Six foreign tourists have died after apparently drinking contaminated alcohol in a remote Laos party town.

Australian officials are now pressing Laotian authorities for a full and transparent investigation into what happened.

Vang Vieng has worked hard in recent years to shed its reputation for excess - but now, its drinking culture is back in the spotlight.

A backpacker who stayed at the hostel at the centre of a "mass methanol poisoning" incident in Laos has claimed the venue would give out free shots in exchange for good reviews.

The parents of a lawyer British lawyer killed in Laos in what's thought to be a 'mass methanol poisoning' have paid tribute to their "loving daughter".

Six tourists - two Australians, two Danes, a Briton and an American - have died in the incident so far in Vang Vieng, a town in Laos popular with backpackers.