Vientiane Travel Options From Bangkok

[Lodestone]

Need to start planning an end of year tourist visa run. Windows on Savannasakhet and Penang seem to be near shutting, if not now entirely closed for those with multiple previous TRs, so from reports it looks like Vientiane is (today's!) best bet for a single (or hopefully double) entry tourist visa. How might I get there from Bangkok in a reasonably efficient and economical manner? Ideally, if by road I'd like to leave in the early, mid, or late evening with a morning arrival in time for visa app. submission, followed by a next day pickup and departure back to Bangkok in the afternoon or early evening. If by air, also ideally a low cost carrier with an early morning Bangkok departure and mid morning Vientiane arrival in time to reach the consulate, and a similar next day afternoon/evening return flight to Bangkok -- analogous to Air Asia's convenient Bangkok-Penang runs. I also have no idea what the Vientiane airport taxi situation is to the consulate and hotels (hopefully not unusually larcenous).

Anyway, I've not made this trip before and would appreciate any tips, especially in the context of and compared to a Penang run which is now all too familar to me. Thanks!

Edit: Oh and I'd also be interested in any all inclusive JackGolf like visa run services to Vientiane and the latest on having to show to the Thai consulate a bank statement with a 45K baht (or whatever) balance.

Edited December 10, 2007 by Lodestone

[tropo]

Anyway, I've not made this trip before and would appreciate any tips, especially in the context of and compared to a Penang run which is now all too familar to me. Thanks!

I'll give you one tip you can use on your next visa run to Vientiane. You've left it too late now, but if you booked well ahead on AirAsia you could have got a very cheap return flight to Udon Thani.

I book my flight for the next visa run when I return from a visa run. For example, booking 2 months in advance I got free tickets on AirAsia to Udon Thani. With taxes and surcharges the total return fare was just over 1200 baht. I've seen plenty of 1 baht and 0 baht fares on AirAsia flights to different places if you book well ahead. A few months ago I scored a 1 baht fare to Penang.

It pays to plan ahead.

[The Professor]

right now if you book BKK to udon for next week it will cost you 659 bt + 1320 taxes, if you book 3 months from now it is 399 bt + 1320 taxes for a whopping savings of 260 bt each way. For my purposes I'd rather forego the small savings just in case something comes up in the next 3 months whereby I need to fly elsewhere because I know that ticket is non refundable. It just depends on whether you are 100% positive that your destination will be udon in 3 long months and you pocket that mammoth savings of 520 baht r/t or if something comes up and you aint headed there, you just forfeited 3400 baht. I'll take the insurance for 520 baht.

example: in early Sept I went to Penang and grabbed a tourist visa just before all this "dont come back stamp" stuff came out. If I had booked my ticket right when I came back (when everything looked cool), I'd have lost the cost of that ticket (x2 gf comes along) because I changed plans and bagged going to Penang. That's just one example out of many things that can cause a change of plans over 3 months. I say it aint worth the risk to buy tix so far in advance for a tiny savings

Edited December 10, 2007 by The Professor

[tropo]

right now if you book BKK to udon for next week it will cost you 659 bt + 1320 taxes, if you book 3 months from now it is 399 bt + 1320 taxes for a whopping savings of 260 bt each way. For my purposes I'd rather forego the small savings just in case something comes up in the next 3 months whereby I need to fly elsewhere because I know that ticket is non refundable. It just depends on whether you are 100% positive that your destination will be udon in 3 long months and you pocket that mammoth savings of 520 baht r/t or if something comes up and you aint headed there, you just forfeited 3400 baht. I'll take the insurance for 520 baht.

example: in early Sept I went to Penang and grabbed a tourist visa just before all this "dont come back stamp" stuff came out. If I had booked my ticket right when I came back (when everything looked cool), I'd have lost the cost of that ticket (x2 gf comes along) because I changed plans and bagged going to Penang. That's just one example out of many things that can cause a change of plans over 3 months. I say it aint worth the risk to buy tix so far in advance for a tiny savings

My particular saving on the flight is around 1,440 x 2 = 2,880 (compared to the price if I book close to the date)

My risk is 1,200 x 2 = 2,400

That's a pretty good reward to risk ratio. Especially considering that the risk of me not flying to Udon Thani is small.

The 1 and 0 baht promo fares can be obtained much closer to the departure date than 3 months. I got a 1 baht promo deal to Penang less than a month out.

The trick is not to book immediately on the AirAsia booking site, but to check back a few times a day over the course of a week or so. This way you'll pick up any 0 or 1 baht promo deals that they introduce at random for various flights.

If you can't get anything cheap, then just take the Professor's advice and leave the booking until closer to the planned departure date. When you see a 0 or 1 baht promo fare staring you in the face, it's hard to resist.

[mike_rad]

How far is Udon from Laos and what's the best way there - bus?

[lopburi3]

About an hour drive I believe and bus is the normal method.

[mike_rad]

About an hour drive I believe and bus is the normal method.

Thanks. I wonder if that's good enough to show the check-in staff at a foreign airport in order to satisfy the onward ticket requirement for a VOA?

[waveydavey]

You can catch an overnight bus from the Northern Bus Terminal (Mo Chit) or a sleeper train from Hualompong (apologies for the spelling) to Nong Khai. From there its 5 minutes by tuk tuk to the friendship bridge and 20 minutes to the embassy by tuk tuk, songtaew or taxi once you've crossed the bridge.

[naka]

Just get the Air Asia flight to Udon then the bus, you really do not want to sit on

a bus all the way from BKK and back.

Naka.