Travel From Thailand To Vietnam Via Laos

[rddryden]

Hello, everyone, I am planning to travel by bus from Mukdahan Thailand through Laos to Danang Vietnam for 6 days. I am wondering if anyone knows what kind of visa I will need to get for Laos. Do I need to get two visas, one for going and one for coming back? I also saw they have a transit visa, I was wondering if that would work and how much it cost. Any information would be appreciated.

[SantiSuk]

Was planning that trip earlier this year, but stopped in Laos. Will go all the way this year or next!

The borders you would use - Mukdahan/Friendship Bridge/Savannakhet and Lao Bao/Dene Savanh both issue visas on arrival at $30-$42, depending on your nationality. Take dollars if you can get them for the visa fee (has been cheaper than Thai baht for some time) and take your passport with at least 6 months unexpired and 2 photos (for each entry).

Your visa on arrival is single entry - it lasts for 30 days but will be cancelled on leaving Laos. There is reportedly, on some travel web-sites, a multiple entry visa available only from Vientianne (they must have the sme logic patterns as Thais) - no idea on cost or whether it can be applied for by post (but would you trust that anyway?) The multiple entry visa is not mentioned on the Laos embassy (Bangkok) website. I have never heard of an in-transit visa, other than one available for arrivals at Vientianne airport, also mentioned on some travel web-sites. Maybe there is some one-off arrangement if there is any travel company that does a through journey without stopping - that'll take a bit of winkling out at a distance though. I'm pretty sure that the traffic is far too meagre for Laos to bother with this complication and suffer the revenue-loss.

If you still want to investigate multiple entry or transit visas and to verify any of my other assertions then call the Laos embassy in BKK (or consulate in Kon Kaen) - google for it - or call the Laos embassy in your country of domicile {If you are a Brit there isn't one and you are referred to Bangkok anyway!}. Even the official websites cannot be trusted to have the latest or most comprehensive information per Lonely Planet.

Let us know what your final confirmed experience was please!

[paulchiangmai]

I would be interested in this run to Da Nang, any info on the bus company and cost would be appreciated.

[rddryden]

Was planning that trip earlier this year, but stopped in Laos. Will go all the way this year or next!

The borders you would use - Mukdahan/Friendship Bridge/Savannakhet and Lao Bao/Dene Savanh both issue visas on arrival at $30-$42, depending on your nationality. Take dollars if you can get them for the visa fee (has been cheaper than Thai baht for some time) and take your passport with at least 6 months unexpired and 2 photos (for each entry).

Your visa on arrival is single entry - it lasts for 30 days but will be cancelled on leaving Laos. There is reportedly, on some travel web-sites, a multiple entry visa available only from Vientianne (they must have the sme logic patterns as Thais) - no idea on cost or whether it can be applied for by post (but would you trust that anyway?) The multiple entry visa is not mentioned on the Laos embassy (Bangkok) website. I have never heard of an in-transit visa, other than one available for arrivals at Vientianne airport, also mentioned on some travel web-sites. Maybe there is some one-off arrangement if there is any travel company that does a through journey without stopping - that'll take a bit of winkling out at a distance though. I'm pretty sure that the traffic is far too meagre for Laos to bother with this complication and suffer the revenue-loss.

If you still want to investigate multiple entry or transit visas and to verify any of my other assertions then call the Laos embassy in BKK (or consulate in Kon Kaen) - google for it - or call the Laos embassy in your country of domicile {If you are a Brit there isn't one and you are referred to Bangkok anyway!}. Even the official websites cannot be trusted to have the latest or most comprehensive information per Lonely Planet.

Let us know what your final confirmed experience was please!

Okay, thanks for the information. The transit visa was on the application I have from the consolute in Khon Kaen. We may have canceled our trip till next year now, but if we do go I will let you know what happens. I was thinking they may make me get 2 visas for Laos. I can't find anything on a mulitple entry either.

Okay thanks again!

[rddryden]

I would be interested in this run to Da Nang, any info on the bus company and cost would be appreciated.

I did find on the internet that buses run every day from Sawanakhet to Danang. About a 7 hour trip. The price was 10 USD, but not sure how long ago that was.

I will let you know if we go.

[SantiSuk]

I would be interested in this run to Da Nang, any info on the bus company and cost would be appreciated.

I did find on the internet that buses run every day from Sawanakhet to Danang. About a 7 hour trip. The price was 10 USD, but not sure how long ago that was.

I will let you know if we go.

I recall when I was doing the research that the Lonely Planet Guide to Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos (but it was a cheap copy and probably is now 5 years old info) said in its Laos-Savnnakhet section that the bus was daily and in its Vietnam-Danang section that it went to Savannakhet one day and came back the next. You might want to check that out! It was $10 and 8 hours in my book and it also stopped in Hue and Dong Ha.

I'll let you know if I do it first!

[samjaidee]

There's been no mention of the Vietnamese visa. I just want to make sure you know that you have to get the Vietnamese visa in advance; there's no visa at the border.