Visarun From Chiangmai By Airplane To Vientiane

[familymisa]

Hi

for our ED Visa we need to go to laos vientiane to the thai embassy.

We are planing to fly from Chiang Mai To Udon Thani

with nok air for 2400 baht per person and then with the bus to Vientiane.

http://www.nokair.com

Thats our first trip by airplane. Before we gone for tourist visa always with small bus van.

Now we dont know if there is a bus from the airport in udon thani to vientiane.

Do anybody know if there is at the airport in udon thani any buses to vientaine and also from vientaine back to Udon Thani Airport.

Maybe there is someone who traveled before with nokair and can give us some advice.

Thank you.

[talisman01]

I have used Udon Thani airport many times over the last three years, most recently in March this year, and as far as I know there is no bus departing from the airport to Vientiane. However, if you get a taxi or tuk tuk into the city and go to the No.1 or Central bus station - this is the one very near to Central Plaza - there are buses that go direct to Vientiane though I do not know how often they run.

An alternative, and perhaps more flexible option, it to tell the taxi or tuk tuk driver you want to get a bus to Nong Khai. These go regularly from a separate departure point (ie NOT the No.1 or No.2 bus stations) about a 10 minute m/c ride from Central Plaza.

At Nong Khai bus station simply get a tuk tuk to the Friendship Bridge border crossing, exit Thailand via Passport Control, pay 20 baht for a bus ticket at the desk and hop on the next bus which will take you to the entry point into Laos where you will have to get a Laos visa on arrival. Then get a taxi into Vientiane city.

I hope that helps

Talisman

[onthedarkside]

There is a mini bus service from airport to Nong Khai.

[rubberduck]

in udon minivan counter first directly next to the exit, 200b per person to the bridge.

back: just make a 500b car deal with one of the guys waiting outside the immigration gate. or take a tuktuk to tesco, opposite the road catch the 35b orange bus to udon busstation then a tuktuk to the airstrip.

other option is first class VIP bus from chiangmai to udon, 10 hours. 888b, then local bus to the tesco nongkai 35b and tuktuk to the bridge 50b.

most fun option is however lao airlines chiangmai-luangprabang-vientiane plm. 5500b. en extremely fast visa in lprb just few minutes, then 3hr stopover there per minivan 400b roundtrip to kill the time and get a good impression of this extraordinary town.

or fly via bangkok and get free transportation udon-anywhere in vientiane offered by nok air, few weeks ago i paid 1300b for that, but i was in bkk.

better don't take a tuktuk all the way to udon, thats a long and dusty backbraker and hardly save you anything, 100b or so.

in lao you can just pay with baht everywhere if yo are not familiair with the kip. 10.000 kip is around 1 euro.

Edited June 9, 2013 by rubberduck

[maps424]

Yep, minivan - best 200b you will spend there.

Then At Nong Khai bus station do what talisman01 said.

Don't eat any questionable foods (eg 7/11 toasted sandwiches!) for at least 24hrs before you go. Having food poisoning on the trip is a living hell.

In fact, I always carry Norafloxacin (food poisioning antibiotic) on any trip. Dose is 400mg 2x.day for 5 days.

Last time I found it was expired and my god I will never fail to check that ever again.