last went there 2 years ago and the place is now a mess and the once friendly locals have become anti farang. Shame. The local authorities are now on a mission to change the place back to what it once was, although I have heard that the Chinese are investing heavily in the town. Shame.

It isn't that bad.

Yes, you can occasionally watch the empowered brit/aussie bikini girl, crawling the floor and vomiting.

But if you stay a little outside the scene, avoid the tubing and instead take a motorbike a few km outside to the villages, it is still Lao, beautiful, peaceful and friendly.

The scenery is outstanding too.

[lovelaos]

It used to be a nice little town conveniently located roughly halfway on the road to Luang Prabang. The great unwashed have spoilt it now much to the dismay of the locals who see farang as smelly, loud, disrespectful idiots. I used to spend a week there every year to explore the beautiful unspoilt waterfalls and enjoy the simple life of the locals. I last went there 2 years ago and the place is now a mess and the once friendly locals have become anti farang. Shame. The local authorities are now on a mission to change the place back to what it once was, although I have heard that the Chinese are investing heavily in the town. Shame.

It isn't that bad.

Yes, you can occasionally watch the empowered brit/aussie bikini girl, crawling the floor and vomiting.

But if you stay a little outside the scene, avoid the tubing and instead take a motorbike a few km outside to the villages, it is still Lao, beautiful, peaceful and friendly.

The scenery is outstanding too.

Well in my opinion it is that bad. These idiots should stick to places like Ibiza or Goa where the locals tolerate them. They don't even spend much money, sharing a Beerlao and plate of fried rice between four of them whilst watching re-runs of Friends. They have this deluded idea they are experiencing culture.!!

Yes I agree outside of the town is still unspoilt but the town itself is ruined. Lao people don't holiday there anymore because of these idiots smoking crap weed, getting p*ssed on a sniff of beer and behaving like schoolchildren.

The last time I was there I witnessed one of these idiots screaming and shouting at a poor Lao woman because she didn't make his tuna sandwich to his liking. I quietly reminded him, the error of his ways

The government is now starting to close down some of the riverside bars in an attempt to change the place and hopefully the idiots will move on to somewhere else.

[LucidLucifer]

These idiots should stick to places like Ibiza or Goa where the locals tolerate them.

It's over a decade since I was last in Goa, but even then if the locals could have got shot of the Israelis, they wouldn't have hesitated.

I doubt things have changed.

[dantilley]

They have this deluded idea they are experiencing culture.!!

I don't think anyone's under that illusion!

[Baloo22]

Israeli and English backpackers make Arabs look like polite, culturally sensitive people in comparison.

And the drunken falang scum along Soi BuaKhao in Pattaya make Israeli and English backpackers look like saints!