luang prabang or vientiane to hanoi via bus

Hi ,hope i can help a little ,
1/ there are no problems at the border ,if you have a valid visa !!!!!! you must obtain one before you try to enter Vietnam . I obtained one in Vientiane , at the Vietnamese embassy .No problem ,it just cost $60 if i remember correctly .(it is not obtainable at the border)
2/ the bus from vientiane to Hanoi takes 24 plus ,but it is cheap !!
3 /There is a bus that departs from Phonsovan ( ? spelling ) to Vin in Vietnam ,and it only takes 12 hours ,give or take a few .
4/cannot help with 4 .
hope this helps . Have fun !!!!!!!!!

From Vientiane, take the cheapest one you can find. They ALL have problems, and you'll still go through the same ordeal as everybody else. You'll just have the minor satisfaction of having paid less for it.

I've never met anybody that did that route without hassle. For me, my "Air Conditioned VIP Bus" was actually a crammed minibus for the first 6 hours toward the border. Followed by several hours at a rest house, followed by a different, full sized, yet somehow worse bus to the border itself. Crazy multi-hour customs ordeal, followed by another half dozen hours on life threatening Vietnamise roads.

Talking to other people that have done the same trip, it seems that I had it easy. You'll definately come away with a good story. Enjoy!

Jason Kester
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<hr>are there any good meditation or massage classes in louang prabang?<hr></blockquote>
have you tried the Red Cross massage place? I thought they gave classes

Check this thread. He just used the bus a couple of days ago.
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<hr>are there any problems for europeans (german) at the border?<hr></blockquote>
No. Not with a valid passport and a visa.
<blockquote>Quote
<hr>i heard from an israel guy that was not let into vietnam.<hr></blockquote>
Met a few Israelis there.
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<hr>is it worth going to vientiane and take the bus from there? is this route better?<hr></blockquote>
I think the "direct" bus goes through Vientiane anyway. The easiest overland route to Vietnam is the one going through Savannakhet and on to Dong Ha/Hue. IMO the "direct" bus is a rip off. You will not get what you paid for.
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<hr>would you recommend even through i want to hanoi to enter vietnam further south?<hr></blockquote>
Yes. Either that or break the trip into more comfortable portions.
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You can get you visa in advance from Langpra Bang, Vangvieng or Vientiane.

The bus is $18usd and takes a long time.

It leaves from Vientiane.

Its an experiance to remember.

See post #9 in FAQ Vietnam linked at my sig (updated June 20), there is a list of VN - Laos border crossings. PM me if you need those reports.

Hey mate,

Get your Visa sorted first and youll have no problems.

Just got over to Vietnam from Phonsavan. Even if you take the 'Tourist Bus' from Vientiane your looking ataround 30hrs plus and will pay the westerner rates..... $US30+.

To break the journey up a bit, your best bet will be to go to Phonsavan for a night or two (cool place) and get the local bus direct to Vinh which is $11-12US, and has big seats at the back where you can stretch your legs out!!! This can be booked either at the bus station yourself, or any of the small tour companies in town.

From Vinh we caught the overnight train direct to Hanoi with the tickets starting at about 120,000Vdong (about $7US). Normally these tickets sell out long before the train leaves but the local kids buy them up and sell them outside for an extra dollar or two to all the late arrivers, but pay no more than 140,000Vdong for a soft seat ticket, you might be lucky and get a sleeper bed!!! The train took about 6-7 hours and is more comfy than any bus.... We managed the whole trip in about 20 hours, but its gotta be done!!!

Good luck!!!!!!