February – March 2026
Villa Park to the
Nam Ou & On On
Chris & Harry. Two packrafts, five countries, 87 km of river, and a Hash trail to finish it off.
The route — click to jump
•
Feb 3–6 Dien Bien
•
Feb 7–8 Muang Khua
•
Feb 9 Day 1
•
Feb 10 Day 2
•
Feb 11 Day 3
•
Feb 12–13 Muang Ngoi
•
Feb 14–15 Nong Khiaw
•
Feb 16–17 LP
•
Feb 18–20 Vang Vieng
•
Feb 21–24 Vientiane
•
Feb 25–26 Bangkok
•
Feb 27–Mar 2 Kaohsiung
•
Mar 3–5 Hong Kong
•
Mar 6–8 Beijing
•
Mar • On On
In February 2026, Chris and Harry left Birmingham with two Itiwit packrafts, a vague plan, and a one-way ticket to Hanoi. The idea was simple: get to northern Laos and paddle the Nam Ou, a river that doesn’t appear in guidebooks and where, as far as they could tell, nobody had packrafted before.
The route took them overland from Dien Bien Phu — the valley where France lost Indochina in 1954 — across the Vietnamese border into Phongsaly Province, and onto the water at Muang Khua. Over three days they paddled 87 kilometres downstream through villages with no guesthouses, no menus, no wifi. They slept in a schoolteacher’s house. They drank lao-lao rice whisky for breakfast. They played pétanque with children who followed them like ducklings.
After the river, the trip kept going: Muang Ngoi, Nong Khiaw, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane. Then the overnight train to Bangkok, a flight to Kaohsiung, a few days in Hong Kong, and a final stop in Beijing before flying home. The following weekend, Chris and Harry set a Hash trail with C2H3 from the Aviator at Gloucestershire Airport. Harry and Dave ran the runners through the mud; Chris and Tofty laid the shortcutters’ trail. On On.
What follows is the trip in 14 chapters and 447 photographs.
Getting There
✈️
Villa Park → Gatwick → Shanghai → Hanoi
England & China • Feb 1–2 • Transit
Aston Villa vs Everton at Villa Park. The red-eye to Shanghai Pudong. The connection to Hanoi. Coming soon.
Coming soon
Vietnam
01
Dien Bien Phu: Where Two Wars Began
Trip Days 3–6 • Vietnam • 10 photos
“The valley where France lost an empire.”
The valley where France lost Indochina. War graves, the 360° panoramic painting, the victory monument, and a night market doner kebab with Vietnamese salad.
Read the dispatch →
Laos — The River
02
Muang Khua: The Launch Point
Trip Days 7–8 • On the River • 76 photos
“Where the road ends and the river begins.”
A 33-person bus from Dien Bien, the Tay Trang border, a spontaneous party with locals drinking lao-lao, and the first test of the packrafts on the Nam Ou.
Read the dispatch →
Day1
Villages & Petanque
Trip Day 9 • On the River • 11 km • 49 photos
“The children followed us like ducklings.”
The first paddle. Ban Haddean — a village not on most maps. A bed in the schoolteacher’s house, Beer Lao, and boules by the river.
Read the dispatch →
Day2
Breakfast Shots & the Abandoned Settlement
Trip Day 10 • On the River • 20 km • 48 photos
“Shots of lao-lao before the eggs went cold.”
Eggs, veg, chili salt — and shots of lao-lao for breakfast. Twenty kilometres to an abandoned settlement where only the oxen remain.
Read the dispatch →
Day3
Rapids, Dams & 87 Kilometres
Trip Day 11 • On the River • 38 km • 33 photos
“Eighty-seven kilometres, and no turning back.”
The longest day. A broken jetty, the first dam portage, grade 1 rapids, and 38 km to Muang Ngoi. Total: 87 km on the Nam Ou.
Read the dispatch →
Laos — After the River
06
Muang Ngoi: The Island That Time Forgot
Trip Days 12–13 • After the River • 20 photos
“No road in or out until 2013.”
No road until 2013. Angee’s BBQ, the Pha Boom viewpoint, bamboo bridges, and 270 million unexploded bombs from the Secret War.
Read the dispatch →
07
Nong Khiaw: Pha Kew Lom
Trip Days 14–15 • After the River • 27 photos
“Karst peaks in every direction.”
600 metres — 90% the elevation of Snowdon. Karst peaks in every direction. Kids selling Beer Lao on the way down.
Read the dispatch →
08
Luang Prabang: Big Brother Mouse
Trip Days 16–17 • After the River • 7 photos
“The best tam mak hoong of the trip.”
Mekong sunsets, the best tam mak hoong of the trip, and volunteering at Big Brother Mouse practising English with Lao students.
Read the dispatch →
09
Vang Vieng: Packrafts vs Tipsy Tubers
Trip Days 18–20 • After the River • 75 photos
“Packrafts against a river of tipsy tubers.”
Back on the Nam Song alongside the tipsy tubers. Hot air balloons at sunset, the pub crawl, Nam Xay summit, and Gary’s dive bar.
Read the dispatch →
10
Vientiane: COPE, Stupa & Goodbye Laos
Trip Days 21–24 • After the River • 44 photos
“Eighty million unexploded bombs, still in the ground.”
The COPE centre — 270 million cluster bombs, 80 million still in the ground. Pha That Luang. Raw laab. Seven goodbye photos.
Read the dispatch →
The Way Home
11
Bangkok: Train Markets & Canal Walks
Trip Days 25–26 • The Way Home • 6 photos
“Water monitors in the canals, banyans eating the houses.”
The overnight sleeper from Vientiane. Banyan trees eating houses. Water monitors in the khlongs.
Read the dispatch →
12
Kaohsiung: Hash, Cijin & Lanterns
Trip Days 27–30 • The Way Home • 2 photos
“Lanterns, fireworks, and an Aussie flag over the bar.”
Reuniting with the Kaohsiung Hash community. Cijin Island at sunset, lantern festival fireworks, the 100 restaurant.
Read the dispatch →
13
Hong Kong: Chungking to Victoria Peak
Trip Days 31–33 • The Way Home • 40 photos
“Chungking Mansions at 3am, the skyline at midnight.”
Chungking Mansions at 3am. Man Mo Temple incense coils. Michelin-starred roast goose. The skyline from 552 metres at night.
Read the dispatch →
14
Beijing & Home: Full Circle
Trip Days 34–36 • The Way Home • 10 photos
“The Forbidden City, then home to lay a Hash trail.”
The Forbidden City. Meat patties in the cold. A woman in a rented Qing dynasty dress by the moat. Home via Heathrow.
Read the dispatch →
🏁
Churchdown: On On
The following weekend • Gloucestershire
Harry — Wee Little Boy — and Dave set and ran the runners. Chris — Big Daddy — and Tofty — Brains — laid the shortcutters’ trail. The Aviator at Gloucestershire Airport. Mud, beer, down-downs, and a circle on the apron. On On.
Coming soon