Viva Vang Vieng
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- This documentary investigates the Tubing phenomenon in Laos, where in 2011, over 27 tourists died. It follows the hedonistic lifestyle of backpackers who stop off to party in paradise & explores the effects that they have had on the welcoming locals, whilst raising questions about the ethics of travelling & how we behave amongst other cultures.
A film by: Charlie White
Edited by: Marcelo Vianna
Sound Design by: Marios Kleftakhs
Duration: 15mins 57sec
Location: Vang Vieng, Laos
(Full English Subtitled Version)
![4. The Hunting Man - OUT OF THE CRADLE [人類誕生CG] / NHK Documentary](/img/n.gif)
This is the best film I've seen on TH-cam. Definitely a talented editor and filmmakers
bravo! insanely good cut and "regie". your almost flying through this documentary without a narrator being present. but understand everything he's trying to say.
I went there in 2003, and it was awesome. I went back in 2007 to find a tourist trap. It's sad how beautiful places become fucked up
Guys, I love this place! I have mostly lived overseas for the past six years, but every single time I had a chance to go back, I've always missed this place. As you know, Laos is a developing country! so please do not expect ultimate safety or security; Most tourist places can be dangerous and uncertain! Hence, you should plan & prepare accordingly before visiting those places! Always know your limit, don’t put yourself at risk. It depends on you how you want to enjoy your time whilst taking necessary precautions :)
Wow.....how times have changed. I was there in 2005 and it was nothing like this, it was still relatively quiet and for the most part still undeveloped. Can't say the changes are for the good.
yeah, I agree....travelled around Asia in 2003 and this town was one of my two favourite places. Seems to have been overrun by tourists in the meantime. I remember that after checking in to my reed hut, I found two bags of marajuana stuffed into the toilet-roll up on the shelf. I was over the moon. Great times.....and yeah the mountains man....fuck they were beautiful.
@@CathalOGradaigh...... Yes, the mountains are really beautiful. That place was really nice when it was a sleepy little town and not overun with tourists.
@@TheIrishd501 Fact man...........at least we saw it before it decended into this. What country's did you travel around in Asia apart from Laos?
@@CathalOGradaigh..... I've been in Thailand and the Philippines. I've got about 5 more years till retirement and I may split my time between the US and the Philippines as I have a house there in Tarlac.
@@TheIrishd501 cool man.....never been to the Philippines.....a friend of mine was there and he loved it.........must get out there sometime......until then it's rainy old Ireland...... apparently we're having a warm summer this year, the rain is warm :-)
I have lived in laos 20 years and this is the best video I have seen on the Vang Vieng scene of the “noughties” era. The river bars were shut & demolished suddenly by the government around 2012 just before they hosted a big international conference - they didnt want any bad publicity during the conference. I personally had no issue with the kids having a few drinks - the town is far worse now. The backpackers have been replaced by thousands of chinese & korean package tourists, most of the old Lao businesses have been bought up and been turned into karaoke bars etc.
The streets are crowded with cars and buses, sewage pours into the Nam Song, and the opposite side of the river that was a nice rural view is now more roads and concrete.
This backpacker era was far preferable to the badly planned mess the town has become.
Exactly. People who complained about a bunch of nice kids having fun can see that things can get a whole lot worse. Thanks. People always are quick to blame tourist when they nothing about the situation.
In Canada, the White Australian foreign workers working in resort spots in BC and Alberta are often extremely rude and mean to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background, especially in Banff, Whistler, Vancouver Island, etc.
White Canadian workers tend to be much more kind and decent to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background. Why do White Australian foreign workers seem to be so rude and mean to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background in Canada?
White Canadian workers are usually very nice to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background in Canada but White Australian foreign workers in Canada are usually very hateful to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background.
loved this video! shows the truth of how it is and what its doing! very very very great work
Hi, thanks, happy you found it an honest and truthful portrayal of a fragile and complex situation. No Bias, the search for a fair & realistic representation is paramount.
I went there in 2004. There was already tubing and few pubs and river bars. It was a paradise, compare to what is happening there now
I don't know how long the tubings been happening, but it was there in 2000 when I went
I see so many lost souls on this video.. It's kind of sad. Adventure is cool, but doing this type of debauchery just because it's perceived "cool" is stupid. And the local Asian people put up with all of this bs, just because it pays.. I hope things are better than it seems.
And now 6 tourists lost their lives.
Because they only want to spend 6$ for one night accomodation and 2 hours free drinking @@Dial999its-a-good-time
Whatever. They are having fun. Leave them alone. If the locals didn’t want this then all they would have to do is say no to the business and money. They didn’t so it’s not debauchery. If you have a job as a bartender in the USA you have to put up with stuff. So stop blaming the tourists.
Fascinating bro! So well made
The reason these young western visitors head all the way to Vang Vieng is because of the vices. Other South East Asian countries can offer the same attraction such as river tubing and so on but these visitors do not go there as it has its limits.
Thanks a lot for this video. I am in Vang Vien right now in an effort to cut my bus journey into 2 days on my exit to Thailand. The entire town seems to be geared towards tourism. Among bars and those famous "Friends" showing restaurants, I also spotted a lot of Korean signs and overheard some Korean kareoke. Having travelled a lot especially in Cambodia, the local communities' incessant effort to make money by providing comforts that are in essence pretty alien to their own culture, saddens me and makes the whole experience sth other travelling. Of course even a concept as basic as hostels is adopted by these countries to make things easier for us. However there should be a balance. The fact that a town called vang vien existed or exists today simply to appease some drunken ego in a country like Laos , that has a rich culture and nature to devour other than beer Lao, is saddening me. Having said that I also realise that this is how families earn money here. Sustainable tourism is out of picture in a country like Laos, which has a myriad of problems to deal, and like the way the buses or minivans are filled to the brim, everything is seen as an opportunity. If all the travellers just stopped for one moment to think that the purpose is much more than their enjoyment but rather merging with the life here, everything would have been different. We are not here to adapt them and their environment to ourselves. We are here to adapt ourselves to their culture so that at the end of the day we take a little bit learning with us back home. Thanks heaps for this video again !
Appreciate your insight and comment. It's a tragic yet fascinating sociological change that I hope can grow towards ethical tourism. I hope those who visit respect the local culture.
you and I are adult, these freaks are not
In Canada, the White Australian foreign workers working in resort spots in BC and Alberta are often extremely rude and mean to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background, especially in Banff, Whistler, Vancouver Island, etc.
White Canadian workers tend to be much more kind and decent to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background. Why do White Australian foreign workers seem to be so rude and mean to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background in Canada?
White Canadian workers are usually very nice to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background in Canada but White Australian foreign workers in Canada are usually very hateful to guests / tourists / customers / residents of East and South-East Asian background.
Is still open?
Great content and thanks for sharing! I am infuriated at how tourists are ruining countries by acting like animals. Tourism should be about embracing and RESPECTING a culture, learning to be better humans, exploring nature. Things that from the disrespectful comments said by the guys in this video seem come second to cheap booze. DISGUSTING!
don't forget the locals, they started that shit of tubing and sliding and whatever, with giving out buckets of spirit for free, and magic pizza and laughing gas balloons. If you want to go there to enjoy the amazing views just avoid the party and VV can be really beautiful, thats said by and old lady who is happy to sleep in the night without noise.
Not like this anymore, 90% Chinese now, it’s all calmed down
That's pretty sad. I was looking forward to going there and finding hot girls flashing
100% Vietnamese
This why i quit drinking
What year was this
When was this filmed?
2012
Lao is one of the most charming country in South East Asia and people are kindly welcome but sadly sadly some of tourists talked shit to them just because they don't speak English. It isn't funny at all !!!
Language and words could bring you peace and loves if you use it correctly.
i was there in December 2011.
How was it?
Beat this,me 1997,3 guesthouses.No tubing.
Good place. been there, done that.
when did you film this? great work!
This was filmed in 2012, shortly before the Australian government lobbied Laos to shut down the most dangerous death slides and riverside bars & a lot of people we're forcibly removed. Happy you like the film and find it interesting. Stay tuned for more.
@@Chazawhite may be you should educate your own youth instead of the Laos Government
@@Angie.Globetrotter Hi Angie, thanks for your feedback. I agree, a lot of youth in the UK and worldwide need better education on how to respect people of other cultures, environments and the world in general. It's a big societal problem that needs work from parents, schools, governments & every member of our society. I hope i can do a small bit to help, and my aim through this film is to educate "my youth" (whoever that may be) about the consequences of thoughtless actions abroad. At the very least, if this film provokes debate about this topic, i feel I've done something. I hope the people of Laos can continue to be so kind, generous and loving, despite the poisonous byproducts of money, capitalism & other pleasure driven behaviour. For any young english people reading this, I hope you can find a symbiosis to express your freedom, rebellion, exploration as all youth go through, but with an aim to have a positive effect for others and society, and to look inside yourself, not see nihilism, but have a belief in creating something better your your brothers, sisters, and your youth after you. Mini rant over.x
@@Chazawhite I'm sorry I had to say so, I love this place, but for the landscape, the food and my Lao friends i have there
@@ChazawhiteGreat video - the police had been taking money from the bars for years, ignoring the many river deaths each year. News articles were starting to be printed overseas on the scene and the deaths, and as the government was about to host a big international meeting & conference they removed all the VV riverside bars to ensure no accidents during the conference. At the same time they rounded up all the harmless beggars and mentally ill people from the Vientiane riverfront and took them off somewhere never to return.
no one will judge you, you judge yourself
Welcome to vang veing, laos
Have a great time respect the local community don't do things you wouldn't do on your own doorstep, weather this will happen is another matter some people spoil it for the others vang Vieng is such a beautiful place.
The woman with the rape comment really confused me .
Methanol poisoning lately six so far!
The first time I was there was 2007 then I went back in 2013 on a cycling trip a lot of Laos has been sold to the Chinese so I don't think you can really blame the tourist I'd blame there government
i was there may 2011 ! good times tho...
So, I didn't know that Vang Vieng is such a hot spot for parties. Now because of this people I need to change my plans, and I'll not visit it anymore. 😔😔
It's not like the video shows, any more. It is a beautiful place, with wonderful people and I would highly recommend you visit some day.
@@taylormartyn Thailand in 2 days. Habe time enough to visit Laos... maybe
@@sabaidee5587 lol did u go
Absolute money corrupts absolutely. Destroying local culture. Need a time out from tourists. 😅
It's like Burning Man ... but in a Third World country. What could possibly go wrong?!?
Please stop bringing that fuckery to Laos.
Backpackers come back tubing..but be cautious
Good times.
6:40 Irish girl is so pretty OMG
Yes..they do have jibs
These people are just asking to be shook down.
Irresponsible kids need rules
Love from India
These young Bogans are dhs
Bunch of hippies
I didn't see no Cocaine on that Menu, weak! I pass on that party..
They had opium though. 😂