We arrive at Vang Vieng at 2 pm by minivan coming from Luang Prabang (https://www.marsontheroad.com/en/destinazioni/80/cosa-non-perdere-a-luang-prabang). Cost of the trip: 115,000 kip or 11.5 € including the pick up from the hostel; we spend about 5 hours with 2 stops of 5 min for the bathroom.
We arrive at the station, which is 8 km from the city, and from here we take a tuk-tuk that takes us downtown to the cost of 50,000 kip for 3 people.
We stay at the Vang Vieng Rock Backpackers for 35,000 kip per night with breakfast included. The hostel is not bad at all.
 
We decide to rent a scooter for 50,000 kip per day and start exploring Vang Vieng.
Vang Vieng was famous for party, drugs and alcohol. The town itself is nothing special: it mainly consists of three streets and a bus station. What fascinates us most is the scenery of the river and the rock formations that surround this place.
 
We stop to visit the caves Tham Jang / Chang Cave, located just 5 minutes- drive from our hostel. You have to pay 3,000 kip and 2,000 kip for the parking of the scooter. Once you have crossed the picturesque orange bridge, you go towards the entrance to the caves. Here we still pay 15,000 kip and is it possible to visit the caves in about half an hour.
 
We the head towards Tham Poukham (caves) and the Blue Lagoon 1 - 7 km from the centre. The road in good condition. We pay 10,000 kip for entry to a bridge, plus 10,000 kip for entry to the lagoon and caves. Let's go immediately to explore the caves for which we expect a climb of about 15 minutes. Remember to bring a torch with you to use inside the cave. Then we descend and return to the lagoon where we begin to dive from the only tree. The lagoon is full of tourists, despite being really small. It has unfortunately become a mere tourist attraction with little attention to the natural place.
 
We continue to another lagoon called Lagoon 3. The road is not paved so be prepared for a constant flicker on the scooter. A little over half way we stop to drink a fresh fruit shake at one of the restaurants we find on the street. Finally, we reach the Lagoon 3 where we pay 10,000 kip for the entry. There are various inflatables to relax on, chairs and tables, zip lines to jump into the water. In short, everything is very nice. We end the day here even if we would have like to go to Phangern Mountain View Point but now it's already late and the sun is about to leave.
 
The next day we decide to try the famous Tubing. It is a ride on the Nam Song river with old air chambers that act as inflatables. During the journey, we stop in various bars along the river to sip a few drinks or eat something. We buy the tour at our hostel for 60,000 kip. We start the journey around 12 pm and after 10 minutes we stop at the first bar. The stops are 2 in total and here you will also find ropes or trampolines. There is also a disco music at high volume. It's a nice way to spend a different day of fun, even if the average age is quite low! The tour ends at about 5 pm. Finally, we take a tuk-tuk that brings us back to the hostel. Better to bring a waterproof bag to avoid the risk of getting your stuff wet (you can buy it at the various shops in the city).
 
We can, therefore, say that Vang Vieng definitely deserves a stop if you travel to Laos. The activities to do are many, certainly, you will not get bored!