Good quality accommodation in Vang Vieng is fairly light on. You are looking at basic quality 3 star at the best. Go expecting this standard and you will be fine. I was tossing up between 2 options, both have mixed reviews on TA and on arrival I discovered they are right next door to each other and look externally about the same quality.
The Thavousouk Resort consists of older buildings cheaply done up. They are air conditioned and have the most georgeous views of the Nam Song River and the karst Mountains behind. This feature alone makes this choice worthwhile.
We spent just one night here. If it hadn’t teemed rain the entire time we would hardly have been in the rooms but unfortunately we spent more time than I liked inside. They are building some new rooms (we were there August 2009) just behind the riverside villas we stayed in. They were looking quite nice and would be a good option too.
Definitely wander up town for dinner – if you try really hard you will find a restaurant without Friends playing on TVs full blast (and I do quite literally mean ‘A’ restaurant – just the one). We also wandered into an excellent bar that didn’t have Tvs on and had a few nice cheap cocktails and my husband braved the Lao Lao (the young bartenders were all waiting with BIG smiles on their faces to see his reaction to it – basically is just pure alcohol, but very cheap).
Breakfast is a fairly basic affair with choice of eggs, white french stick bread, jam but generous, all served in the alfresco area overlooking the beautiful river. You can watch the locals arrive by boat and water buffalo roam the banks.

We went for a more expensive chalet style room overlooking the river but it was tired and cleaning was not done until late in the afternoon. Choose a room set back from the river would be our advice.
Breakfast ran out of bread, eggs and a few other things. Pleasant experience but could do with a strong senior manager to improve down beat staff. Want a good time you must go tubing in Vang Vieng
M&G