Vang Vieng in Laos is a stunning location and one of the best things to do while there is to go swim in one (or more) of the blue lagoons. Yes, Vang Vieng had a somewhat notorious reputation as a wild party town, but that is in the past. It is working hard to change this image. Vang Vieng is becoming known now more for its fabulous landscape and adventure opportunities. The blue lagoons are very much a part of this new image.
There are several blue lagoons around Vang Vieng. They are beautiful, fun and famous. A visit to at least one lagoon will likely appear in any tour you might sign up to. My advice? Skip the tours and the crowds. Save some money by simply hiring a tuktuk for a lovely day of lagoon hopping. And my best – maybe controversial – advice? Skip lagoon #1, and do not attempt to bike to a lagoon yourself. Keep on reading and I’ll explain!
Where are the blue lagoons & when is the best time to visit?
There are six lagoons noted on Google Maps, all easy to find and all the local tuktuk drivers know them. They range from 20 mins to an hour away on quite rough roads. Most are to the West of Vang Vieng at the foot of the beautiful, giant limestone karst mountains. This makes for a stunning setting, but later in the day, they might get in the way of your sunshine, so take this into account when planning. The blue lagoons are also near viewpoints like Nam Xay so you might want to add that in also. They’re open approx. 8.30 am to 5.30pm, although hours differ between lagoons.
How much does it cost to visit the blue lagoons in Vang Vieng?
Visiting the blue lagoons is a real bargain budget way to spend a day! Lagoon entry ranges between 10-20,000 kip (35-70p). Transport cost us about £3 each (more on this later). You should also budget for food and drink.
Some guides, I read online during our visit, mentioned having to pay a toll to cross a bridge. I didn’t see this once during any of our excursions so make of that what you will.
How long should you spend at a lagoon?
Expect to spend an hour or two at a lagoon relaxing, swimming, playing on whatever platforms, slides and swings you can find, maybe grabbing a drink or a bite to eat. You could obviously spend a whole day at one if you wanted.
What should you bring on a visit to the blue lagoons?
Obviously bring your swims, plus towel, SPF, camera (chuck your phone in a dry bag, or bring a GoPro for the water shots), money for transport, entry & snacks. We didn’t feel the need for water shoes, but you absolutely could as sometimes the water’s edge was a bit slippery. And the thing you should always have with you in South East Asia? Toilet paper! The toilets rarely have this so chuck some in your bag to avoid that fun surprise.
And my best quickfire advice for visiting the blue lagoons in Vang Vieng?
Skip lagoon #1.
Lagoons 5 & 6 are closed (as of Nov 2025).
Most importantly, the roads are BAD so hire a tuktuk to drive you there instead of biking.
Why avoid Lagoon #1, you ask?
Lagoon #1 is the closest to town, appears on the most tour itineraries and is the most famous. This means it gets the most people and is therefore the busiest. It is still a beautiful swimming spot, with a 5m high jumping platform built into a tree overhanging the water which has lots of fish swimming below. There are a couple of rope swings, a zipline you can pay for and a small cave nearby. Lifejackets are available for hire.There lots of small shops and cafes, picnic tables, etc. It sounds great!
But I hated it there. Why? Hundreds of Chinese tourists were taking pictures of me and my friends the whole time. It started out as a bit of a novelty and we posed for pictures, but it became busier and busier and just became too much as people were practically shoving their phones in our faces, taking pictures constantly without asking. It was rude and creepy and made us feel so uncomfortable. We didn’t stay long.
This is such a sad reason to not recommend a place, but I’d be lying if I said I enjoyed Lagoon 1. That said, if you can go there and avoid all the crowds, perhaps early in the morning, then do it as I’m sure it’s far more enjoyable.
I took these pictures when we first arrived to Lagoon 1, but it became busier and busier until there were massive crowds.
Why can’t I bike to the lagoons?
You can hire a motorbike or a scooter to go to the lagoons, but as I said, the roads are BAD. They are ittered with deep potholes, gravel, mud, water, roadworks, surprise cows… not to mention other road users. Unless you’re a really confident biker, I wouldn’t risk becoming another statistic on the Banana Pancake trail and another of the bandaged tourists you will see around town. Neither will you save money by hiring a bike. See the tuk tuk costs below.
Note: when I say ‘bike’, I mean motorbike or scooter. We did also see people on push bikes but some of the lagoons are quite a distance so I wouldn’t.
How about hiring a buggy to drive to the lagoons?
Yeah, we were tempted by those, too! They look fun. And I think they’re definitely better suited to the local roads. But they cost more and we decided to save money. Also we knew we’d likely want a beer at the lagoons, and drink driving ain’t cool, so…
So how much for a tuktuk to the lagoons?
Approach a tuktuk driver in town, explain where you want to go and how many of you (try to get a small group of you together for the money-saving sweet spot). You’ll be quoted a price. This obviously goes up with more locations and more time. You can try to haggle. For six of us to lagoon 2, wait and back to town it was 500,000kip. Less than £3 each. A tuk tuk for 7 of us to two lagoons, including wait time and return to town cost 600,000 kip. That’s about £3 each. And we didn’t even try to haggle it down.
Nb. The ‘tuktuks’ here are not the itty-bitty two-seater motorbike style, but the 4×4 trucks with cages on the back and seats welded in. Don’t worry, you’ll still have a fun time bouncing around in the back on these roads. Genuinely, I could have done with a sports bra at times it felt like such a work out!
Which lagoons do I recommend?
Easy: Lagoons 2 and 3. Make a day of it and go to the nearby Nam Xay viewpoint which is located between the two! Read more about that here.
Lagoon #2
20,000 kip entry, about 25 mins from town, open 9am to 5:30pm every day, has plenty of facilities; cafes, toilets, picnic tables.
Blue Lagoon 2 has a few different pools, several spaces for relaxing and as such you can cling on to the sun for the longest and it doesn’t feel crowded. The deepest pool is clear enough to see a few small fish in there (they don’t nibble, don’t worry), and has a high platform for you to jump from. There’s also a slide and a few zip lines, but these are all cordoned off and look like they’ve seen better days. Other nearby pools have a flying fox and a swinging bridge challenge. I fell off both rather dramatically.
Lagoon #3
20,000 kip entry, about 45 mins from town, open 8am to 6:30pm every day. There’s a café, toilets and a few tables at the waterside.
This lagoon is furthest from town and has a beautiful driveway up to it with gorgeous views of the karsts. It gets sun earlier in the day, but is cooler later in the shadow of the massive limestone mountains. Blue Lagoon 3 consists of one long, deep pool with a flying fox, rope swing, balance beam and rubber rings. In typical Beth fashion, I belly-flopped so hard from the rope swing that my necklace snapped! There are fewer places to sit here, but the café is large, and it was also not overly busy so we weren’t struggling for space. There is also a small cave to explore along the path but you’ll need decent shoes and a light to explore properly. Beware of creepy crawlies!
What about Lagoons 4, 5 and 6?
I didn’t go to these so I can’t comment, sorry! Lagoons 5 & 6 are closed – as of November 2025. Lagoon 4 is about 40 mins to the North of town whereas the others are to the West. Apparently it is quiet and has a platform, rope swing and rubber rings. If you go there, please let me know how it is!
Finally…
Grab your swims and a handful of kip, slather on the SPF and prepare yourself for a bouncy tuktuk ride. A day at a lagoon, or lagoon-hopping, is one of the best activities in Vang Vieng. It’s a cheap and fun way to spend time in a natural playground.
Make sure to read up on other amazing activities in my Vang Vieng itinerary – like the nearby Nam Xay motorbike viewpoint hike, or the famous tipsy tubing!
If you enjoyed reading about the Blue Lagoons of Vang Vieng, but sure to check out these posts!
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I have always made a point of never accepting guest posts on AbFabTravels, but I have just made an exception! My daughter Beth is currently on a sabbatical and travelling the world. She has agreed to contribute a few articles, giving a young person’s perspective and insights into a different way of travelling. She is a fantastic writer so please check out her posts.
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