So you want to travel from Vientiane to Udon Thani or Bangkok? You can do it easily and get a bus from one of the travel agents. To Udon Thani they asked 60.000 Kip in March 2015. No clue why that is so expensive. At the bus station in Vientiane, a ticket to Udon Thani is 22.000 Kip and you have the choice of 8 different departure times.
In Udon Thani you can choose from a big variety of buses to Bangkok. I had a VIP 1 + 2 for 583 Bath from Udon Thani to Morchit bus station. 1 + 2 means you have one seat on one side of the bus and two on the other. Thus resulting in wider seats and yes they were massage seats as well. There are 24 Seat VIP buses so you have a lot of legroom and there are some with more seats. The more seats the less space!
The Tuk Tuk drivers wanted 30.000 Kip to haul me to the bus station. After I was laughing he dropped the price to 20.000 Kip. Sound still a lot for 1.3 km! Still had plenty of time so I walked. After 15 minutes – not including a Baguette and fruit shake stop I arrived at the bus station and got my ticket.
Vientiane Bus Station
When you enter the Vientiane bus station you see the ticket counter on the left. And on the right of the picture, you see the bus that will take you to Udon Thani.
It is the right window where you get your ticket.
The Border Bus
At the Border Laos – Thailand
When the bus arrives at the border you have to take all your luggage and proceed to immigration. In case it is a weekend or you are on the first or last bus – get the ticket for custom. Check out of Laos. Get back on the bus. The bus drives you to the Thai immigration where you get out with your luggage again. Then you pass immigration and get back on the bus. The next stop is the bus station in Udon Thani. The trip took 3 hours but it could be longer – depending on traffic or how many people are queuing in front of the counters at the border.
From Udon Thani to Bangkok
Check at the green box below. Sometimes you get a flight for the same money as the train ticket! But that would be only a carry on bag and not your big bag. Usually, the bus is a bit cheaper but not too much.
My mother got me an Eurorail ticket when I was 15, and together with two friends, we adventured into France. This was the beginning of a new addiction. I do like to take pictures, so one thing leads to another. On this site, I want to share some of my pictures and some of my trips with you! Now I am on the road for more than 8 months every year. Visiting old friends and making new friends while exploring this big blue ball.
