Vang Vieng is one of the most beautiful travel destinations in Laos, located in the northern part of Vientiane province. It is approximately four hours of bus ride journey towards the north of the capital. Famous for its ‘Banana Pancake Trail,’Vang Vieng is home to the adventurous and outdoor activities amidst the gorgeous scenic beauty.

Earlier, this site was very well known for its wildlife, habitat, and unregulated river tubing party scenes; however, the town has majorly cleaned up the area and civilized it to be a tourist spot for the scenic and water lovers. If you’re traveling to this location and don’t have much time to decide the activities, here is a quick fix to spend48 hours in Vang Vieng and make the most of the place.

How to reach Vang Vieng?
By Bus: Vang Vieng is on Highway No. 13 between Luang Prabang and Vientiane. The bus station is about 2 km north of the town. You can reach Vang Vieng by bus from Luang Prabang and Vientiane within 6-8 hours and 3-4 hours, respectively. Bus tickets are available in almost every hotel in and guesthouses in Vientiane.

By Car: You can find many taxi services from Vientiane airport to Vang Vieng, which will take about 3.5 hours.

By Motorbike: If you are comfortable to handle the mild traffic in Laos, this should be a cakewalk as you will get to reach and roam around the site without having to hunt for a tuk-tuk. It will take you between 2-4 hours when you begin from Route 13 towards your destination.

The best activities in Vang Vieng:
The best activities one can engage in Vang Vieng are eating the local cuisine, tubing, visitingfamous places, and much more. Let's note down the activities for 48 hours in Vang Vieng that will ensure that you have seen and experienced all the major events here within a time limit of 2 days.

Day 1:
Tham Chan Caves:
You can reach the cave by negotiating the orange suspension bridge at the rear side of Vang Vieng Resort. It will be a thrilling experience to swim the crystal-clear spring and move close to the cave as a first step. From there, take the steep staircase for reaching the illuminated cavern.  From the view gallery, enjoy the panoramic view of the town. Inside the cave, it is all-natural wonders of stalagmites and stalactites.

Best river tubing in Laos – Nam Song River
After the hectic journey and spending almost half of the day for travel, the best option is to stretch out at Nam Song River and try the famous river-tubing. Surrounded by terrains, mountains, and beautiful clouds, you can hire or rent an inner tube and lay back at the river and just flow along while you enjoy the beauty of this site. It is both calming and relaxing. In case you feel like refreshing or having a drink, the riverside bars will throw you a rope to drag you out for a quick refreshment, doesn’t that sound blissful?

Nam song river is close to the Vientiane (Wattay) Airport, and within a4-hour drive, you can reach here. Once you have entered Van Vieng, it will take about 15-20 minutes from the bus stop to reach the tourist spot.

Cost of the tube: 60,000 Kip per person ($7.20) which will be refunded if the tube can return by 8 pm

Hearty food & drinks
After tubing, the next best option is to surf the places around. Vang Vieng has pretty good restaurants, cafes, and bars that you can chill, and give you the best tour experience. Visiting Gary's Irish Bar or Pizzeria is a must to have the taste of the authentic hearty and homely drinks and food.

Hitting the town post-dinner
Once you’ve tried the food and the drinks, it’s now time to visit the Jaidee’s Bar for a low-key start and taste their breweries, post which you can continue the scenes at the Full Moon Pub or at Viva Vang Vieng to end the night perfectly.

Every location is close by, and at walkable distance, you can also take a tuk-tuk if needed to travel within the city. Rest the day off well and plan for exploring the next day.

Day 2:
The Blue Lagoon an important tourist location:
If you could only choose two activities in Vang Vieng, hands down it should be tubing and the blue lagoon. It is one of the famous and the best natural swimming holes that Lao has. The blue waters and the scenic beauty add on to the charm of this place, thus making it an impressive location, you should not miss.

In case you want to opt for any other physical activity like biking, trekking can also go to this place via a bike to feel the atmosphere and lay low at the swimming hole.

It is very close to the Vang Vieng bus stop. You can reach the location using the tuk-tuk within 10 minutes. Tuk-tuks are a common mode of transport service throughout Laos.

Rock Climbing
If you are an explorer and enjoy rock climbing, then you must try this activity while you are on this siteas you will get to encounter the karst mountains with the help of a guide. These activities can go on for half a day or four days; you can decide your pace.

Kayaking
Spend the third half of your day kayaking through the site. It will take you on a bit of a paddling adrenaline rush, and you may even get to kayak until the south of the Vientiane.

The Night Market
After the entire busy activities of the second day, spend some time to explore the Night Market wonders. It may not be the biggest market in Lao; however, it does have some fantastic clothes, accessories, food stalls, andsouvenirs that one can look at before winding up the trip.

Conclusion:
Vang Vieng is all about biking, kayaking, and exploring the caves. Previously, it was a stopover destination from Vientiane, the capital of Laos to Luang Prabang, a world heritage site. It has now transformed into an exciting tourist destination. Tubing is one of the popular recreation activities here, and it is an effortless way of finding fun and frolic activities by using an inner tube of a car tire. Tourists can enjoy riding down the river on the inflated tubes zipping their favorites drinks. You can find many bars on the banks offering drinks at affordable rates.

48 hours in Vang Vieng are well enough to experience the most of this site and be mesmerized by the rugged yet beautiful atmosphere of the city. You can make your travel a memorable experience if you can entrust the tour program with a reputed travel agent.