If you’re travelling from Northern Vietnam into Laos (or vice versea) and want a laid-back experience, then I have the perfect place for you to visit! The tiny northern Laos village of Muang Ngoy. Plus, if you’re going to endure that 4-hour long slow boat ride from Muang Khua towards Luang Prabang, trekking in Muang Ngoy is a great way to stretch your legs!
Nestled between river, jungle and mountains, Muang Ngoy is a haven for those seeking the path less travelled or wanting a relaxing stay by the Nam Ou River.
Muang Ngoy also gives welcome relief in breaking up a 4-hr slow boat ride (with no breaks and little leg room) from Dien Bien Phu (Vietnam) to Nong Khiaw (Laos). Changing from the slow boat to a bus marks almost the halfway mark of the journey to the old capital of Luang Prabang. If you don’t feel like that much travel in one day, a Muang Ngoy stopover is perfect!
Staying safe in Laos!
One thing to bring up nice and early in the post, as mentioned in my Phonsavan’s Plain of Jars post, is the threat of unexploded ordnance (UXO) throughout rural Laos. During the Vietnam War, the US Army waged a 9-year secret war on Laos. Making the country the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in the entire world, even today.
During the Vietnam War, it’s estimated around 270 million cluster bombs were dropped on Laos. Roughly 75 million bombs did not detonate and were left alive and dangerous in Laos. Over 2000 people lost their lives since the year 2000 to these explosives, most of them farmers tending to their land and children playing (common cluster bombs resemble tennis balls).
Obviously staying safe in Laos is a concern. Plus, given that Muang Ngoy isn’t developed much at all, trails heading into the wilderness or rice paddies can quickly become not worth the risk. Most tracks I encountered were visibly worn and travelled. However, my group did get lost and it was a bit scary. I’ll explain more about my story later on, but the point is, don’t stray too far from the paths!
How to get to Muang Ngoy!
The only way to get to Muang Ngoy from Muang Khua is via slow boat. Muang Ngoy marks roughly the halfway point between these two towns.
Now, you might think the idea of a slow boat down the Nam Ou river is relaxing, and with beautiful mountains overrun by jungle on either side, what more could you want? Well, after 4 hours of sitting on a hard wooden seat, cramped onto an overloaded boat, it gets old kinda quick. With that being said, I definitely think this is an incredible journey you should take once if you are in Laos, though I’m not sure I’d go through it all again myself.
On top of that, our overloaded boat began to take on water as frantic locals holding household items (tv’s and blenders) yelled in Lao at the driver. Laos is never short of excitement, and that’s why I think you should visit!
Where to go Hiking in Muang Ngoy
As I mentioned before Muang Ngoy is a tiny town. One main dusty road holds almost all of the buildings. An intersecting road leads to hiking adventures, surrounded by mountains and rice paddies.
There are 3 little villages that you can visit from Muang Ngoy, possible in a day trip. While signs direct most of the way, cutting right into the rice paddies is a great change of scenery.
By walking through the rice terraces you get some amazing views. Probably time to mention a local man guards the road in this direction, towards the other villages and demands an “entrance fee”. This fee he says is this fee is to help the community but I heard from multiple sources he uses it as his beer fund.
Each village is a 1-2 hours trek from one another. Depending on how fast your legs are! There are small restaurants where you can get lunch, tea or beers (at least some water to stay hydrated in the Lao heat!)Â .
Have a refreshing swim on the return leg of the hike!
If you’ve been walking in the sun for hours, chances are you’re ready for a swim! If you follow the road back towards Muang Ngoy (there’s really only one other than the rural rice paddy route) you’ll eventually come to a little cave that’s filled with water. When you get to a little shack and bridge, the little swimming hole should be directly opposite!
This is where I took one of the most refreshing swims of my life! If you venture deeper into the cave, you can see the water flows up from underneath the cave floor. Crazy right?!
Also, by heading back to Muang Ngoy along this road, the “entrance fee” man I mentioned earlier shouldn’t bother you at all. I wouldn’t mind paying a small fee if it actually helped community development, but I’m not convinced.
My story Hiking in Muang Ngoy
As I said before, I have a bit more to add about specifically my time hiking in Muang Ngoy, which really highlights why you should follow your instincts while travelling.
Within a couple of hours of being in Muang Ngoy, my small group of three ran into Jeremy, a French traveller. He enjoyed telling us how this was his third trip to Muang Ngoy and everyone knew him well (I have yet to notice any local recognize him but I could be wrong).
Muang Ngoy was my first experience of Laos and didn’t yet know about the millions of live explosives still littered around Laos. While he assured us all there was nothing dangerous, something didn’t sit right with me.
Jeremy was great at navigating the first section, but slowly the grass became overgrown and even disappeared into a river. After climbing bamboo fences held together with rusty nails, we eventually turned back. If I had of known about the threat of explosives, I may have turned back a little sooner!
The walk itself was amazing. Kids were fishing with homemade spears and baskets. Friendly farmers waved and smiled. Kids even played in the dusty village streets, a game with some kind of spinning top was smacked with a rock.. from what I could gather. They seemed to love it though!
Hiking Around Muang Ngoy – Tips and Information
The currency in Laos is KIP. For every $1 AUD, you’re looking a little over 6,000 KIP in exchange.
Just to drive the point home about the UXO in the area, you don’t need to stick to the dusty and bumpy road. But always travel on paths that aren’t totally overgrown and seem not well used.
Muang Ngoy is best visited while travelling from Dien Bien Phu in Vietnam to Luang Prabang in Laos (or vice versa) – its right along the route on the Nam Ou River.
I usually say keeping hydrated is a major thing while travelling. But on a 4hr boat ride, with zero bathroom facilities, you should be careful how often you need to ask the driver to pull over to the bank. Plus, you know, explosives…
Covering up from the harsh Lao sun by long clothing and sunscreen is a must!
Finally, in the rainy season, the river will look brown. Not quite the blue you might expect, but still beautiful none the less.
Muang Ngoy Highlights
– Walking the rural roads with locals farming and children playing is exactly what I was after in small town stays
– Beautiful scenery through the rice terraces and mountains. Plus, that river view!
– That refreshing dip at the end of the hike! So good!
Have you visited Muang Ngoy? What did you think of the town? As always, if you have any questions, comments or concerns, let me know below!
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