Best Way To Get To Vientiane By Bus

[Jonrek2012]

Can anyone help me? me and my partner are planing to make a visa run at vientiane.

We dont know exactly where to go, where to take a bus, and so on..

Can anyone tell me how is your experience or how did you make ur visa run to vientiane?

Thanks in advance.

[eyecatcher]

Pretty sure there is a thread not so long ago about this.

I was also seeking advice of a potential Vietienne visa trip and i recieved these vague instructions:

catch a coach from CM at night so it arrives in UDON 6/7am

take the local bus from UDON to nong khai about 2hr ride?

take songthaew from local bus station to the freindship bridge

cross the bridge on the taxi bus, get entry visa etc

find a friend or 2 and share taxi to the embassy...aim to get there before midday so your visa is processed and ready for collection next day.

find a hotel for the night, find a nightclub

next day, go to collect visa

thats the plan in my head if i need to go....but check out the other threads details

[chris5346]

hi,

there are night buses that goes between chiang mai arcade bus station and udon thani outer bus station, the VIP one leaves at 20:30 for both journeys and arrives around 07:30 am.

it always gets full so best to buy a return ticket a day or two before you want to go, price is 880 baht each way.

here's a link to the thai consulate where you can make sure they are open etc :

http://vientiane.thaiembassy.org/vientiane/en/

visa applications are made in the mornings mon-fri and collection is the following working day,

you could make the application on the same day you go but it means getting to the consulate before 11:30 ideally.

the bus will get into udon around 07:30 - 08:00 and you have a few options how to travel to vientiane :

the quickest and most expensive is a taxi from the bus station to the border(friendship bridge) cost is usually 700 baht or cheaper if you can share,

cheaper option is a bus to nong khai then a tuk tuk to the border (price 40 baht and 60 baht) problem is it takes longer and also they only run every hour or so - maybe a problem getting to the consulate for 11:30.

there is also another more complicated route which maybe a bit quicker - if your night bus arrives in and you have just missed a bus to nong khai instead of waiting for next one you can take a tuk tuk(40 baht) to a local market which has a bus stop and buses running more often.

i did this last time and saved me 30 mins waiting around - i got to the border just after 10:00 am.

another way of saving a bit of time is to ask the bus driver to drop you as close to the bridge as possible instead of going to nong khai bus station - you'll see signs for the friendship bridge as you enter nong khai .

when you get to the border/bridge you first go through thai immigration then a short 15 baht bus trip across the bridge then you have to apply for a laos visa on arrival (35$ for most nationalities and sometimes an extra 1$ depending on time and if you forget a photo, you can also pay 1500 baht that's more expensive).

when your into laos you can take a taxi to vientiane (approx. 30 mins to consulate or 40 mins to river front hotel area) price shouldn't be any more than 200 baht and cheaper if you can share.

the consulate is well located fairly close to the bus station which is only a 20 min walk from the river side area and fountain square.

last time i stayed here :

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g293950-d929211-Reviews-Mixay_Guesthouse-Vientiane_Vientiane_Province.html

prices start from 60,000 kip and for some where to crash in a central location it was fine.

i walk to and from the consulate because i know my way around but maybe an idea for you to take tuk tuks at approx. 60 baht.

when returning to chiang mai you also have the option of taking the bus from vientiane to udon thani inner city bus station (price 22,000 kip tickets available from bus station on day of travel only and again they get filled up so buy a ticket in the morning you want to travel, buses are at 14:00,15:00 and 16:30 - you can collect your passport at 13:00 and make the 14:00 bus but you will want to goto the consulate early and maybe queue outside) the bus stops at the border for everyone to go through immigration etc - it takes approx. 2 hrs from bus station to bus station maybe bit longer if the border is busy) you then have to get a tuk tuk to the outer bus station which costs around 100 baht and only takes 15 mins.

if you have a return ticket no need to goto the outer bus station too early because there's nothing there better to stay in vientiane or udon city center has a new shopping center close to the bus station - as long as you get to the outer bus station around 20:00 is fine.

if your going to book a return ticket maybe an idea to allow a day or two extra incase something goes wrong,

ideally going on tuesday is best and have a return ticket for thursday,

first time i went i combined with a tour through mid and north laos along the river and buses - staying in luang prabang etc, you can enter at chang khong near chiang rai.

these days i just take the bus and back in 3 days - last time i stayed in udon one night and following day.

some people stay near the consulate but it's very quiet at night , fountain square and river front area will have more people and bars/restraunts etc.

there's some site seeing in vientiane temples and buildings etc but mainly it's people passing through and visa runners, if you like it and staying a while maybe an idea to find a nice hotel or take a look on trip advisor for things to do.

mid and north laos is stunning worth a look if you have time.

i'll send you a map of the city,

any questions please ask,

[chris5346]

[chris5346]

the currency in laos is kip and the exchange rate is something like 250,000 kip to 1000 baht .

you can go into most shops or exchange booths for small amounts if you want some.

you can also pay for things in baht but maybe will cost you a small amount extra,

don't bring kip back into thailand because it's not easy to change back,

another thing i forgot to mention is also you may have to pay and extra 40 baht to enter laos and 9,000 kip to leave, i have never had to pay it yet it i just try to walk past and show my passport with the 35$ laos visa inside,

[hellodolly]

If I was just going for a holiday would three or four day's be about the right time to see every thing.

[chris5346]

If I was just going for a holiday would three or four day's be about the right time to see every thing.

for vientiane ?

i wouldn't recommend going to vientiane for a holiday , there's a few temples and monuments / gardens to see but after 2/3 days i think you'll be struggling to entertain yourself, there are some day trips from the city but generally it's not a holiday destination.

i did a mini tour from vientiane to vang vien then to luang prabang by bus and then 2 days travel on the river upto chang khong - that was a good experience and took about a week, with hinesite i should have stayed in luang prabang a few more days and done everything on offer.

if people are in chiang mai and have to goto vientiane it's a good trip north to south through laos because the river flows that way, can then pop to udon thani and fly or bus back.

laos visa is for 30 days.

[hellodolly]

If I was just going for a holiday would three or four day's be about the right time to see every thing.

for vientiane ?

i wouldn't recommend going to vientiane for a holiday , there's a few temples and monuments / gardens to see but after 2/3 days i think you'll be struggling to entertain yourself, there are some day trips from the city but generally it's not a holiday destination.

i did a mini tour from vientiane to vang vien then to luang prabang by bus and then 2 days travel on the river upto chang khong - that was a good experience and took about a week, with hinesite i should have stayed in luang prabang a few more days and done everything on offer.

if people are in chiang mai and have to goto vientiane it's a good trip north to south through laos because the river flows that way, can then pop to udon thani and fly or bus back.

laos visa is for 30 days.

Thanks for the info. For myself I would not need a visa to come pack as I would get a single reentry before leaving.

Just looking for a casual holiday. How long on the bus to luang prabang,.

Is the trip a pleasant one or one where a large person would be uncomfortable?

[chris5346]

If I was just going for a holiday would three or four day's be about the right time to see every thing.

for vientiane ?

i wouldn't recommend going to vientiane for a holiday , there's a few temples and monuments / gardens to see but after 2/3 days i think you'll be struggling to entertain yourself, there are some day trips from the city but generally it's not a holiday destination.

i did a mini tour from vientiane to vang vien then to luang prabang by bus and then 2 days travel on the river upto chang khong - that was a good experience and took about a week, with hinesite i should have stayed in luang prabang a few more days and done everything on offer.

if people are in chiang mai and have to goto vientiane it's a good trip north to south through laos because the river flows that way, can then pop to udon thani and fly or bus back.

laos visa is for 30 days.

Thanks for the info. For myself I would not need a visa to come pack as I would get a single reentry before leaving.

Just looking for a casual holiday. How long on the bus to luang prabang,.

Is the trip a pleasant one or one where a large person would be uncomfortable?

the bus to and from vang vieng wasn't very good but the scenery made up for it,

it took half a day on a bus to go from vientiane to vang vieng and another half day to luang prabang.

i enjoyed laos for the scenery and adventure things i did there.

if i go again i would probably fly to luang prabang or take a vip bus from chiang mai to luang prabang.

i went almost 5 years ago so maybe transport has improved a bit ?

[Jonrek2012]

What time does the CM ARCADE TERMINAL BUS GOES? Is there any other way to go directly to the nong khai?

I am afraid to stay longer in laos cuz its bored there and take my visa on the next day.

I want only to stay in laos for 2 days and back to CM.

ANYONE CAN RECOMMEND THERE trips?

[Sydneycraig]

Cm to luang prabang ?? How long dies this take? If going to Laos from cm just to get a 15 day overland visa exempt where is the quickest exit entry point?

[dave2]

re.

Cm to luang prabang ?? How long dies this take?

on a plane just over an hour @ about 6000 baht return and as its

an international flight you get 30 days voa : )

if you fly on to vientiene ( another hour ) for a visa ?

fly back to lp and fly back to chiang mai all 4 flights

cost me about 10500 baht in december 10

dave2

ps ... the nearest land crossing from chiang mai is mae sai which

is about 5 hours on a bus : (

[chris5346]

What time does the CM ARCADE TERMINAL BUS GOES? Is there any other way to go directly to the nong khai?

I am afraid to stay longer in laos cuz its bored there and take my visa on the next day.

I want only to stay in laos for 2 days and back to CM.

ANYONE CAN RECOMMEND THERE trips?

you can either get the night bus which leaves at 20:30 or fly to udon thani with nok air, either option you can do the trip in 2 days but if you buy return tickets and something goes wrong you may lose a bit of money,

i think the easiest way is to book a return flight and make sure you book the return flight for late in the evening.

the bus is cheaper but you may not get to the consulate before midday.

maybe a good compromise is to fly there and get the bus back.

flying there will get you to the consulate earlier and the bus back is cheap and leaves late giving you plenty of time.

[chris5346]

Cm to luang prabang ?? How long dies this take? If going to Laos from cm just to get a 15 day overland visa exempt where is the quickest exit entry point?

if your just going to do a 15 day stamp then goto burma not laos , burma crossing is at mai sai and laos is chang khong.

they are both about the same distance from chiang mai but burma is cheaper at 10$ or 500 baht compared to laos at 35$.

most people goto mai sai from chiang mai for a border run.

there's a new bus service from cm to luang prabang but i haven't used it yet - i think probably takes around 2 days ? or a day and a half ?? it goes via chiang khong and enter laos from the north .

[mgbcnx]

Why spend the night on a bus? Nok has three comfortable, daily non-stop flights to Udon Thani that take little over an hour. From the Udon airport THAI and Nok operate shuttles that delivers you directly to the Nong Khai crossing at Friendship Bridge. Nok's roundtrip fares to Udon are much cheaper than Lao Air's to Vientiane, which usually involves a plane change in Luang Prabang.

I am in Vientiane now. This charming, hospitable, and laid-back town is by far my favorite Asian capital--boasting the best French food outside France!

[mgbcnx]

Oops! Error in subject/verb agreement: shuttles deliver! (It pays to proofread...)

[chris5346]

Why spend the night on a bus? Nok has three comfortable, daily non-stop flights to Udon Thani that take little over an hour. From the Udon airport THAI and Nok operate shuttles that delivers you directly to the Nong Khai crossing at Friendship Bridge. Nok's roundtrip fares to Udon are much cheaper than Lao Air's to Vientiane, which usually involves a plane change in Luang Prabang.

I am in Vientiane now. This charming, hospitable, and laid-back town is by far my favorite Asian capital--boasting the best French food outside France!

flying to udon is more expensive than the bus 7000 baht compared to 1800 baht.

the mini bus from the airport to the border is good though.

i'd recommend flying to udon and taking the bus back for first timers on a time and money budget.

luang prabang is a nice place to visit to combine the trip but need to decide which way to travel - if it's your first visit i'd recommend travelling along the river instead of flying, and seeing more of the country.

[Jonrek2012]

Pretty sure there is a thread not so long ago about this.

I was also seeking advice of a potential Vietienne visa trip and i recieved these vague instructions:

catch a coach from CM at night so it arrives in UDON 6/7am

take the local bus from UDON to nong khai about 2hr ride?

take songthaew from local bus station to the freindship bridge

cross the bridge on the taxi bus, get entry visa etc

find a friend or 2 and share taxi to the embassy...aim to get there before midday so your visa is processed and ready for collection next day.

find a hotel for the night, find a nightclub

next day, go to collect visa

thats the plan in my head if i need to go....but check out the other threads details

Ok how much did you spend for this visa run?

Is there no other way to go directly to nong khai ? why i must stop at UDON THANI?

So hard to make this. And also its hard to make conversation with the thai if you want to ask something..

[Jonrek2012]

Why spend the night on a bus? Nok has three comfortable, daily non-stop flights to Udon Thani that take little over an hour. From the Udon airport THAI and Nok operate shuttles that delivers you directly to the Nong Khai crossing at Friendship Bridge. Nok's roundtrip fares to Udon are much cheaper than Lao Air's to Vientiane, which usually involves a plane change in Luang Prabang.

I am in Vientiane now. This charming, hospitable, and laid-back town is by far my favorite Asian capital--boasting the best French food outside France!

i DONT LIKE TO FLY.

I like more to ride a bus and sightseeing ofcourse.

I just dont like to stay long in Laos for 3 days or more

[eyecatcher]

Pretty sure there is a thread not so long ago about this.

I was also seeking advice of a potential Vietienne visa trip and i recieved these vague instructions:

catch a coach from CM at night so it arrives in UDON 6/7am

take the local bus from UDON to nong khai about 2hr ride?

take songthaew from local bus station to the freindship bridge

cross the bridge on the taxi bus, get entry visa etc

find a friend or 2 and share taxi to the embassy...aim to get there before midday so your visa is processed and ready for collection next day.

find a hotel for the night, find a nightclub

next day, go to collect visa

thats the plan in my head if i need to go....but check out the other threads details

Ok how much did you spend for this visa run?

Is there no other way to go directly to nong khai ? why i must stop at UDON THANI?

So hard to make this. And also its hard to make conversation with the thai if you want to ask something..

my post clearly infers that I have never done the run as yet..........others have given impeccable information which I will use as reference myself; but still you seem to be unclear. Every possible method of travel has been mentioned and you are still not happy........and NOW you are asking about taking a dog with you.

Looking forward to your report of the nightmare trip you will encounter because you dont heed the advice.

[Jonrek2012]

i cannot leave the puppy here in the house because its only 2 months old. that is why i want a quickest way that just take 2 or 3 days trip only.

I am just confused, you know.. I AM NOT SAYING THAT I AM NOT HAPPY FROM ALL YOUR ADVICES. I really appreciate it.

Sorry if i irritate you or something. I am just new here in CM unlike others expat here. who knows a lot of things here.