| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | ![]() |
Bus from Da Lat, Vietnam to LaosCountry forums / South-East Asia Mainland | ||
Hello! I am hoping to get a bus from Da Lat (my visa for Vietnam expires in a few days, very sadly) into Laos. Which border crossings in southern Laos are you able to obtain a visa? And what is the most direct bus route into Laos? Many thanks to any responses!! | ||
it would not be a direct bus, but multiple buses, to the closest Laos Border is Xayden Loas, which is Sekong Province, then a bus to Pakse...might want to just return to HCM and fly to BKK or somewhere cheap... Assuming a foreigner can cross at that border and get a Tourist Visa upon entry... | 1 | |
The closest border crossing is Lao Bao, which is pretty far north, only accessible from Hue or Danang. There are no border crossings for foreigners in southern Vietnam. Concievably if your Vietnam visa is about to expire, and you want to go by land, you might be better off retreating to HCMC, and crossing into Cambodia from there. Of course, then you will have to pay the Cambodia visa fee ($35US?), in addition to the Laos visa fee. | 2 | |
The closest international border check point from Da Lat between Vietnam and Laos is "Bo Y(VN)/Phou Keua(Laos) border". My recognition of international border check points between Vietnam and Laos we foreign travelers can cross and obtain Lao visa by VOA are as below(i crossed all .international border check points from both sides , especially many times ③④⑨) So the closest & most southern international Lao border check point from Da Lat is not ⑧Lao Bao/Densavanh border which <mstep> mentioned in #2 but ⑨Bo Y/Phou Keua border which <mrmoto> wrote incorrectly as "Xayden Lao border" in Laos) . PS) if OP don't mind=hesitate to go to Cambodia to avoid expiring your Vietnam visa while you are in Vietnam, taking a route "Da Lat→HCMC→Bavet Cambodian border(or Phnom Penh)" is better because it's easier and more certain to get buses--- both of "from Da Lat to HCMC" and "from HCMC to Bavet Cambodian border(or Phnom Penh)". | 3 | |
If you have the time to make this a nice side trip, the Bo Y/Phou Keua border---direct buses run between Pleiku/Kon Tum/Ngoc Hoi in VN and Attapeu/Pakse in Laos, this region is gorgoeus, lots of waterfalls and small ethnic villages as well, the all the main towns have been boom towns, Attapue, Sekong, Paksong are worth hanging out a night. Rent mopeds locally...Pakse is a major hub for transport, and the largest most metropolitan area in the south... | 4 | |
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