Laos Visa Run

[meadish_sweetball]

Swedish, 28 yrs.

Tomorrow, I am flying from Chiang Mai via Bangkok to Laos (Vientiane) for a visa run, and will attempt to get a visa on arrival for Laos at the airport in Vientiane, and then apply for a 60-day tourist visa for Thailand at the embassy.

I plan to arrive in Vientiane on Wednesday afternoon, check into a hotel/guesthouse, go to the Thai embassy Thursday morning and pick up my passport in the afternoon on Friday.

I have a few questions that I hope somebody could answer:

1. Is the Lao visa on arrival still US$30? How long does it take to issue, usually? Over an hour?

2. What is the most convenient place to stay in Vientiane with regards to being fairly close to the Thai embassy and not having to spend over US$20 per night?

3. Do I need to exchange my Thai baht into Kip or is it wiser to exchange everything into US dollars? Where do I exchange my money for the best rate - Don Muang or Vientiane?

4. What currency does the Thai embassy in Vientiane accept for my visa application?

5. Will my visa application for Thailand be processed within 24 hours? (There's no overstay or "funny business" involved that should slow down the process.)

6. Is there an airport service charge on leaving the airport in Vientiane? How much, and what currency?

As I have had too little time to read up on Vientiane and the whole process, any advice you have about this would be very much appreciated. That includes reasonable prices for taxi, tuk tuk, hotels, and any other caveats or tips you know from experience.

Cheers,

Meadish

[randyksf]

1) $30 usd or 1500 baht

2) yes there are tones of great places. Go to the water fountain area just walk around. You will find lots of places

3) No need to exchange Kipp go to a banks by the Thai embassy. Food is really expensive. But most places except baht and can give you baht or kipp change.

4) Not sure on this but USD is always loved.

5) ?????

Look at the visa run in this web page.

Oh to make it fun Rent a motor bike for 250 baht. You can see all of VN in about 5 hours..

Don’t plan on bringing anyone home. It is illegal.