Riverside Paradise - Xong river in Vangvieng, Laos

A small and beautiful town surrounded byprevent tourists from drowning after they have
mountains and rivers, Vangvieng is a place ofjumped or swung into the river, some locals are
delight and wonder for visitors from around thespecially designated to be on the lookout for
world.those in need of a helping hand. They throw out
The city is about 150 km north of Vientiane,small inner tubes tied to a rope and pull them
situated between the capital city and the Worldback to land. This can be quite useful, especially
Heritage town of Luang Prabang. The mainfor those who are not the strongest of
attractions are the clean and clear water of theswimmers.
Nam Xong river, karst outcroppings, caves andMoreover, merrymakers cannot disregard the
mountain scenery. The town has more than 30environmental integrity of the area.
natural caves, and most places of interest areTo protect the river, district authorities have
accessible to visitors all year round.created regulations banning tourist operators from
Laos is steeped in Buddhist traditions, has aallowing visitors to bring any glass bottles to the
colourful culture and is famed for the year-roundriverside, nor in kayaks or inner tubes.
tropical weather that makes it a lush paradise.Though several kinds of beverages are available
The people who live here hold many traditionalat bars along the river, especially at places where
festivals so that local customs live on.overhead jumps are set up, tourists are not
In the meantime the tourists from around theallowed to take any bottles away with them.
world who visit Vangvieng congregate around theServers pour drinks into small plastic buckets and
river, with venues in the town becoming meetingrequire them to stay put.
points where people make friends as they enjoySplashing and sporting around are good for some,
fun and games.but what makes Vangvieng an interesting
Recently, tourism operators have built facilities todestination is its dynamism. There seems to be
serve the visitor’s need for excitement assomething for everyone here. Visitors who
fully as possible along the river. These includedon’t want to play in the mud or jump into
zip-lines, rope swings, slides, and mud pits forthe river can simply enjoy taking photographs and
games of rattan ball and volleyball.taking pleasure in the beauty of their surroundings.
For a three-kilometre stretch on the river beforeThere are caves to explore, organic farms to
the launch point of inner tubes and kayaks, peoplevisit, and local culture and traditions to get lost in.
can be seen happily drinking and dancing, enjoyingLao visitors, especially from Vientiane, like to shop
the music, riverside merriment and sport.at the market for fresh organic vegetables and
Impromptu games involve an unlimited number offruits in the early morning. Here, one can see the
players, both male and female. Whether a playerreal life of Vangvieng residents, who come from
is good or not is of no importance. People aredifferent villages and ethnic groups and sell and
perfectly content to engage in friendlybuy goods in the market. Not only are many of
competition, while relishing the freedom andthe goods for sale here interesting and unusual,
comfort of swim-wear and mud. Of course therethey are also cheaper than in Vientiane markets.
are no rules either; the objective is to hit the ballTo tempt tourists to linger longer in Vangvieng,
over the net and enjoy the refreshinginvestors have developed numerous amenities for
surroundings and the company of friends new andvisitors to enjoy. In the town centre, hundreds of
old.restaurants pepper the roads, many of them
This sort of unabashed volleyball revelry playeddecorated with coloured lights and bright flowers,
out in the mud may not be an unusual site inwhile others feature popular TV series that run
some countries, but in Laos it is certainly a rarity.non-stop.
Vangvieng is the first and only place to featureAt the visitor’s fingertips are overseas
mud pit volleyball in Laos! In fact, the only othertelevision channels, Internet cafes, currency
instance of mud-based excitement in the countryexchange units and transaction services that allow
is seen during the rocket festival. There, if aconnection with the rest of the world. Travel
rocket explodes on the launching pad instead ofagencies, as well as trekking, tubing and kayaking
taking to the sky, the rocket engineer and hisoperations, are not at all difficult to find in the
team will be thrown into a mud pit by the othertown centre.
rocketeers. But this only happens once a year,Travellers can relax, drink and savour their
while Vangvieng players can serve, volley andfavourite foods in the many eateries. The town is
wallow in the pit every day.not lacking in international fare. Some cooks are
Making the “mud court” is not complicatedeven willing to prepare made-to-order meals for
and involves simply taking mud from farms in thevisitors, to sate their Western-style cravings.
area and pouring it into the pit. The only extraYet, those seeking a more cultural experience will
effort goes into making sure the mud doesn’tnot be disappointed— Lao cuisine and libations
contain any large rocks or other hard objects,are readily available. Among the most popular
which might injure the players. Smartly, the courtbeverages for tourists are Beerlao, fruit shakes,
is equipped with nylon nets to keep the ball fromorganic wine and tea made from mulberry leaves.
going too far out of play.Vangvieng has more than 100 guesthouses,
When players grow tired and mud-caked from allhotels, resorts and bungalows to accommodate
the volleying, they will most likely be seen heartilytourists who visit the town. If you find your way
throwing one another into the river. Viola! It’sto this dynamic and charming place, remember to
a fast, easy and fun method of cleaning up aftergo easy on the lao-lao, respect the natural
the game.beauty, and leave only your troubles to float
Still, revellers shouldn’t forget that safety isdown the river.
extremely important in this type of setting. To