The Best of Cambodia & Laos

250
VANG VIENG & SURROUNDING AREA
12
ATTRACTIONS
Tham Poukham, 7km (4 1 ⁄3 miles) from town, is the most popular cave around Vang
Vieng. It costs 5,000 kip to enter. The main features are a beautiful, cool lagoon, which
will look very inviting if you are feeling damp and sweaty (which you will be since it’s a
steep and slippery climb to get here) with its shimmering blue and green waters. Apart
from swimming the cave is famous for a Thai-style reclining Buddha. Poukham is
reached by a pretty but bumpy road to the village of Ban Na Thong, where there are signs
showing the way to the cave about 1km (.6 miles) on. Tham Non (admission 5,000 kip),
or the “Sleeping Cave” is about 4km (2 1 ⁄2 miles) north of town. It earned its name because
when Vang Vieng was being bombed during the war, people would take shelter there
during the night. Tham Xang (admission 5,000 kip) and Tham Hoi (admission 5,000
kip) are located in the same dramatic limestone outcrop about 15km (9.3 miles) north
of town on the road to Luang Prabang. Take a left at the village of Sinsomxai where there
is a turnoff to the caves. Tham Xang houses a large Buddha image and is of quite some
religious significance to local people. Tham Hoi is a huge cave running at least 7km (4.3
miles) deep. Some locals say it is even deeper. You should only go any distance into the
cave if you have an experienced guide. There is a Buddha image at the entrance of the
cave. Tham Chang (admission 10,000 kip) is close to town and very popular with both
Thai and foreign tourists. You go through the grounds of the Vang Vieng Resort (for a
10,000 kip two-way fee!) and cross a small bridge to some manicured grounds on the
other side of the river. Tham Chang was used as a fortress against the Chinese Haw
invaders in the late 19th century. Its name translates as firm and unwavering. It is by no
means the most spectacular cave in the area, but there is a great view of the valley from
a bird’s-eye perspective. Tham Phu Thao (admission 5,000 kip) stretches for 2km (1.2
miles) and the tunnels are lined with huge stalactites and stalagmites. There is a subterranean
pool where you can swim in the rainy season. In the dry season, you can continue
beyond the pool and explore the cave in its entirety. There is also a Hmong village nearby
peopled by returnee refugees from Thailand. They were driven from their homes during
the war of the ’60s and ’70s and ended up in exile but were refused admission to the
United States or other Western countries. They were returned to Laos and settled here.
Many combine caving with kayaking, which costs $12 a day and if you wish you can
make the trip all the way to Vientiane. Green Discovery runs the safest operation with
experienced guides, although there are many other companies that will give you a cheaper
deal.
TUBING
Floating down the Nam Song River on an inflated tractor inner tube has become almost
a religious ritual for the thousands of people who come to Vang Vieng to go tubing. A
whole mini-industry of restaurants and bars has grown up around it, and many local
people have become prosperous on the simple activity of floating about. Although it is
now associated with Vang Vieng in the minds of many visitors, it is something you will
see kids doing all over the country.
All guesthouses will be able to organize tubing trips for you. Wherever you buy the
trip, they are all part of the same collective cartel based near the old market. You can also
just go directly to this central “depot,” next to the old market on the junction next to the
riverside road. You can’t miss it since there are huge stacks of inner tubes behind the front
desk. For 35,000 kip (plus a 60,000 kip deposit), you will be driven about 4km (2 1 ⁄2 miles)
north of town and issued with your inner tube. From here you will float back to town