In November 2024, six people died from suspected methanol poisoning at a bar in Vang Vieng, Laos, as a result of consuming contaminated alcohol.

Methanol poisoning incidents in Southeast Asia have raised concerns about safety regulations and enforcement in tourist hubs.

[4] Methanol can be illegally added to alcohol to increase its volume as a cheaper alternative, usually in countries with weak liquor laws.

[10] Laos is a poor landlocked country in Southeast Asia that is a popular tourist destination, specifically amongst backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports.

[11] Vang Vieng is a rural town in northern Laos known for excessive drinking, the easy availability of drugs, and river tubing.

In 2012, the government shut multiple bars and activities in an attempt to reinvent the area as an eco-paradise and adventure travel hub, although its party history has remained.

[7][11] The two female Danish victims, 20 and 21 years old, were both discovered unconscious on the bathroom floor on 13 November, at 6 pm, and died that night of heart failure in a hospital in Vientiane.

Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones, both 19 years old and from the Beaumaris area in Melbourne, Australia were staying at the Nana Hostel in Vang Vieng.

[26] On 21 November, the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement that it was supporting the family of a British woman who died and was in contact with local officials in Laos.