Alcohol poisoning in Laos leaves 2 tourists hospitalized

On November 22, 2024By Littum

VANG VIENG, Laos (AP) — Two Australian tourists are being treated in Thailand for suspected severe alcohol poisoning after consuming tainted drinks in neighboring Laos, Australian media reported Tuesday.

The two 19-year-old women were on a backpacking holiday in Laos when they fell ill in the tourist town of Vang Vieng, The Age newspaper reported in the women’s hometown of Melbourne.

Duong Duc Toan, manager of Nana Backpacker Hostel, said on Tuesday that staff were told by other guests that the two women were unwell after they failed to check out as planned on November 13, and they arranged transport to a hospital for them.

Duong Duc Toan, the manager of Nana Backpack hostel displays a bottle of vodka at the bar of the hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

He said that two days earlier the women had joined more than 100 other guests for free shots of Lao vodka offered by the hostel as a gesture of hospitality. He said no other guest reported any problem, adding that the women then went out and returned in the early hours of the morning.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed it was providing consular assistance to two Australians and their families in Thailand, but could not provide further details for privacy reasons.

“Our thoughts are with them at this deeply sad time,” the office said.

They were then transported to Thailand and are being treated at hospitals in Bangkok and Udon Thani, The Age reported. Their parents have flown in to be with them.

It was not clear what the two were drinking, but methanol is sometimes used as alcohol in mixed drinks at whatever bars and can cause serious poisoning or death.

Australian media also reported that two Danish tourists died after consuming tainted alcohol in Vang Vieng at the same time as the Australian women, but it was not immediately possible to confirm details.

Asked about media reports, Denmark’s foreign ministry told the Associated Press that “two Danish citizens have passed away in Laos” but that it could not provide details for “confidentiality in personal matters.”

Vang Vieng is a tourist town that is particularly popular with backpackers looking for partying and adventure sports. Business appeared to be business as usual on a Tuesday night in the surrounding neighborhood of the hostel, bustling with bars and food stalls.

Foreign tourists have a drink at a nightclub at the Nana Backpack hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Foreign tourists relax by a swimming pool at the Nana Backpack hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Foreign tourists drink beer at a bar near a river in Vang Vieng, Laos, Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Jasmine Antonius, a Dutch tourist who has been in Vang Vieng for three days, said she tried to be more careful with drinks after hearing about the case.

“I think sometimes you don’t really see how your drinks are made,” she said. “I feel now that it’s a wake up call for a lot of people since this happened. So I hope people will take more precautions because it’s really sad.”

It was not immediately possible to verify reports that other tourists were also poisoned in the same incident.

Toan, the hostel’s manager, said he hoped the investigation would clear his name, but so far the hostel has stopped giving free shots to its guests.