Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is a tourism-oriented town in Laos, located in Vientiane Province about four hours bus ride north of the capital. The town lies on the Nam Song river. The most notable feature of the area is the karst hill landscape surrounding the town.

One of the main features of the town is a long, mostly unused, airfield runway parallel to the road. It was used during the Vietnam War by the Air America's planes (the airstrip was then called "Lima site 6").

The town started to grow in the 1980s, due to the influx of backpackers.

One of the main attractions of the town is inner tubing on the river and Kayaking. During the wet season, the river can be a series of raging rapids, but during the dry season, some of it is little more than a trickle. Climbing the limestone mountains is another popular activity.

Landscape in Vang ViengThe market is located five kilometres north of the town selling Lao textiles, household items and several stalls selling foodstuffs. The town is situated on the main north-south highway, Route 13 from Luang Prabang to the capital, Vientiane.

But the real attractions of the area are the scenery, the limestone hills and the numerous caves and caverns. Perhaps the most interesting is the Tham Phu Kham cave, half an hour from Vang Vieng by tuk-tuk or rented motorbike.