Laos: How little known tourist haunt turned into death trap after five died from methanol poisoning

Laos sat quietly off to the side of mainstream South East Asian tourist routes, until recently.

Backpackers and culture tourists have increasingly been drawn to this little country, as a quieter alternative to Thailand.

Its low-rise capital, Vientiane, blends Asian heritage architecture with French colonial keepsakes. It still has many dirt streets.

But “party town” is Vang Vieng, about 130km north of Vientiane.

One young traveller once joked to me that “Vang Vieng is Lao for Vodka Vodka”.

The increasing tide of backpackers and 20-something partiers has brought drink and drug related issues.

And now five tourists have died from what is suspected to be methanol poisoning from tainted drinks.

Australian 19-year-old Bianca Jones, a British woman, US man and two Danish nationals have died. Bianca Jones’ best friend Holly Bowles, also 19 and also from Melbourne, is fights for life in a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand.

Ms Jones and Ms Bowles, from Beaumaris in Melbourne’s southeast, had been holidaying in Laos when they became ill along with a dozen other tourists in Vang Vieng last week.

They had planned to stay at the Nana Backpacker Hostel in Vang Vieng and drank at the venue before reportedly going to Jaidee Bar on November 11.

Hostel manager Duong Duc Toan said the Australian women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality.

They didn’t leave their dorm room for 24 hours and reported feeling unwell on November 13, before being taken to separate hospitals in Bangkok.

In countries with high alcohol taxes, methanol is sometimes mixed into drinks as it’s a cheaper alternative to ethanol.

Methanol is made as a petrol additive and industrial solvent used in paint strippers and insecticides. Drinking even 25ml can be fatal.

Thai authorities confirmed Ms Jones had died by “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system”.

The methanol crisis comes in this year that Laos moves into mainstream tourism.

Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone announced on November 18 that the little country pressed between Thailand and Vietnam, and with increasing influence from China, to its north, that five million tourists will visit this year.

They will be worth more than $1.5 billion in revenue to the country.

He credited the fact that the number of arrivals will bust the country’s target by 27 per cent to both its Visit Laos Year 2024 campaign and the Laos-China Railway, now connecting favourite tourist spots like Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang and Oudomxay, The railway, which opened in December 2021 is a collaboration between Laos and China, as part of its Belt and Road initiative.

The train is popular with backpackers, who stop off in Vang Vieng to party and visit caves like Jang Cave, Tham Nam and Tham Zang, which has a big stalactite that looks like an elephant.

There are 16th and 17th century monasteries, and the influx of young tourists has brought a boom in action activities like hot air ballooning, ziplining, rafting and river tubing.

And now, there is an undercurrent of fear.

The Australian government has updated its travel advice for Laos, telling residents to be alert to the potential risk of spirit-based drinks including cocktails.

The Federal Government’s Smartraveller changed its advice for Laos on November 19.

While it advises to exercise normal safety precautions in Laos overall, it recommends higher levels of alert in some areas: “Be alert to the potential risks particularly with spirit-based drinks including cocktails.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said drink-spiking and methanol poisoning were “far too common in many parts of the world”.

“At this time I would say to parents, to young people, please have a conversation about risks, please inform yourselves, please let’s work together to ensure this tragedy does not happen again,” she said.

With Reuters and AP