Laos - Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Northern Thailand - page 722

8am-4pm) Can arrange air

SK Travel & Tour ( 041-300177, 041-300176; Th Chaimeuang;

tickets.

Tourist Police ( 041-260173)

GETTING TO VIETNAM: SAVANNAKHET TO DONG HA

Getting to the border Buses for the Dansavanh/Lao Bao border (open 8am to 5pm) leave from Sa-
vannakhet (60,000K, five to seven hours) at 7am, 8.30am and 11am, and stop en route at Sepon
(50,000K).
At the border It's a 1km walk between the two border posts (hop on a motorbike taxi on the Viet-
namese side for 10,000d). Formalities don't take long given that all Vietnamese visas must be issued
prior to arrival. There is simple accommodation on both sides of the border.
Moving on A daily 8am bus runs from Savannakhet to Dong Ha (80,000K, about eight hours,
329km), while a daily local bus runs from Savannakhet to Hue (90,000K, 13 hours, 409km); a VIP
bus (110,000K, 8 hours, 409km) also runs from Savannakhet to Hue from Monday to Friday at
10.30am. A bus to Danang (110,000K) leaves Tuesday, Thurday and Saturday at 10pm, continuing to
Hanoi (200,000K, 24 hours, 650km). No matter what you hear, you will have to change buses at the
border.
For more information about crossing this border in the other direction, Click here .

Getting There & Away

Savannakhet's airport fields daily flights to and from Vientiane (US$128), Pakse (US$75)
and Bangkok (US$155). Buy tickets at the Lao Airlines ( 041 212 140; Savannakhet Airport;
6.30am-4.30pm) office.
Savannakhet's bus terminal is 2km north of town on Th Makkasavan. Buses leave for
Vientiane (75,000K, nine hours, 470km) hourly from 6am to 11.30am. Thereafter you'll
have to catch buses headed to Pakse that pass through Tha Khaek (30,000K, 2½ to four
hours, 125km) until 10pm. A sleeper VIP bus to Vientiane (120,000K, six to seven hours)
leaves Tha Khaek at 9.30pm.
Heading south, at least 10 buses start here or pass through from Vientiane for Pakse
(45,000K, five to six hours, 230km) and a daily bus to Don Khong (80,000K, six to eight
hours) at 7pm.
Buses for Dansavanh (60,000K, five to seven hours) on the Lao/Vietnamese border
leave at 7am, 8.30am and 11am, stopping at Sepon (50,000K, four to six hours). A daily
local bus heads to Hue (90,000K), while a VIP bus (110,00K) runs Monday to Friday at