Nam Ngum Lake is situated about 80km to the North of Vientiane. The beautiful scenery over the Nam Ngum river and its green valley is enhanced by the presence of a vast, spectacular lake. This is a man-made reservoir of an hydroelectric power dam, generating most of the electricity sold to Thailand. The forests with a big variety of woods is still there on the thousands of islands dotting the lake. It is a rewarding experience to cruise around by motor-boat or spend the day or the week-end at the many bungalows or on the "floating restaurant boat" to enjoy the picturesque scenes of water, island, forests and charming fishing-villages.

On the way to Nam Ngum Lake, a short detour will take you to Vangsang, an 11th century Buddhist archeological site, where primitive Buddha images are carved right on the rock cliff. A salt extraction plant using traditional methods and the Zoo can be visited at Ban Keun.