Has anybody lately gone from Vientiane to Luang Prabang?

I know there is a bus, I have taken that to Vang Viene but the lonely plant says there are also min buses that make the trip

Has anybody done this trip? Are they the same type of mini buses like here in Thailand. That seems also small for a 9 hour journey (is this about how long it takes? How about by boat)

Lastly, how many days is needed to see most things in Luang Prabang?

Thanks in advance for any feed back.

I just made that trip a few weeks ago for the second time. Best way is to break it up in Vang Vieng overnight or you're going to arrive in Luang Phrabang exhausted and miss the best part of the trip in the late afternoon/early evening dusk. In Vientiane, you can book a tourist bus from your hotel. This could be a minibus or (as in my case) a larger bus. They'll provide transportation from your hotel. In Vang Vieng, your guest house will book you onto a van for Luang Phrabang. The most spectacular part of what I think is one of the best drives in Asia is about 90 minutes north of Vang Vieng when you start to get into the high mountains, with little villages, potbellied pigs and naked children, kharst mountain vistas and verdant valleys. You can spend 3 or 4 days or 3 or 4 weeks in Luang Phrabang, but I guess the 3 or 4 days would be enough to see the sights in the city and the surrounding area too.

Has anybody lately gone from Vientiane to Luang Prabang?

I know there is a bus, I have taken that to Vang Viene but the lonely plant says there are also min buses that make the trip

Has anybody done this trip? Are they the same type of mini buses like here in Thailand. That seems also small for a 9 hour journey (is this about how long it takes? How about by boat)

Lastly, how many days is needed to see most things in Luang Prabang?

Thanks in advance for any feed back.