Visa Run: Bangkok To Udon Thani, Problem With My Plan?

[fifthhouse]

I am planning to book a flight leaving Bangkok December 13 at 07:20, arriving in Udon Thani at 08:25. Then I'll take the mini van, etc, and arrive at the consulate in Vientiane, in time to apply for a double entry tourist visa.

The next afternoon on December 14 I will pick up my visa, and make it back to the airport in Udon Thani, for my flight at 18:50.

Is this reasonable? Any obvious problems with the timing? I am concerned especially about getting to the Thai Embassy to apply for the visa before 12 noon...

[inthepink]

You could make it but you could run into problems getting to the Thai consulate in time. I think it will take you about an hour from Udon to the border so if you managed to leave by 9am, that would take you to 10am. Then you have to stamp out of Thailand, get on a crappy bus, cross the bridge, get your Laos visa (if you don't already have one) at the other side and stamp into Laos. That can take as little as 15 minutes in total but it can take a lot longer. Say you are quite lucky and get everything done in 30 minutes....Now it's 10.30am and you have to get into Vientiane from the border....My memory fails me a little here but I think it's around 15-20km from the border to the centre of Vientiane. With a taxi/ minivan you should be able to get there within 30 minutes, possibly a bit quicker....

So...with not too many delays you may arrive at 11am, with an hour to spare. If it isn't a busy day, you will not have a problem. However, I wouldn't be keen to attempt it. I was thinking about doing exactly the same thing six months ago, I am sure my flight arrived at the same time as yours. In the end, I booked a cab for 5.30 am the next morning and spent the day/night in Udon as I don't like tight deadlines.

On the way back - you should get your passport by 1.30-2pm at the latest unless it is really busy so you should not have any problems making your flight back.

EDIT: Avoid Mondays and Thursdays if at all possible - those are the days that the organised visa tour groups seem to arrive and it can be very busy - both at the border and the consulate.

[bpmaclean]

Suggest you try Nokair, it has a 6:00 am departure from DM arriving Udon at 7:00, we made it to the Lao border by 8:30 am. Plenty of time to get to the Thai embassy.

[fifthhouse]

Thanks both for your replies. Based on this exhausting sounding trip, I think I'll just do two nights in Vientiane. Trying to do it in one night sounds way to close, and there's no point in risking it, and adding a crazy stressful day to my life if there is some chance it's not going to work out. I'll take a later flight on Wednesday, go to the Thai Embassy Thursday morning, and then pick up my visa Friday afternoon, and fly out Friday evening. I can have some time and walk around Vientiane, and relax...

[inthepink]

As I mentioned above, Thursday might not be a good day to do it, unless you absolutely have to.

[chris5346]

having an extra day in hand is probably wise,

if you get through the border before 10:30 you still have plenty of time to goto the thai consulate to hand the application in,

you can get prepared with the photos and take a look at the application form etc :

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

on the application for you need to state where your staying in laos - if you don't have a hotel yet just say your staying at lao plaza or there's a hotel opposite the consulate.

a taxi from the border to the consulate takes approx. 30 mins and shouldn't cost any more than 200 baht,

a taxi from the border to the river front or fountain square touristy area takes approx. 40 mins and costs the same.

the consulate is well located close to the bus station , you can take tuk tuks or taxis , once your in vientiane no reason why a taxi anywhere should cost anymore than 100 baht.

if you get your visa done in the first 2 days you can always travel back to udon thani and stay a night there,

you can take a direct bus from vientiane to udon thani which makes the return trip a bit easier, the bus gets full so buy a ticket the morning you want to travel.

if you decide to return to airport the same way you came , you may get lucky at the border and find a mini bus that will take you to anywhere in udon for under 200 baht - if not you may have to get a private taxi which standard price is 600 - 700 baht.

visa on arrival for laos for most nationalities costs 35$ sometimes they charge an extra 1 $ if you don't have a photo or go through off peak time, you can also pay 1500 baht but that's more expensive.

there's a mini bus that will take you from the airport to the border, you then walk through the thai check point and have to take a short bus trip accross the bridge for 15 baht, you'll then get to the laos check point where you have to fill in a visa on arrival application and arrival card.

some people also have to pay an extra 40 baht to enter laos and 9000 kip to leave, it maybe just for people who haven't got a laos visa ?

the currency in laos is kip but you can pay for things in baht also,approx. 250,000 kip to 1000 baht and it's not easy to use kip in thailand so don't bring too much back unless your going again.

[Microwave]

Bear in mind that the Thai Embassy doesn't issue visas. Google search the Thai Embassy in Laos website, a map indicating where the counselor section (which issues visas) is located can be downloaded from this website.

[modafinil]

The journey back will be no problem. The journey there could be a problem if your flight is delayed. I've arrived after 11AM at the Thai consulate in Vientiane and got away with it, but I don't recommend it.

One option is to take an evening flight to Udon Thani, and then get the minibus to Nong Khai, which is 10 minutes from the border. The same minibus takes you to either place. Nong Khai's Pantawee Hotel is a pleasant enough hotel at 600 Baht a night or so, the minibus will drop you off at the lobby. 50-100 Baht the next morning will get you a tuk tuk to the border.

I would definitely recommend giving it 2 nights wherever you stay.

[tjhorner]

Here is a link to a trip I did this past summer, similar to what you are planning. I chose to do the train on return just in case I got delayed on my arrival and couldn't make it to the consulate in time, so as not to have to waste a return air ticket. Good luck and report back how your trip went.

[Litha]

Hi all,

I have to leave Thailand before Jan 3rd as that's the date my TR visa extension expires. So this time I plan to take the bus instead of the train as the last time, it got delayed and I had to stay an extra night in Vientiane.

My question is this - I am a Malaysian passport holder and I don't need to get a Laos visa, instead, just a stamp in the passport upon arrival, and the 30 days stay allowed but I was wondering which point of exit/entry should I take - Udon Thani or Nong Khai?

If I took the overnight bus out of Bangkok, it should arrive by 8am I would imagine. And then? Do I need to connect on another bus/tuk tuk to get to the Immigration post? And where? Is there an Immigration post at the Friendship Bridge? When I did my visa run to Vientiane the last time I took the overnight train from Bkk to Nong Khai and stamp into Laos at the Thanaleng train station Immigration post.

Any feedback is much appreciated! Cheers!

[inthepink]

Udon Thani is not on the border, Nong Khai is. Yes, there is an immigration post at the Friendship Bridge. I am not sure about the bus situation but I do remember reading that the buses from Bangkok stop at a station slightly outside of Udon Thani and you then have to get from that station to the one in the middle of town where the buses to Vientiane depart from.

I'd take a look at the area on google maps if I were you, because you seem to be a little confused about the location of Udon Thani. It figures in many people's plans because you can fly there from BKK or CM much cheaper than you can to Vientiane and then it's less than an hour from there to Nong Khai at the border. Also, I think you have to change buses there if you come from Bangkok.

Cheers

[lopburi3]

I suspect you can take bus directly to Nong Khai just as you can take train directly there - no need to stop in Udon - that is the airport gateway. Yes you will have to get from station to Friendship bridge immigration check-point and then across and then transport from other side into Vientiane. Should be easy and many will be doing the same thing on a morning arrival.

[ubonjoe]

Using the train all the way to Vientiane uses a different Lao immigration entry point than the bridge.

You will go through Thai immigration on the Nong Kai side of the bridge and Lao on the other side.

You can get a Tuk Tuk from the bus station to the bridge.

[inthepink]

I suspect you can take bus directly to Nong Khai just as you can take train directly there - no need to stop in Udon - that is the airport gateway. Yes you will have to get from station to Friendship bridge immigration check-point and then across and then transport from other side into Vientiane. Should be easy and many will be doing the same thing on a morning arrival.

I'm sure you can get a bus direct to Nong Khai, I said "buses to Vientiane".

[lopburi3]

My post was in answer to post 10 as it was my last unread so believed it was the original posting and did not include a quote. Sorry for misunderstanding.

[inthepink]

Oh yes, I see - sorry.

Cheaper direct flights would be welcome and would avoid all the hassle and confusion..

[stoneyboy]

Why the hassle of going to Udon when you can go direct to Wattay Vientiane fom Bangkok.

Just a thought.

Did this only two months ago,here.

[inthepink]

How muich

Why the hassle of going to Udon when you can go direct to Wattay Vientiane fom Bangkok.

Just a thought.

How much does it cost? Every time I looked at the prices they seemed way out of line when compared with those for flying to other neighbouring countries.

[stoneyboy]

How muich

Why the hassle of going to Udon when you can go direct to Wattay Vientiane fom Bangkok.

Just a thought.

How much does it cost? Every time I looked at the prices they seemed way out of line when compared with those for flying to other neighbouring countries.

I paid £ 120 GBP one way,maybe expensive in comparison to other local destinations but given the ease and convenience well worth it given my personal circumstances.

[inthepink]

6,000 baht one-way.... Yeah, very uncompetitive when you consider you can fly to Cambodia and back for less than that. For me it seemed ridiculous, especially as I live in CM. I'm simply not prepared to pay 15 - 16,000 baht to fly to Vientiane and back.

[stoneyboy]

6000 baht one-way. Yeah, very uncompetitive when you consider you can fly to Cambodia and back for less than that. For me it seemed ridiculous, especially as I live in CM. I'm simply not prepared to pay 15 - 16,000 baht to fly to Vientiane and back.

Out of interest what does it cost to fly Bkk to Udon ?

[inthepink]

6000 baht one-way. Yeah, very uncompetitive when you consider you can fly to Cambodia and back for less than that. For me it seemed ridiculous, especially as I live in CM. I'm simply not prepared to pay 15 - 16,000 baht to fly to Vientiane and back.

Out of interest what does it cost to fly Bkk to Udon ?

I'm not sure because I live in CM. I would think around 4,000 baht return though.

EDIT: I just checked - 3,148 baht. So basically (if the price you paid is normal) it would cost 9,000 baht more to fly direct....say 7,500 - 8,500 baht if you factor in the cost of travelling from Udon to Vientiane by land.

EDIT no. 2: Sorry, just to be clear, 3,148 is for a return ticket. Prices vary according to the time of day that you travel and how far in advance you book but that was the cheapest I found on a random set of dates that I picked (17-19 December).

[stoneyboy]

6000 baht one-way. Yeah, very uncompetitive when you consider you can fly to Cambodia and back for less than that. For me it seemed ridiculous, especially as I live in CM. I'm simply not prepared to pay 15 - 16,000 baht to fly to Vientiane and back.

Out of interest what does it cost to fly Bkk to Udon ?

I'm not sure because I live in CM. I would think around 4,000 baht return though.

EDIT: I just checked - 3,148 baht.

So in comparison I can see the appeal,I think the best option is for the OP to as he/she has suggested is to stay two nights in Vientiane,it makes things much easier and less rushed,good luck and keep safe.

[seasia]

6000 baht one-way. Yeah, very uncompetitive when you consider you can fly to Cambodia and back for less than that. For me it seemed ridiculous, especially as I live in CM. I'm simply not prepared to pay 15 - 16,000 baht to fly to Vientiane and back.

Out of interest what does it cost to fly Bkk to Udon ?

Hi

It cost me approx 1700 baht 1 way when I went, using Air Asia, booked fairly close to trip date( within 1 week)

That suited my plans as although I was on the way to Vientiane, wanted a couple of nights in Udon as had never been there before and had time to spare.

[inthepink]

2,126.50 return is Air Asia's cheapest return on 17/19 December.....even cheaper than Nok Air.

[Litha]

I suspect you can take bus directly to Nong Khai just as you can take train directly there - no need to stop in Udon - that is the airport gateway. Yes you will have to get from station to Friendship bridge immigration check-point and then across and then transport from other side into Vientiane. Should be easy and many will be doing the same thing on a morning arrival.

Thank you! This was what I was looking for! Things have changed now though! I have to get to Cambodia this week, so probably will have to plan to get it done at some point at the Thai Embassy in Phomn Penh now!

Cheers to all who'd responded!

[lopburi3]

Remember to allow four days for visa issue from the PP Consulate.