The Blue Lagoons are one of the prime attractions of Vang Vieng.

They are a series of natural pools of (mostly) turquoise blue waters with beautiful mountains backdrops, all located within 30-40 minutes of the town center.

There are six blue lagoons in the area, each offering a unique experience. But some offer superior experiences than others, and the purpose of this article is to let you know which lagoons are most worthy of your time.

We’ll be ranking the top 5 best blue lagoons in Vang Vieng, starting from the worst and working our way up. For those wondering what happened to the sixth lagoon, it was closed when I visited (March 2025). If it happens to be open during your visit, give it a look and let me know how it is.

The Best Blue Lagoons in Vang Vieng- Map

Before we get into the rankings, it’s a good idea to get properly oriented.

As you can see on the map, five out of the six lagoons (except 4) are located on what is commonly referred to as the “Vang Vieng Loop”. This is a road that you can take starting and ending in central town and taking about an hour-and-a-half to two hours to complete.

Many people do the loop as a day trip and make stops at multiple lagoons (and hiking trails, which are also abundant in this area).

But enough introductions- let’s dive into the best blue lagoons in Vang Vieng!

#5- Blue Lagoon 1

Worst is first, and first is worst.

It’s not that Blue Lagoon 1 isn’t pretty. Or uninteresting. There’s really just one main issue.

It’s completely inundated by tourists. Which makes lots of sense. After all, most tourists are terrible and interminably lazy, and Blue Lagoon 1 happens to be closest to town.

And as Blue Lagoon 1 actually happens to be one of the smallest of the Blue Lagoons, the effect is exacerbated.

Now it isn’t my vibe, but it could be yours. If you like the place absolutely bombarded with people, it’s perfect for you.

But in all seriousness, the social atmosphere is there at practically all the lagoons anyway. So even if that’s what you’re looking for, there are better places for it.

Blue Lagoon 1 does have some other activities. For one, there’s the jumping platform you can see in the photo– that’s always a good time. Just know that you’ll have around 50 people watching you intently as you go.

There’s also a cave and zip-line above the lagoon. I didn’t do either of these, and don’t have much information (other than hearing that the cave was mediocre). I did hear you can do a tour that includes the lagoon and zip-line along with transportation for around $30. But I’m not sure how much it would be to pay for the zip-line separately.

In any event, I would honestly advise you to skip this Blue Lagoon. There is really no area it excels in compared to the other ones. The water gets bluer, the scenery gets better, the activities get more fun, and- perhaps most importantly- the tourists get lost.

#4- Blue Lagoon 5

Coming in fourth place is Blue Lagoon 5.

Quite unlike the prior lagoon, Blue Lagoon 5 is one of, if not the quietest Blue Lagoon. This is mainly due to its location. It’s the furthest Blue Lagoon from central Vang Vieng, about a 45 minute ride or so.

It’s quiet, and it’s simple. There aren’t any shenanigans here- no swings, no ziplines. Just the lagoon. And a rock that I suppose you can jump from- I didn’t, but it seems feasible as long as the water is deep enough.

All this is fine by me. But unfortunately, there’s one major problem with Blue Lagoon 5. Which is that it isn’t really a Blue Lagoon. The color of the water is more of the murky green color of your typical lagoon, which was quite disappointing.

So I would also say that you can skip this one, especially if you’re wanting for time.

But if you do have time and are looking to escape the crowds, this could be a nice stop. The drive here is also quite spectacular and something I’d recommend doing anyway, so you may as well.

#3- Blue Lagoon 3

Blue Lagoon #3 also happens to be the 3rd best Blue Lagoon in Vang Vieng.

Before I get into this lagoon, it’s worth pointing out that there’s a pretty substantial jump in quality from this point on in the rankings. The next three- while I still have my favorites- are all incredible and well worth a visit.

Blue Lagoon 3 is a good time. The waters are perfectly turquoise, and the lagoon has a whole host of activities including a rope swing, zipline, and ‘tightrope’ walk along a thin wooden plank.

There’s also a small restaurant serving decent food for cheap, which allows you to refuel and remain at the lagoon for a longer period of time.

Make sure to check out the nearby cave tucked into the towering mountains behind the lagoon. A five to ten minute climb up the mountain brings you to the entrance. A further 15 minutes into the cave will bring you to two pools that you can swim in.

You can rent a headlamp from the restaurant for 10,000 kip (about $0.50 USD). Or go with your phone light, although I’d recommend the headlamp since you’ll often need your hands free. And once you get to the pool, take a moment to turn them off and sit in the thick darkness, hearing nothing but the steady drip of water echoing around the cave walls.

Blue Lagoon 3 is located around 35-40 minutes from town, which makes it harder to access and leads to a smaller number of tourists wading in its waters. However, it’s also one of the smaller lagoons. So even if there are fewer tourists, it can have a busier vibe than, say, Blue Lagoon 2, which is closer to town but larger.

#2- Blue Lagoon 2

Just as Blue Lagoon 3 came in 3rd, Blue Lagoon 2 comes in 2nd. Good. It’ll make it easier for you all to remember.

As I had just alluded to, Blue Lagoon 2 is quite large. It actually comprises of two separate lagoons, each larger than any of the Blue Lagoons we’ve spoken about thus far.

This allows Blue Lagoon 2 to maintain a sense of calm and quiet. Especially earlier on in the day- it generally still has a chill vibe later on, but it can definitely fill up on some days. If you want guaranteed peace and relaxation, come in the morning.

Both pools at Blue Lagoon 2 are quite beautiful as can be seen in the photos below, with nice waters and mountain backdrops.

They also offer multiple activities. One pool offers a zip-line into the water, and the other offers a jumping platform– the highest (around 6m) that you’ll find at any of the Blue Lagoons. It’s fun to jump and to sit back and simply watch the procession, ranging from some doing backflips to some staring down at the water and having panic attacks.

Blue Lagoon 2 is located about 20-25 minutes from town. If you’re doing the loop, it’ll either be your first or last stop. I’d recommend you start here, as it’s better in the morning.

#1- Blue Lagoon 4

I wasn’t even planning to go to Blue Lagoon 4. Nobody had really mentioned it, and it was in the complete opposite direction of where everything else was going on. I didn’t even give it too much thought until my last day- which was a mistake.

I arrived at Blue Lagoon 4 around 9:30 in the morning and not only did it immediately strike me that this was the most beautiful lagoon I had seen, but there was literally nobody there.

The water here is just different- the waters are a deeper turquoise, and more clear than I had seen at any of the other Blue Lagoons.

There are so many areas surrounding the lagoon to sit and relax, including a number of bamboo platforms as you can see in the photo below.

And you’re not lacking for activities either. It has a rope swing and zip-line just like Blue Lagoon 3, except they’re both better. There’s also a jumping platform that as of March 2025 looks to be in a bit of disrepair, though it’s still possible to jump from it.

As is the common theme, Blue Lagoon 4 also tends to fill up later in the day, but come in the morning and you may have to lagoon all to yourself. I spent nearly two hours teaching myself to do a backflip off the rope swing, and it was infinitely helpful not to have the crowds witnessing the motley of back, stomach, and face-flops that were to ensue.

And when they did arrive, I was ready to show off.

There’s also a small restaurant serving- for some reason- Middle Eastern food with homemade pita bread to boot. Prices aren’t too bad, and the food is really quite enjoyable.