Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ENTERING LAOS
By bus
Buses (15 baht) shuttle passengers across the bridge, leaving every 15-20min. The
buses start beyond Thai immigration control at the base of the bridge. You will need to clear
Thai customs before boarding the bus and continuing on to Lao immigration on the opposite
side of the river, where a thirty-day visa on arrival is available. An “overtime fee” of $1 may
be charged if you cross at the weekend or after 4.30pm. Vehicles may cross the bridge for a
fee, but you should have the registration papers with you. On both sides of the bridge you'll
find exchange booths and ATMs.
By train
It's possible to cross into Laos using the local train that connects Nong Khai in
Thailand with Tha Naleng Station, 20km east of downtown Vientiane. Talks of extending the
track to allow trains to travel into the city itself have come to nothing, so you'll need to take
a tuk-tuk into town; you could join up with other travellers to keep the price low.
Visas
Visas on arrival are available at immigration booths on the Lao side. Tuk-tuk drivers on
the Lao side seem to charge over the odds, asking for around 100,000K for the run into town.
Much cheaper are the public buses (6000K per person), which stop nearby. Just walk past the
tuk-tuk drivers and head towards the food stalls on the right-hand side. The #14 bus departs
from here when full, taking around thirty minutes to reach Talat Sao bus station, close to the
centre of town.
LEAVING LAOS
Bybus
Bus #14 departs for the Friendship Bridge every 15min from the Talat Sao bus station
(6000K). At the bridge, you'll need to pick up a RFID card from the “PayPass” booth (free
for pedestrians) before getting stamped out of the country. Use the card to get through the
barrier on the other side, and then pay for the shuttle bus to the Thai side (4000K), where
visas on arrival are available.
Direct buses from Vientiane to the Thai cities of Nong Khai (6 daily) and Udon Thani (8
daily) are mostly used by Lao and Vientiane-based expats, but they are also a convenient way
to get over the Friendship Bridge without having to change vehicles. Buses leave daily for
both destinations (roughly every 2hr between 7.30am and 6pm) from Talat Sao bus station.
From Nong Khai, overnight buses and trains to Bangkok leave between 6pm and 8pm.
By taxi and tuk-tuk
If you're in a hurry, a simpler (and more expensive) alternative to the
bus is to charter a tuk-tuk ($10) or taxi (140,000K).
By train
Overnight trains to Bangkok leave at 6.20pm from Nong Khai, Thailand. The most
convenient option is to take the daily 5pm train directly to Nong Khai from Tha Naleng
(20-30 baht), near the Friendship Bridge, though it's recommended that you buy your ticket
in advance (most guesthouses can help). Another option is to take the bus to the Friendship
