A sad tale about backpackers getting caught up in local problems in Southeast Asia

On November 13th 2024, a tragedy occurred in Vang Vieng, Laos. Six tourists from four countries lost their lives from unknowingly drinking methanol at a popular backpackers’ hostel.Fast forward a year and a half, and charges have been laid against the owner of the distillery…over a $1,000 and just about a month in the big house. Needless to say, many of the grieving families, are less than happy about this.Meanwhile, the Laotian government has been relatively non-plussed. We talk about why this is exactly and the context surrounding this sad incident.For our earlier coverage of the event, here’s one from the vault—nearly 2 years ago!Are you surprised by the Laotian government’s reaction to the event?If you learned something from the episode, or have any other travel tips for your fellow listeners, share it with us at [email protected] or in a message.We sincerely appreciate our dedicated listeners and subscribers.All the best from both of us,Dave and GavThis Substack is listener-supported. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit onthefringepodcast.substack.com/subscribe