The capital of Laos, Vientiane, is a pretty city where Buddhist temples mingle with French colonial architecture. Vientiane isn’t as bustling as other cities in Southeast Asia, but it has a calm atmosphere and offers a more spacious and bright feel, so it’s well worth a visit. After admiring the capital of Laos, head north to the city of Vang Vieng to see the country side of this country with such spectacular scenery. Situated on the Nam Song River, Vang Vieng is known for its caves, limestone mountains and lagoons, as well as historic temples. Although it is known as a backpackers destination, Vang Vieng has plenty of accommodations and good restaurants to enjoy a very pleasant stay. Read on to see what the options are for getting from Laos to Vang Vieng.
Travel options from Vientiane to Vang Vieng
Vang Vieng lies almost directly north of Vientiane. There are only 110 kilometers (68 miles) between the two cities as the crow flies. However, since it is impossible to travel in a straight line, we must take into account the bends on the road from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, which gives a total trip of 160 kilometers. Also note that there are no major highways connecting these cities. In some places, the roads can be quite narrow and bumpy, and because they go through the mountains, vehicles travel at a slower speed. From Vientiane, Vang Vieng can only be reached by road, as Vang Vieng is a small city without an airport. Therefore, the options are limited to traveling by bus or van.
Vientiane to Vang Vieng by bus
You will surely find several bus companies that offer a route from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, but the truth is that not all of them are active at the moment. To have up-to-date and reliable information, we recommend purchasing tickets via 12Go.asia. This page shows the options of all available bus companies. Also, when you book with 12Go, you can rest assured that if there is a problem they will deal with it and try to offer an alternative.
For now, 12Go is selling bus tickets from Vientiane to Vang Vieng with Soutchai Travel. This company offers two daily departures, one at 9:30 AM and the other at 1:30 PM. The planned journey time is 5 hours, although the bus can cover the route in 4 hours. However, it’s good to have 5 hours of travel in case something unforeseen happens. The buses are air conditioned but otherwise pretty basic.
From Vientiane to Vang Vieng by van
Vans in Kasi district, near Vang Vieng. © Yangxiong / Shutterstock.com
Another option to travel from Vientiane to Vang Vieng is by van. While some travelers prefer to travel in smaller vehicles, the truth is that a van does not offer many advantages over a bus. This is usually a slightly more expensive option than the bus, so it won’t save you money. In addition, some passengers complain that vans have little space for legs and luggage.
If you are still interested in this option, the advantage of going by van from Vientiane to Vang Vieng is that if you are traveling in a group you can have a good experience as you will have the van almost privately and you can feel more comfortable. Like buses, vans are also equipped with air conditioning.
You can book a van from Vientiane to Vang Vieng with 12Go using PTS Transit Service. They offer one departure per day and depart from Vientiane’s Thanaleng Train Station at 8:30 AM. Our scheduled arrival time is 14:00, so the journey takes 5.5 hours, which means the van is slower than the bus.
To plan your van or bus journey from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, book your tickets in advance with 12Go so you don’t have to worry about buying them on the way.