Trip to Vientiane

[bigyin]

Just back from a 3 day trip to Vientiane and I can highly recommend it. The city still has a really French feel to it in an Asian sort of way. There are a number of Patisseries and coffee shops with great coffee, bagels, baguettes, croissants and cakes. All really nicely appointed and classy. Dining options are really good as well with some really nice places. The action is all down by the Mekong River so a hotel in that area would be perfect. The Best Western Vientiane hotel looks in the ideal spot. We actually stayed in the DouangChiang Plaza which was a 10 minute TukTuk ride from the restaurants. There is a really nice Night Bazaar as well. Everything was very laid back and relaxed. BeerLao very cheap at from 48-60 bhat for a large bottle in a restaurant and food cheaper than in Thailand for quality food and surroundings. No real evidence over a short stay that this is a nominally communist country apart from the very involved Immigration procedures. It was actually more complicated for my Thai wife to get into Laos than for me which was a bit of a surprise.

All in all I cannot recommend it enough as a cheap and different alternative to Thailand for a break.

[Thanyaburi Mac]

"It was actually more complicated for my Thai wife to get into Laos than for me which was a bit of a surprise."

Did your wife go on a "Border Pass" or a Thai passport, I suspect the former.

My wife has been with me on lots of trips across the Nong Khai-Thannaleng bridge and since the Lao dropped the requirement for Thai to get a visa, she breezes right through on her passport, while I'm getting my Visa On Arrival.

Using a Thai passport definitely faster and easier.

Mac

[bigyin]

No she went with her passport. We used the Thai Lao Friendship Bridge at Nong Khai and there was certainly no breezing through.

[Pinot]

Hit Vientiane last year and headed back in a couple of weeks. Definitely worth a look with lots to see, but won't be crossing the bridge this year. Nong Khai is cheaper and more fun without all the border crap. A couple of days there and a couple in Udon to see the family.

[MeowBundit]

>All in all I cannot recommend it enough as a cheap and different alternative to Thailand for a break.

I think every 95 from 100 foreigners crossed this bridge for one purpose - to reach as fast as possible Thai Consulate and apply for their new visas

Anyway, place is worth to visit once, but, apart from beer, I can say it's much more expensive than any Thai city.

[novanova]

Agree about Nong Khai... great place and light on the tourists.

Hit Vientiane last year and headed back in a couple of weeks. Definitely worth a look with lots to see, but won't be crossing the bridge this year. Nong Khai is cheaper and more fun without all the border crap. A couple of days there and a couple in Udon to see the family.

[dddave]

Agree about Nong Khai... great place and light on the tourists.

Hit Vientiane last year and headed back in a couple of weeks. Definitely worth a look with lots to see, but won't be crossing the bridge this year. Nong Khai is cheaper and more fun without all the border crap. A couple of days there and a couple in Udon to see the family.

+1

I especially enjoy the Thai-Vietnamese restaurants along the river near the Nong Khai city center. I never knew that Nong Khai had a large ethnic Vietnamese population left over from the river trade days.

[el jefe]

If you're just visiting as a tourist and not going because you need to get a visa at a Thai embassy, I don't know why anyone would go to Vientiane instead of Luang Prabang.

[Jaggg88]

If you're just visiting as a tourist and not going because you need to get a visa at a Thai embassy, I don't know why anyone would go to Vientiane instead of Luang Prabang.

I agree but I thought you got the boat to Luang Prabang from Vientiane.

[Tassie Norm]

G'day dddave. Vietnam folk 'left over' from Vietnam conflict. Many did a runner when the south was overrun by the north Vietnamese. Incidentally, for those interested in a bit of history up this way, I thoroughly recommend The Ravens - The Secret War of Pilots in Laos. Very informative.

[el jefe]

If you're just visiting as a tourist and not going because you need to get a visa at a Thai embassy, I don't know why anyone would go to Vientiane instead of Luang Prabang.

I agree but I thought you got the boat to Luang Prabang from Vientiane.

There are plenty of ways to get to Luang Prabang without a boat. It's not an island!

Though if one does want to take a slow boat on the Mekong, I highly recommend taking it the way you describe, from Vientiane to Luang prabang. 95% of all passengers do it the other way because it's a little faster going downstream, but it's not worth the small time savings. There are far better river trips in Laos. The upper Nam Ou is spectacular and the boats aren't just for tourists.