Red Lanterns Removed from Vang Vieng’s Chang Cave Over “Un-Lao” Concerns

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Vientiane provincial authorities inspected Chang cave in Vang Vieng on Tuesday, 21 April. They promptly ordered changes to newly installed decorations that had ignited fierce public criticism both online and offline for appearing out of step with Lao cultural identity.

The decorations, a row of poles fitted with red lanterns along the stairway leading to the cave entrance, were completed shortly before the Lao New Year celebrations of 14 to 16 April.

Within days, images spread across social media, and by 19 April the backlash was in full swing. Many commenters felt the lanterns resembled “Chinese-style decor”, a style unfamiliar in Laos. Some mockingly renamed the site “Tham Chin” (Chinese Cave), swapping “Chang” for the Lao word for Chinese, to drive the point home.

“If I hadn’t read the caption, I would’ve thought it was in China,” one commenter wrote. 

“If it reflected Lao identity more clearly, it would be much better,” another added.

Following the inspection on 21 April, the Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism issued recommendations to “ensure the site complies with Laos’ tourism standards”. 

By the end of the day, all red lanterns had been removed. The poles, however, each still topped with small green roofs and red posts,  remain in place, leaving many unsatisfied.

“Remove it all, restore it to the original,” one commenter wrote. “It would be great to remove those poles too,” another echoed.

Situated along the Song River, Chang cave, also known as Tham Jung, is considered Vang Vieng’s one of the  most important caves and carries deep historical significance. During the civil war (1959 to 1975), residents of the southern Meuang Xong village sought refuge in its elevated chambers, which offered a commanding view over the town, eventually sheltering the entire village until peace returned. 

In the colonial era (1893 to 1953), locals returned to farming nearby fields and bathing in the cave’s basin, whose waters were so cold they were said to leave bathers unable to move, hence the name Tham Chang, meaning “unable to move,” which later softened into “Chang,” meaning “to hang around” in Lao.

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