The music is still playing and the alcohol is still flowing at the bars along one of the party streets in Vang Vieng. Inside a popular venue, a voice over the speaker announces a special offer on beers, as disco lights flicker on the floor. Small paper flags from nations across the world - from Britain to Gabon - hang from the ceiling. Young people travel from all over the world to party in the small town nestled in the Laos countryside.
But Vang Vieng is under a global spotlight, after a suspected mass methanol poisoning that killed six foreign tourists, including two teenagers from Australia, two Danish citizens, a Briton - Simone White - and an American.
The Laos government has promised justice and says it is investigating. But there are concerns about how thorough and transparent any inquiries will be in the country, a communist one-party state that the press freedom group Reporters Without Borders has described as "an information 'black hole' from which little reliable information emerges".
The poisoning has also prompted wider discussions about the risk of contaminated alcohol in south-east Asian countries - and how young tourists stay safe while travelling. Before the deaths this month, most backpackers did not think much about what might be in the free shots that are often offered at hostels and bars in Vang Vieng and other parts of the backpacker trail.
"We literally arrived in Laos the day that the news came," says Sam Ayling, 23, from Surrey. "If our trip was pushed forwards for three days or something or two days... it's quite scary to think that that could have been us."
News spread quickly among backpackers, says Eliza Rolf, 21, from Hertfordshire. "In the hostel we were last in, all the friends that we made were very paranoid about what to drink." No one is drinking spirits any more, they say.
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra November 30, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Frozen pensions War Veteran says she lost out on £50,000
Anne Puckridge is travelling 4,400 miles on a mission to persuade the government to right a 'cruel' pensions policy, as Rupert Jones reports
Money hacks How to buy preloved items to give as Christmas gifts
Buying preloved often requires more thought and preparation than buying new, so make time to find the perfect gift.
The Filter Best robot vacuums to keep your home clean and dust free
Stuart Andrews trialled the most powerful robot vacuums - some of which even mop your floors - and these are the ones he rates
Checkatrade How do rogue traders get past its checks?
The site says its tradespeople are 'guaranteed', but some customers say they have lost thousands after using it. Anna Tims reports
End of road Vauxhall workers in shock over plant closure
\"I don't have anything good to say about this place right now,\" someone shouts, as workers flood out of the front gates of the Vauxhall van plant on Luton's Kimpton Road.
Hybrid car sales could be permitted until 2035 to ease all-electric transition
Car manufacturers may be allowed to sell Toyota Prius-style hybrid models in the UK until 2035, as the government looks at ways to loosen electric vehicle sales rules.
Royal Mail falling further behind with delivery targets
Royal Mail has failed to deliver about a quarter of first-class post on time in recent months as its delivery performance continues to decline amid an investigation for missing its targets.
'Dirty money' Why people of all ages are investing in crypto
Miles, a 37-year-old NHS doctor from London, has been trying for years to persuade friends to buy cryptocurrencies.
Work Minister's plan to transform the job market
\"This is why I love jobcentres: because they're intensely hopeful places.\" The employment minister, Alison McGovern, has spent half an hour perched on a desk in an office block in Hoxton, east London, hearing from a group of job coaches.
Shoppers bag Black Friday gifts online but in-store sales lag
UK shoppers visited websites in droves to snap up Black Friday bargains, raising hopes the US-inspired promotional day would finally kick-start a festive spending spree.
