From the bus station:
From Vientiane, buses will drop you off either at the old airstrip from the Vietnam war, it's now just a giant gravel pad and the tourist buses will drop you in front of a hotel on the main street in town. The airstrip is directly behind the main street, so in either case there is no need to take a tuk tuk or cyclo if you plan to stay in the main area of town. The island and bungalows along the river are about a 20 min walk away. Buses to and from the North of Laos leave from the new bus terminal 2 km North of town. When leaving Vang Vieng, transport to the bus station is usually included in the price of your ticket.
Around town:
Vang Vieng is so small that everything is easily reachable by foot. If you want to venture outside of town, bicycles are widely available and can be rented from hotels or local businesses. You should not have to pay over 10,000 kip for a day's rental. Motorcycle rentals are also widely available. It's quite easy to rent a motorcycle from a local business for only 40,000-60,000 kip. Always check the details of the contract. At some places you will have to sign a contract which makes you completely responsible if something breaks or fails to function, even if it's normal wear and tear. Also you are not allowded to go out of the Vang Vieng district, so don't count on renting a bike here to go on a longer tour of the district.
Several tuk tuks are also scattered around town. 10,000 kip per person will be plenty to get to anywhere within Vang Vieng - it's also the price you'll pay to get to the tubing bars irrespective of how many other people are on board. It's better to sort out exact change with fellow passengers as tuk tuk drivers are notorious for giving incorrect change.
To rent a Tuk Tuk for the whole day cost about 130,000-150,000 kip.
