Lolling about in Laos

FORGET culture, a visit to beautiful Vang Vien in Laos is all about having a good time, writes Catherine Lawson.

Muan ... Laotion for fun. For a small fee hire a rubber tube and float downstream, calling into the bamboo bars on the river bank along the way

FAR too frivolous for serious culture junkies, Vang Vieng has become a haven for budget travellers who like their Asian soul-searching served with a side of fun.

Set against a remarkable backdrop of karst scenery, limestone cliffs, caves and caverns, Vang Vieng's groupies stretch out in the shade of bamboo shacks and dangle their toes and oversized bottles of Bia Lao in the Song River.

Bob Marley's music invariably wails across the water and a procession of backpackers in boardshorts and bikinis sun themselves as they drift by on oversized inner tubes.

Upriver, barmen use bamboo poles to pull tube riders out of the current and into their shacks for shots of fiery lao-lao whisky and a free flying-fox ride with every beer.

Love it or leave it, this is Vang Vieng. In Laos, fun or "muan" is the national creed, and Vang Vieng is a town devoted to giving tourists their fill. Located about halfway between the Lao capital Vientiane and the ever-popular Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng is a stop-off point for budget bus travellers covering long distances by road.

Pay the toll to cross the footbridges over the Song River, then bike or hike to the massive limestone cliffs surrounding the town.

Tham Phu Kham lies a very pleasant 6km stroll or ride through local villages and rice paddies.

At the base of the cave runs a clear, turquoise stream where you can swim or lounge in the shade and picnic on "tam maak hung" – hot and spicy green papaya salad and sip chilled pineapple shakes. After cooling off, it's a stiff 200m hike up and into Phu Kham cave, where a large bronze Buddha reclines, flanked by colourful offerings.

Another favourite is nearby Lusi cave where guides charge $1.50 to lead travellers to a dark, frigid swimming hole found deep within the limestone.

Virtuous travellers feeling tortured by too much fun can do their bit by volunteering at Vang Vieng's Phoudindaeng Organic Farm, famous for it's awesome mulberries.

But ultimately, the most fun to be had in Vang Vieng is inside rubber. For $3.50 you can hire a huge tractor tyre inner tube and a jumbo taxi ride 3km upriver from the town to a pebbly beach on the Song River. From here, it's a scenic two-hour float downstream, passing beneath soaring limestone walls. Of course, you can delay your arrival back in town by joining the parties in the bamboo bars that dot the riverbank, or just buy a beer to keep you company as you float on by.

As the sun sets, travellers stretch out by the river in cushioned bamboo shacks to drink cheap beer, and try authentic Laos favourites such as "laap", a mixture of finely minced fish or meat, lime, coriander, mint and up to 15 chillies per plate.

Apart from being a fun and adventurous destination, Vang Vieng is also a very cheap town to spend a few nights. For about $5, you can rent a rustic bamboo bungalow with scenic views, or choose a room in town with more mod cons.

For travellers who've spent too long on the road, Vang Vieng is as comforting as a TV dinner on a good friend's couch. A stay here might not put you on the path to cultural enlightenment, but if the Lao have their way, you might just discover the meaning of muan.