Chiangmai-nongkhai Vip Bus Service

[Joel Barlow]

Yesterday i heard tell there may be a regualr 'VIP' visa run bus from Chiangmai to NongKhai.

a google search revealed nothing.

flights are only to LuangPrabang or UdonTani!

can anyone help me get particulars on this bus? What I heard is B600!

[Joel Barlow]

Rumor of a big air-con B600 one-way bus service ChiangMai-NongKhai (available for return too)

has me real interested,

but a google search turned up nothing,

so I'm trying here.

Anyone know any particulars on this? I heard it was called "999"

[my friend I]

Joel 999 are The Transport Company, the government bus service

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

flights are only to LuangPrabang or UdonTani!

Not true - Laos Airlines fly Chiangmai to Wattay Noi albeit via Luang Prabang - you don't have to get off the plane however. The best deals when flying are the return ticket + 2 nights accom deals, here (not up to date though).

No ideas on bus options, did the VIP to Udon once, will never do it again..

[TheEmperorOfTheNorth]

Also even right now you can get an overnight VIP bus Chiang Mai -> Udon, and then get the Udon -> Vientiane bus. From what I read in the original post you'd have to change buses in Nong Khai, so that's pretty similar to changing in Udon.

[Goshawk]

Government VIP buses.. very comfortable, full reclining seats, free water & snack plus attendant service on board serving hot drinks etc..

[waveydavey]

There's a website if you can read Thai - www.transport.co.th. Failing that, I'd go to the bus station and ask at the booking windows where it says '999'.

If you find out anything can you post it on here as I'd be interested, as I'm sure quite a few people in the Chiang Mai area would be - I live out in the sticks and last time I went to Nong Khai I had 2 separate 4 hour waits for connections so it wasn't a lot of fun but a direct service from Chiang Mai would be great.

[Joel Barlow]

Wattay Noi? never heard of that.

my travel agent tried to find LuangPrabang to Vientianne, but failed.

I somewho intuit a Lao gov't endeavor to increase tourism to LuangPrabang...

whatever the cost, it'd be a lot more than the bus. I did take a bus once, almost 9 years ago.

It was not VIP, and I would hardly try that again - all night with knees scrunched up pressed against a seat in front -

until I got a front seat, which had it's difficulties too...

but the 24 seat buses to BKK are not bad.

\

[Joel Barlow]

I live in Chiangrai, but will see what I can do.

[asanee]

can only be a rumor:

1. the ngau/ngau/ngau ONLY does routes in/out of BKK. it is a special High-class branch of the BKS=transport Co, IN fact the 3 9s mean a distinct high quality, and they STARTED with special offers of 999 bt= means most are now higher. expect 2+1 indiviual seats, bisnisclass style, full recline, full service. buses are metal+THAIstyle purple bands. often rather hesitating to take farang...(the high-class Thai clientele does not like them so much....)

thus the price alone means it cannot be the REAL 999

2. untill now, as some posters testify, there is ONLY a VIP-class nightbus (2 or 3 in fact) CMai-UDORN, should be aorund the 600 THB now I guess. change in Udorn should be very straightforward though, and maybe wait for 30/40 mins. NOT by BoKoSo, but some licensed private operator.

3.on weekends NOK offers direct flites CNX=-Udorn, bypassing BKK (AFAIK, this route was always very feeble)

4.conclusion: it might be that of the Udorn buses is extended to NKhai to gain more custom. I dont know for sure.

teher are also a diferent route C RAI-to udorn, not via Cmai.

[ShakaIsuzu]

Yes, 24 seats is sometimes called Super-VIP. Regular VIP is 36 seats.

Super VIP makes sense when travelling alone, because you can then have a single seat without someone next to you.

When you travel with someone, you might as well go for regular VIP becaus you're then sitting next to the person you travel with.

Both regular and super VIP have 8 rows of seats, so equal seat-pitch. Just that Super VIP has a single row on the left, double on the right.

[BlissfullyIgnorant]

Wattay Noi? never heard of that.

my travel agent tried to find LuangPrabang to Vientianne, but failed.

I somewho intuit a Lao gov't endeavor to increase tourism to LuangPrabang...

whatever the cost, it'd be a lot more than the bus. I did take a bus once, almost 9 years ago.

It was not VIP, and I would hardly try that again - all night with knees scrunched up pressed against a seat in front -

until I got a front seat, which had it's difficulties too...

but the 24 seat buses to BKK are not bad.

\

"Wattay Noi" is the name of the international airport at Vientiane.

The Chiangmai - Vientiane route has always been via Luang Prabang - nothing new there.

[Joel Barlow]

best i could arrange from Chiangrai is an overnight, 33 seat bus to Udon. B606. has restroom...

switch to another bus in the morning, 7 a.m.

[my friend I]

Thats better anyway as its shorter from Udon to Nong Khai than from CR to Chiang Mai.

If thats the bus that goes to NKP you may need to go to another bus station in Udon to get a bus to Nong Khai.

[Joel Barlow]

NKP? when I did this awful bus thing in 1999 I had to change bus stations in Udon.

confusing and disorienting at just after dawn after a semi-sleepless, unconfortable night

I still can't fanthom why planes must fly north from CM to sedate, nothing-going-on LuangPrabang before going to Vientianne

- especially if it is not to encourage tourism there -

but why ask why?

[ProThaiExpat]

For those of us who want to provide accurate information to foreign guests who have to make visa runs, please advise why someone would want to go across the country, perhaps as much as 1000 km to Nong Kahai for a visa run when Mae Sai is only 150 kms away from Chiang Mai?

[waveydavey]

For those of us who want to provide accurate information to foreign guests who have to make visa runs, please advise why someone would want to go across the country, perhaps as much as 1000 km to Nong Kahai for a visa run when Mae Sai is only 150 kms away from Chiang Mai?

The final destination isn't Nong Khai, it's the Thai embassy in Vientiane to obtain a new visa.

[Joel Barlow]

got that right, waveydavy. and though the drive would be beautiful (I do love Loei), I'd rather be at home...

and flying - though not a great distance - is about as expensive as to other neighboring countries!

[Joel Barlow]

"The Chiangmai - Vientiane route has always been via Luang Prabang - nothing new there."

Perhaps - I wouldn't know - but why? shouldn't there be direct flights between two important commercial and administrative centers, without a detour going several hundred kilometers north - to what? a minor tourist destination...

TIT meets TIL?

[sabaijai]

The Chiangmai - Vientiane route has always been via Luang Prabang - nothing new there.

Correct.

Alternative is but Udon, then direct bus from Udon to Vientiane.

[waveydavey]

got that right, waveydavy. and though the drive would be beautiful (I do love Loei), I'd rather be at home...

and flying - though not a great distance - is about as expensive as to other neighboring countries!

I'm doing the trip myself next week. A few beers before I get on the bus and hopefully I'll wake up in Udon Thani.

[Joel Barlow]

rumor remains of a bus on through to NongKhai - but I haven't been able to verify...

perhaps that's only from CM - a bit out of the way from ChiangRai...

[Joel Barlow]

but is there a bus from CM straight through to NongKhai? I keep hearing there is, but expect to

leave from ChiangRai, and so do the awful early-morning change-over.

Surely no bus goes to Vientene?

[Crow Boy]

There is a parallel thread to this in the Travel Forum so I will this one there and then merge the two.

regards

Crow Boy

Moderating Team

Thai Visa

[eek]

any updates on this please guys?

[waveydavey]

any updates on this please guys?

Pretty sure there isn't a direct bus from Chiang Mai to either Nong Khai or Vientiane. I went last week, bus from Chiang Mai Arcade bus station to Udon Thani leaves 8pm. Advertised as VIP but wasn't really, more like first class, ok though. I bought a ticket in the morning from the bus station.

Arrived Udon Thani at 7.30ish. Straight onto local bus to Nong Khai (same bus station). Takes about an hour to Nong Khai but bus doesn't leave until full (we had to wait 30 minutes).

Get off the bus in Nong Khai before the bus station, about a kilometer after you pass the road to the train station, there were about a dozen tuk tuks waiting on the left hand side. Take tuk tuk to bridge and after crossing bridge tuk tuk, songtaew or taxi direct to embassy (I got there at about 10.30am).

[eek]

tnx wavey, that helps.

Actually i rang up the bus station to enquire and yes, i was informed that the bus isnt VIP but 1st class.

Was told 563 baht each way for anyone interested. There are 2 buses one at 8pm and one earlier ( i think she said one hour earlier, but forget sorry). Taking around 12 hours to reach Udon Thani.

[Jackjillman]

Price is today 600 baht feb 25 2008

can I get laos visa at border and then begin Thai visa before 11:00 am in vietiane on the same day?

thx

[SadieMBeagle]

Well, it's been nearly 2 years since the last reply on this thread. Now I'm preparing to make a Chiang Mai - Vientiane visa run of my own. I looked into flights and the cheapest is $450 USD. Um, no thanks! So the bus it is. My internet searches have yielded nothing - so can anyone tell me, please, is there an updated bus situation from Chiang Mai to Nong Khai? Really I would prefer to pay the money and go with a "visa run" company since this is my first time, but... since I can't seem to find one, looks like I'm takin' the bus. Unless someone wants to make a few baht and drive me

Thanks in advance!

Melissa