Vieng Xai Cave City
Vieng Xai Cave City
4.5
About
A series of caves that served as the base of the pathet lao during the revolutionary war in Laos / Vietnam war. Open as a "museum" with first rate audio tour.
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
4.5
44 reviews
Excellent
30
Very good
12
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
0
Sophie W
4 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
The drive (or reasonable cycle) from Sam Neua is lovely, a small winding road through 'woodland' and karst scenary. The caves are a silent echo of the past. Take the headphones and struggle through trying to get them to play - its worth listening to the history. Do not arrive at lunch time since everything is closed. You need your phone torch since much is in the dark. It was a 7 hour drive from Xienkhouang - I would not have done it if I were not going to Phouey, but flying in and out is probably worth it.
Written 10 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rosie F
1 contribution
Aug 2019 • Friends
A very interesting tour and definitely a very important part of history that shouldn't ever be forgotten. We rented the bikes which was really good and the audio tour was very informative. Can anyone help? In the last cave we visited at the end we saw the stage that was the theatre/film screening area. I wrote down the name of the film that was played there each week as I thought it would be really interesting to see but cannot find it anyone. Can anyone remember or knows what the name of it was? Thanks
Written 13 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BenRosie
15 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
Part of the intrigue of this place is in the adventure getting there. We took an 11 seater plane from Vientiane to Sam Neua with Laos Skyway which leaves every morning at 8am. Best to ask someone with a Laos sim or your hotel to book as you cannot through their website.
We stayed in Sam Neua and hired a motorbike to get to the caves. No wing mirrors or speedometer but at least the fuel gauge worked! It’s a beautiful scenic drive up around mountains and on sweeping roads.
Once you’re their, the audio tour is excellent and the caves are well preserved. It’s amazing what happened here and it’s worth a trip to see just how resourceful the Laos people were.
We stayed in Sam Neua and hired a motorbike to get to the caves. No wing mirrors or speedometer but at least the fuel gauge worked! It’s a beautiful scenic drive up around mountains and on sweeping roads.
Once you’re their, the audio tour is excellent and the caves are well preserved. It’s amazing what happened here and it’s worth a trip to see just how resourceful the Laos people were.
Written 5 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stu L
Chiang Mai, Thailand11 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
This cave tour stretched my ability to empathize. Imagine living underground - I mean going to school, hospital, work, etc - in caves for 9 years to protect yourself from US bombing raids.
Make sure you take the audio tour: a first class well produced audio journey which conjures up very graphic images in your mind.
And speak to Mr Si Pan, the director of the museum if you get a chance. Fascinating (and horrific) personal experiences.
This alone made it worth the very challenging ride to reach here.
Make sure you take the audio tour: a first class well produced audio journey which conjures up very graphic images in your mind.
And speak to Mr Si Pan, the director of the museum if you get a chance. Fascinating (and horrific) personal experiences.
This alone made it worth the very challenging ride to reach here.
Written 14 January 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
calfette
Las Cruces, NM21 contributions
Oct 2017 • Friends
We had a fascinating tour of the caves. Stayed overnight in Sam Neua having arrived on the bus late the night before from Luang Prabang. So we missed the early morning tour and ended up doing the 1:00 tour.
We needed to grab a bite and found this lovely place. Curry dishes were well prepared. The owner also spoke English. His place is small and easily missed. Sabadee.
Do rent bikes. Gives you more time in the caves.
We needed to grab a bite and found this lovely place. Curry dishes were well prepared. The owner also spoke English. His place is small and easily missed. Sabadee.
Do rent bikes. Gives you more time in the caves.
Written 4 October 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katie H
Toronto, Canada90 contributions
Sep 2017 • Solo
Vieng Xay seems to be completely off the tourist path which is such a shame considering the rich history and stunning landscape. The town is small, but spread out, and surrounded by limestone peaks and cliffs that have hundreds of caves. 7 caves are open to the public and a guide will take you around, accompanied by a very informative audio guide. My guide spoke great English, answered all my questions, and we were able to take things slowly since I had a motorbike to get between sites. Tours run at 9AM and 1PM unless you want to pay more for a tour off the regular time. Highly recommend for people wanting to learn even more about the Secret War and how Laotians continued their lives and war while living in caves for 9 years.
Written 27 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
micpk
Taunggyi, Myanmar4 contributions
Jul 2017 • Solo
The tour at Vieng Xay caves was one of the most interesting things i saw in Laos. While the dual pricing is somehow way too much (60000 kip for foreigners while only 10000 for locals), the visit itself provides a deep insight - of course not propaganda-free - of the recent history of Laos and the hard struggle people went through during the "Secret War". Also, some of the caves are stunningly large. Beside the cave tour itself, the area around Vieng Xay is truly beautiful, dotted with limestone peaks and paddy fields. I had the luck to make friend with the teacher of a little english school for local students (hmong and lao), and i really reccommend to go and visit this place if you have one or two hours to spare. Anytime is fine since the school has also a dormitory for the students and there's always people around. The students are always happy to practice their english chatting with foreigners, and the teacher Bronglee is very welcoming and a very interesting person to talk to and gives a lot of information about local culture, both hmong and laos. The school is just a 2 minute walk off road 6, coming from Sam Neua get past the junction to the caves, and take the second little dirt road (going a bit uphill) on the left hand side after the big petrol station.
The visit to the caves (and the school as well) can easily be done as a 1 day trip from sam neua, but there are also plenty of accommodations and possibly better food in Vieng Xay itself.
The visit to the caves (and the school as well) can easily be done as a 1 day trip from sam neua, but there are also plenty of accommodations and possibly better food in Vieng Xay itself.
Written 6 July 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sedasek
Jihlava, Czech Republic70 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
(The address as in the TA's listing is confusing - neither Vieng Xai nor the caves are directly on road 6.)
The tour includes six caves and takes about there hours (on the bikes). Don't expect any stalactites or so...the caves sometimes even look rather like hangars, having concrete walls and a roof. It's actually more about the history...
The English audio guide is well done. There could be less details and stories about the politicians...many things you'll likely forget just after having them heard.
The tour guide was nice local young guy with good level of English. His mother lived in the caves when she was young.
It's a few kilometers to go between all six caves, so the bicycles are necessary for that... The bike rental in the center is quite rip off though - two old crappy bikes for 3 hours cost more than half day motorbike rental in Thailand...
The tour includes six caves and takes about there hours (on the bikes). Don't expect any stalactites or so...the caves sometimes even look rather like hangars, having concrete walls and a roof. It's actually more about the history...
The English audio guide is well done. There could be less details and stories about the politicians...many things you'll likely forget just after having them heard.
The tour guide was nice local young guy with good level of English. His mother lived in the caves when she was young.
It's a few kilometers to go between all six caves, so the bicycles are necessary for that... The bike rental in the center is quite rip off though - two old crappy bikes for 3 hours cost more than half day motorbike rental in Thailand...
Written 1 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Destination451239
11 contributions
Sep 2016 • Solo
An amazing part of my journey through Laos. Vieng Xai is a tiny village with a grand history. Take the audio tour of the caves, eat at the local Indian (the only) restaurant- all the food is made super fresh so it takes time, and see the town. Although you will only need a day here, it is so worth it.
Written 13 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ShotleyGate
Ipswich, UK49 contributions
Feb 2017
It is a fair climb up to the cave by concrete steps curving up the hillside. The cave contains sad little cairns. You should take a strong torch if you want to explore deeper. I didn't but didn't fancy it anyway! The museum at the base is worth visiting before and indeed after your visit. If you see lots of tiny pin holes in the sand in front of the cave this is made by an insect which looks like a sandy coloured tick and can only move backwards!
Written 1 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rosie F
1 contribution
Can anyone help? In the last cave we visited at the end we saw the stage that was the theatre/film screening area. I wrote down the name of the film that was played there each week as I thought it would be really interesting to see but cannot find it anymore. Can anyone remember or knows what the name of it was? Thanks
CocoMochaKiwi
Alberta22 contributions
Does anyone know whether the caves will be open during Lao New Year? I can’t seem to find any contact information for the tourist office.
KimGales
London, UK485 contributions
I keep seeing you need a guide to visit the caves but also that you need a bike to get around as they're so far apart so I don't understand how the trip works. Is it a hilly area to cycle round? Does the guide cycle with you? Is there a way to visit them by tuktuk for those who don't like cycling / motorbikes? Any help appreciated please.
Katie H
Toronto, Canada90 contributions
Sorry for the super slow response, but hopefully this will help others:
1) Mandatory Tour Guide - Yes, you need to register for an official tour of the caves at the Vieng Xai Visitors Centre. They run two tours a day: 9AM and (last I remember) 12 noon. Ideally you arrive the night before, book your tour for the next morning, then can head out of town by noon.
2) How the tour works: You meet your guide at the visitor centre and are provided with an audio guide headset. Your tour guide shows you (by leading on his bicycle/moto) to all of the different locations, opens the gates, and answers any questions that you have about what you hear on audio or see in the caves and surrounding area. The area is quite flat and all nicely connected by concrete or road, but in the heat I'd say it would be pretty tough to see everything on the tour by bicycle.
3) Tuktuks - I don't think there is a tuktuk. Maybe. But, you can most likely hire a local to hop on the back of their bike for the duration. You'd have to arrange in advance (either night before or the morning of your tour) but definitely someone in town or at your guesthouse would be more than happy to arrange this, or ask about it at the visitor center (I had my own motorcycle).
Hope this helps!
Janinechina14
Sydney, Australia11 contributions
How did you get here I am travelling from Veng Viang Did you go via Phonsavan?
How long did it take
micpk
Taunggyi, Myanmar4 contributions
yes you need to go via Phonsavan. From Phonsavan is around 7-8 hours by bus. the bus is leaving in early morning so from vang vieng you should get to phonsavan and spend at least one night there!
LachlanB
4 contributions
hi!!! i am in need of information to get to the vietnamese border from vieng xai... the locals turist information office couldn' t tell us anything about transportations for here to the border. did anybody did this itenerary? some tips? thanks!!
Destination451239
11 contributions
There is a public bus that leaves from in front of the Indian restaurant at about 10:30 am (ish) - the owner of the restaurant can give you more info (cost etc). The bus will pull up and you get on - brace yourself for a fairly eventful ride across the border. At about 5 pm you will be booted from the bus and put on a Vietnamese sleeper bus for the rest of your trip to Hanoi. The journey takes about 7 - 8 hrs.
Viang Xai is so tiny you only need one day to see the caves. Stay at the hotel near the Indian restaurant (which by the way, is about the only restaurant in town and really good). The visitor's center, where u buy your tickets for the cave tour is just down the street on your right.
Viang Xai and Phosavan were my favorite stops (and most interesting) in Laos. Enjoy!
kiwikev45
Cambodia78 contributions
How do I get to Vieng Xai from Hanoi and then travel to phonsavan?
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