10 Days in Laos: An Adventure in Southeast Asia’s Most Underrated Country

What do you know about Laos? Think about Laotian geography, people, food, history, language .. what comes to mind? Probably not much. I didn’t know anything about this landlocked country nestled between Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia. I sure as hell never thought I’d visit, that is until I moved to Thailand for a year. Once here, I’ve met seasoned travelers who RAVED about their time in Laos. Intrigued, I kept this country in the back of my mind until an opportunity came for me to go there. That time has come, and I’ve just returned from 10 days exploring stunning northern Laos. I can confidently say Laos is without a doubt the most underrated country in Southeast Asia. And here’s why.

Guide to Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang, a small city in northern Laos (a bit north of Chiang Mai), was the winner of the entire trip. I was (pleasantly) shocked by this town. Once the ancient capital of the northern province of Laos, Luang Prabang is a place that has the ‘it’ factor for me. Artisan jewelry shops and elegant (yet still casual) restaurants line beautiful walking streets. Dark brown roofs and indigo tribal patterns adorn the houses, showing influence from the prominent Lanna Kingdom. You also see touches of rich French colonialism throughout the well-preserved streets. Beautiful Buddhist temples are the only buildings to tower over the rest of the town. The city is so well-preserved, I can’t believe I’m in the 21st century in Asia!

There are gems hidden down every small street, the most notable being a massage parlor that used 7 different aromatic oils on me during our session. Every restaurant I went to, I loved. The presentation, the quality of food, the fusion of western and Asian cuisines. Detail and precision goes into every square inch in this town, and it truly feels like stepping back in time. Plus, everything from the accommodation to the transport to the food was super duper cheap! I would say it’s comparable to Cambodian prices.

Luang Prabang is situated on the famous Mekong River, with green, mighty mountain ridges encompassing the town and its inhabitants. One of the highlights of the entire trip was a sunset river cruise down the Mekong. It’s a new company with a French owner, and oh my god did I feel the luxury!

Of course, Luang Prabang is also famous for the Kuang Si Waterfalls, which did not disappoint!

I stayed in Luang Prabang for 4 nights, but I could have stayed over a week! One reason is because I stayed in the cutest guesthouse, Mali House, with the kindest hosts. Another reason I loved it so much is that it reminded me of Chiang Mai. Small town, narrow streets lined with plants and motorbikes, adorned temples and delicious restaurants. I want to write an entire travel guide to Luang Prabang where I’ll mention all my favorite spots (and trust me I found some GOOD ones!) But for now, let’s move on to my next stop in the Laos adventure: Nong Khiaw.

Guide to Nong Khiaw

Most travelers skip Nong Khiaw in their Laos itinerary because not many people know about it! Nong Khiaw a tiny village ~3 hours north of Luang Prabang by van. The only reason I know of this place is because my friend went here a few weeks before me and highly recommended it.

When I say this village is tiny … believe me. It takes around 15 minutes by foot to walk through the whole village. Yep, it’s wild! The reason we came here is for the crazy views and hikes. We went in May when it’s super hot, and the sun rose at 5am! So, for those two reasons we started on the viewpoint hike at 5:30am! It was a strenuous hike that felt like forever (but really was around 1.5 hours uphill). Once we got to the top … wow! I was at a loss for words. The expansive view exhibited two massive jagged mountainous cliffs RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU and a clear view of the river carving through the mountains and town. That’s what was so special about this town … the mountains felt like you could touch them! They were sooooo close, and it felt unfathomable to the human eye.

We stayed at the gorgeous Nong Khiaw Riverside which is arguably the nicest place to stay in the village. It was beyond peaceful to sit outside on the porch, facing the river and mountains, and stare at the beauty of the light changing as the sun rose and set.

We stayed 2 nights which was enough, as there isn’t a ton to do and also the food isn’t that great. I think Nong Khiaw may have been the most remote place I’ve ever stayed at in my life! It’s sparse with human-made developments but rich in nature. If you need a reality break, come here and see how other people live. The quiet, simple life is what the villagers know, and it’s fascinating to see how they live in such a remote place.

Guide to Vang Vieng

I have such mixed feelings about Vang Vieng! The nature is truly spectacular and should be considered a natural wonder of the world … but it’s so sad how overtourism / a lack of general awareness has ruined the city itself.

We came from Nong Khiaw, so we had to take a bus to Luang Prabang then a train to Vang Vieng. The train itself was amazing! It’s new, fast, and modern. I was shocked at how nice it was actually! I believe there’s a lot of Chinese investors into Laos, and the train developments was thanks to the Chinese.

One hour after my friend and I arrived to the city, we asked to shorten our stay at the hotel. The city is … not nice. Too many bright neon signs, too many vendors trying to get you to buy their tour package, too much trash. It’s everything I hate about traveling put into one town lol.

But .. the next day we decided to rent motorbikes and get out of the city, and that’s when Vang Vieng got its chance to shine. The mountains overlap continuously for miles and miles and miles. Everywhere you look, the mountains jut from the earth. It’s spectacular. We went to a newly built viewpoint called Phapoungkham Viewpoint, and we were the only ones there for hours to enjoy the stunning views! Something about this view … we sat with our legs dangling from the cliff, talking about life and the world. The views inspired us to talk about the most beautiful things together!

We also went to a natural Blue Lagoon, which was so much fun! They had zip lines and other fun activities to do in the waters. I felt like a little kid again. Weirdly, it’s like Vang Vieng got every crazy outdoor adrenaline-pumping activity and put it here. There’s hot air balloons and this weird sort of paragliding that uses a motor. So every time you look in the sky, you see a tourist whooping and hollering up in the air. It’s quite bizarre lol.

Guide to Vientiane – The Capital

We took a short bus from Vang Vieng to the capital for a few days to unwind. There’s not a ton to do here, but we went to some good restaurants and coffee shops and relaxed. Strangely, we went to a DELICIOUS Italian restaurant hahaha. The infrastructure is weak here and you wouldn’t expect it to be a major capital, but that’s Laos for you. What it lacks in infrastructure it more than makes up for in natural beauty. That’s why travelers like Laos — it’s raw and real. And less touristy than other major spots in Asia like Thailand or Vietnam.

Unfortunately, here was the start of another food poisoning incident (although I didn’t actually feel sick in Laos). More on that later.

Laos Overall

Laos is similar to Thailand in many ways … the language (I even recognized some of the same words to Thai as in Lao), the people, the food (although Thai food is objectively better haha). Laotian people are friendly, lovely, and kind. It’s much quieter than other countries in Asia. It’s extremely chilled (with that, don’t expect for any of your buses to be on time lol). It’s most definitely a slow pace to life. I felt safe the entire time I was in Laos, and one day I would love to return, especially back to Luang Prabang.

The mountains are where this country shines. So far in all my travels in Southeast Asia, the mountainous northern regions of Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam have been my favorite. The tiny towns are magnetic, and peaceful, and have made me marvel about this life on planet earth.

My Epic Fail To Singapore & Malaysia

Okay friends, I think I’m reporting on a new low since moving to Asia. Once finished with my Laos trip, I thought I’d pop over to Singapore and Malaysia for a few days to see what those places are like, then head back to Chiang Mai. Solo. So that’s what I did. I even have the passport stamps to prove it!

Only what I didn’t know at the time was that poison was inside me, and it was about to ruin everything. Immediately once I landed in Singapore, I took the metro to my $50 / night capsule hostel. For reference, this is 5x the amount I spent for a private room in Laos. Anyway, 2 minutes after checking in, I’m puking my guts out in the shared toilet. And it didn’t stop. The entire time in Singapore. And in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I’m by myself, in not only one but TWO foreign countries with food poisoning.

If you’ve been keeping up then this makes my fourth time having food poisoning since moving to Thailand last May. 4 TIMES. My stomach really really hates me, but I hated myself even more in those horrible days alone in Singapore and Malaysia.

From what I did see, here’s what I can tell you about these two places: Singapore is incredibly modern, sleek, and rich. Kuala Lumpur is a melting pot of nations and cultures, with a huge skyline and bustling city. But, don’t truly take my word for it, as the most sightseeing I did was to the hotel bathroom. Anyway, that’s life, eh? Sometimes traveling turns into a flaming pile of dog shit and you just gotta grin and bear through it!

Thanks for reading about these crazy adventures. I miss & love you all so much! I’ll be seeing you sooner rather than later! xx Gracie