Excursions from pattaya thailand to laos. Getting a visa to Laos is cheap: we extend your Thai visa. How was the night on the bus?

How to get a Thai visa in Laos. How to go to Laos for a visa from Pattaya.
Many Russians who decide to extend their stay in Thailand face a similar question. In fact, everything is very simple and there are no difficulties, except for a 10-12 hour bus ride.

To obtain a regular tourist visa, no documents other than a passport are required. Currently, double tourist visas are not issued. You can only get a single-entry visa, which gives you the right to stay in Thailand for 2 months. After their expiration, you can extend your stay in the Kingdom for another month at the Immigration Police office. This procedure costs 1900 Baht.
To obtain other types of visas, you must collect the appropriate package of documents.
So how to travel to Laos?
Now there are many companies in Thailand that provide a full range of services for traveling to Laos and obtaining a tourist visa. You will be picked up directly from your place of residence and brought back in a comfortable minibus.
But you can go to Laos on your own without overpaying for the company’s services.
Buses towards the border with Laos depart from the bus stop, which is located on the territory of the Gas Station, located a little further than the intersection of Central Street and Sukhumvit in the direction of travel to the north. Right in front of the Mosque. It is advisable for you to purchase a ticket in advance to Nong Khai Station. It's better to take VIP. It goes faster, the seats are more comfortable and they provide dinner. Men can buy tickets for themselves on the second floor of the bus above the driver. There you can stretch your legs and have a good view. The numbers of these places are C1 and D1. Bus route number 407. Departure time 20-00 daily. The cost of VIP bus tickets ranges from 580-620 Baht. The price changes in direct proportion to changes in fuel prices. Usually, before departure, there are 2 buses with number 407 at the station. You will need to show your ticket to the driver and clarify which bus you are taking.
The bus arrives at Nong Khai Station around 6 am.
As soon as the bus parks, taxi drivers will run up to it and offer to take you to the Thai border. Usually their services cost 100 Baht per person, but you can bargain if there are a lot of people.
Cross the Thai border. At the exit, taxi drivers will run up to you again and offer to take you to the border with Laos. But here you can also buy a ticket for a regular bus that will take you straight to the Laotian border. The ticket costs 20 baht.
So you arrive at the Laotian border. Russians do not need a visa to Laos, so go straight to the counter. You will first need to fill out the Lao Air Vel Card. After the border guard has checked your passport, proceed further. Here, in the glass booth on the right, you will need to buy an electronic key for 5 Baht to pass through the turnstile. After you have entered the territory of Laos, you will be offered a taxi directly to the Thai consulate. Usually the price is from 100 Baht per person.
And now you are already near the Thai consulate in Laos.
To apply for a single-entry tourist visa, you will need to fill out an application form, paste 2 3x4 photographs on it (the size of the photo is not very critical) and make a photocopy of your passport. You can do this yourself or contact the Helpers, who will prepare everything for you for 100 Baht per person. The application form can be taken from the table near the consulate employees, where you will submit documents. Photocopies are made at the side entrance to the building on the left.
Along the way, while the help is filling out the form, he will offer his paid services for expediting or delivering your passport directly to your room. Sometimes they tell all sorts of horror stories about refusals of tourist visas. If you do not have several tourist visas in a row and you have already left the territory of Thailand, then there is nothing to fear and you can refuse culturally. The cost of a single-entry tourist visa is 1000 Baht.
After the package of documents is ready, you hand it over to the consulate employees right on the street on the territory of the consulate. It's hard to make a mistake; there are usually crowds of people there. Options for submitting documents sometimes change, but recently documents are accepted by consulate workers sitting here at the tables. They take your documents, and in return they will give you a number to receive a passport and a card from the consulate. Usually documents are issued the next day from 13-30.
Very important! Before traveling for a visa, be sure to make sure that there are no Thai calendar holidays or weekends! The consulate is closed these days.
There are several guesthouses and hotels in the immediate vicinity of the consulate. Price ranges from 500-800 baht per room.
The next day at 13-30 the issuance of passports with visas begins.
The display will display the serial numbers of the recipients and the window number for receipt. The number will be dubbed by voice in English.
You have received your passport with visa! The way back to Nong Khai is in reverse order. At the Laotian border, before going through customs, you buy an electronic key to pass through the turnstile for 50 Baht. It used to be free. True, they say that it depends on the time of crossing the border. Go through customs and go to the border with Thailand. At the Thai border, fill out the Thai air card and indicate your visa number on it.
Arrive in Nong Khai. At the office where tickets to Pattaya are sold you will see a large sign with the number 407. It is located not far from the bus waiting and parking area. When buying a ticket, it’s better to ask for “Express” and VIP seats! The express bus is faster and arrives in Pattaya at about 5 am. A regular bus takes 2-3 hours longer. On the way to Pattaya on the bus you will be asked where in Pattaya it is most convenient for you to stop. In Pattaya, the bus stops in Sukhumvit in the North, in the Central Pattaya and South Pattaya, Theprasit areas.
There is another, cheaper option to get to the capital of Laos, Vientiane, and then to the consulate. An international bus goes directly from the Nong Khai bus stop to the capital of Laos, Vientiane. Bus number 99. This bus will take you across all borders directly to the Vientiane bus station. Ticket price 60 Baht. According to the schedule, the first bus leaves at 7:30, but as a rule, it is delayed by 30 minutes. From the Vientiane bus station you can walk to the consulate. The journey will take 15-20 minutes. You can get to the consulate by Tuk-Tuk. Usually the price is 50 Baht per person.
Back in the same order.
Tickets for bus 99 to Nong Khai are sold directly at the station. Ticket price is 15,000 Laotian Kip or 60 Baht.
If you are smart, you can try not to buy cards to pass through the turnstile. In both directions there will be open gates through which the Groups pass. You will simply need to go through these gates and go around the turnstile. If, suddenly, it doesn’t work out, you can plead ignorance and go buy a card.
We sincerely wish you a good trip!

This morning I returned to Pattaya from Laos, where I received a double-entry tourist visa to Thailand, and in this post I want to talk in detail about the cost of my trip, how to get to the Thai consulate in Vientiane, where it is better to stay there, as well as the new procedure visa processing.

To begin with, I will say that the entire trip without meals, but with a visa fee (2000 baht for a double-entry tourist visa) cost me 3850 baht. If you take into account lunches, then 4150 baht (I will describe it in more detail below). In general, of course, there are savings compared to the services of travel agencies, but not significant, about 1,500 baht. But if you travel with a group, or at least two of you, you can save much more.

I did not change money on this trip, since Thai baht is accepted everywhere, the main thing is that the bills are of small denomination (20, 50 or 100), otherwise change may be given in local currency.

New procedure for obtaining a Thai visa in Laos

The first thing worth mentioning is that the entire visa procedure has changed slightly. Documents are accepted as before from 8:30 to 11:30 and issued the next day from 13:30 to 15:30 (Monday to Friday). But the process itself now looks like this:

Day 1. Submission of documents

• Come to the consulate in the morning with your passport and a copy of the passport (you can do it there for 10 baht);
• Take a visa form and stand in line (you will need to paste two 3*4 photographs onto the form);
• While you are sitting in line, you need to fill out a form. Everything is very simple there. The only three fields that often raise questions are “Please Indicate Type of Visa Requested” (you need to cancel the Tourist circle), “Duration of Proposed Stay” (write 60, regardless of visa type) and “Number of Entries Requested” (1 - for a single entry visa and 2 - for a double entry). And you also need to fill out the “Address in Thailand” field - the application will not be accepted without indicating your residential address in Thailand.
• When it’s your turn, you hand over your documents (passport, copy of passport and application form) to the girl sitting at the table. She quickly checks everything and gives you this piece of paper with your queue number for the next day.

That's it, the first day of applying for a visa is over. You no longer need to stand in any other queues and pay for a visa in the next building too.

Day 2. Obtaining a visa

The next day, come to the consulate by 13:30. At this time, the electronic display will start working, which will display the numbers for issuing documents (the number that was given to you on the first day). When it’s your turn, go to the window, pay the consular fee and pick up your documents. Everything happens very quickly. For example, I was 88th in line, and picked up my passport 25 minutes after the consulate started working.

That's all. The entire process of obtaining a Thai tourist visa in Laos is very simple and does not take much time.

How to get from Pattaya to Laos

Well, now about how to get from Pattaya to the Thai consulate in the city of Vientiane (Laos).

• A couple of days before departure, you need to purchase a bus ticket to the city of Nong Khai (a border town with Laos). This needs to be done at the 407 trucking company, whose branch is located at a gas station on the Sukhumvit highway. If you drive north from Jomtien, this will be the first gas station after turning onto Central Street (Pattaya Klang), literally 50 meters after the turn. The exact stop location is marked on the map:

Ticket price is 490 baht. Bus departure is daily at 20:00. Arrival in Nong Khai - 6 am.

• Next, upon arrival in Nong Khai, take a tuk-tuk to the border with Laos. The cost is 100 baht per vehicle (the more people driving, the cheaper the trip for you).
• At the border, fill out an Arrival card (you need to ask at the border guard's window), go through passport control (to leave Thailand), then through the turnstile (the cost of the passage is 50 baht - the card must be purchased at a special ticket office) and at the exit buy a bus ticket for 20 baht , who will take you across the bridge to the Laotian border guards.
• Then again passport control (this time to enter Laos).
• At the exit of the building, on the right side, there will be a bus station. The bus fare to Vientiane is 40 baht. The bus will reach the final point, from where you will need to take a tuk-tuk to the Thai consulate (another 40 baht). Or you can directly take a taxi from the border to the consulate (200 baht).
• The ride back to Pattaya is the same. The main thing to remember is that at the bus station in Nong Khai you need the transport company “407”, it is easy to spot by the large sign. Buses to Pattaya depart every hour at 15:30, 16:30, 17:30...

Where to stay in Vientiane?

There are quite a lot of housing options in the capital of Laos, but there are very few cheap ones and even close to the Thai consulate. I can recommend one great option for 420 baht with breakfast included, and just a 10-minute walk from your destination. The hotel is called

The bus was no longer scary. And then the glasses began to die. And in Thailand it turns out that making new ones is not much cheaper than in Moscow. I decided to look at prices in Laos.

Bus Pattaya - Nong Khai

It is impossible to get directly from Thailand to Laos. First we need to get to the border. And on the Thai side, opposite the capital of Laos, Vientiane, is the city of Nong Khai.

Buses depart from the bus station located near the intersection of Central Street and Sukhumvit, a little before reaching the mosque.

To be honest, I didn’t really understand the schedule. Most people take the bus at 20.00, and I bought a ticket for it.

There are only 6 good, large, almost horizontally folding seats. On the first floor of the bus. As usual, I didn’t get this. 🙂

It never ceases to amuse me that the ticket was purchased in 2013, and the bus leaves at 2556. :)

And I got the very first place on the 2nd floor.

In my opinion, this is not a very good place, because there is no table, unlike all the others, and you can’t even stretch your legs under the seat in front. But you still can’t really see anything at night.

Nong Khai

We left Pattaya at 20.00 on Friday and arrived in Nong Khai at 08.00 on Saturday. Immediately at the bus station I bought a ticket back for 17.30. Again, there are buses on the schedule earlier and later, but only this one is VIP. I don’t know how the others differ, I didn’t check. 🙂

At 08.10 I approached the counter of the international bus, which travels across the Friendship Bridge to Vientiane. But the bus left at 7.30, and the next one was scheduled only at 9.30.

I decided to walk around the neighborhood. And in the end I decided to walk to the border altogether. This was my mistake. I read various reports before going. And it got into my head that I could walk there in 15 minutes.

After 20 minutes of walking at a rather brisk pace, checking the map, I remembered that it was a 15-minute walk from the train station, and not at all from the bus station. This is where I would turn around and go back, but... “he’s a Siberian, they’re persistent.”

I walked along the Mekong and the main bummer awaited me when I finally reached the Bridge of Friendship... I found myself under the bridge... And even found the entrance to it. And they were even ready to let me in there. But coming to Laos without an exit stamp from Thailand would be a rash decision.

We had to walk another kilometer back into the interior of Thailand, in search of a checkpoint. 🙂

Bridge of Friendship

Whether it was long or short, at 9.20 I finally found the checkpoint and left Thailand. Immediately, for 20 baht, I bought a bus ticket across the bridge and in about 7 minutes I was at the Laotian side.

There they tried to take some money from me for the arrival-departure card (Arrival - Depature), but I filled it out, put it in my passport, and made a face like a brick and went to the window with the border guard.

But after receiving a free stamp for 15 days of stay in Laos, there were still windows - an entry fee (Entrance Fee). I didn’t want to pay anything here either, but a little further away two more border guards sat and asked to show my passport. Not finding a receipt for payment there, they sent me back.

9,000 kip or 40 baht. I had to pay.

Immediately after leaving, tuk-tukers begin to pester you.

The auction started at 200 baht. To which I immediately asked again - 20?
- No, 200.
“I just laughed and moved on.”
- OK OK. 150. There’s a farang sitting right here, ask him, he’ll go for 150.

Loch really was going to go for 150. :)

- Still, it’s not necessary. - I said.
- Okay, okay, 100.
- No.
- Well, how much will you pay?
— 40.
- Nooooo.
- Well, then take one sucker.
- Ok, 40, just sit in front, otherwise you’ll scare away the other suckers. 🙂

But I didn’t really intend to move the tuk-tuk and I decided to see what else was nearby.

And there was a bus nearby.

6,000 kip. I had no intention of changing money for one day. It was easier to overpay a little everywhere, but pay in baht. The driver was unable to voice the price in baht and ran to look for a piece of paper to write it down.

And on the bus I saw another white man (French) and asked if he knew how much the fare cost.

The strange fellow once answered me in Hebrew:
- Do you think I speak English?
— Yes, in general, almost all white people in Asia speak English. Well, except for the Russians, of course. - I said.
- Well, yes, but they don’t talk here.
- So you don’t know how long you’re going to go?
- No, I do not know.

Holy shit. Where do these deer come from? One decided to go for 150 baht, the other was ready to pay whatever they said on the spot...

And then the driver found a piece of paper and wrote - 30 baht, departure at 10.05. And it was just about 10. At the same time, the exchange rate became more or less clear: about 200 kip for 1 baht. In more honest places up to 250.

The road to Vientiane is very decent. But there are 30 km/h speed limit signs everywhere. And just like in Cambodia, when approaching a motorcyclist from behind and about to overtake him, the bus beeps. They don't know how to use rear view mirrors.

And there are also a lot of “Attention Traffic Light” signs:

Of course, we also have it in our traffic rules. But I’ve never seen anything like this on the roads in Russia.

Vientiane

We arrived at the bus station. Again, I immediately bought a bus ticket to Nong Khai for 70 baht, and went to see the sights and look for optics.

Entrance to the top costs, I think, 3000 kip. But if you look around, you can find a way out and enter through it for free. 🙂

Inside, everything is, of course, very shabby, there are calls not to draw on the walls, and shopping arcades, instead of a museum, which would really belong here.

But from above there are truly stunning views - the city is low-rise:

Wat Si Saket and Wat Phra Keo

Located across the road. Each one costs 5,000 kip to enter. From my point of view they are of no interest. Therefore, I paid for the entrance to Wat Si Saket, but there was a queue at the ticket office to enter Wat Phra Keo and I just passed by...

Mekong

Even here Laos was not lucky. The Mekong from his side looked like this:

Somewhere in the distance you can see water.

But there is a statue of an important leader:

Something like Lenin, only with a sword. And you need to hold your hand higher. 🙂

The historical center of Vientiane.

Talat Market Sao

Absolutely nothing interesting. One gold, jewelry, watch. Quality and authenticity unknown.

I understand that it is Chinese New Year. We need to send our deceased ancestors money, gold, and generally more goodies of all sorts. But after seeing the fire on the 2nd floor of the shopping center, I have no questions left for the citizens of the Lao People's Democratic Republic. 🙂

Although in fact the feeling of visiting Vientiane is completely different than visiting Thailand or Cambodia. Yes, the city is much poorer than the Thai ones. But this is not the screaming Cambodian poverty with dusty roads and children begging for money on every corner.

Everything looks sparse, but well-groomed and beautiful.

These are the kind of buildings that I really like. Only instead of windows there are shutters, there is no glass behind them...

Or the “majestic” bank building:

But in terms of cleanliness, the streets are quite ready to compete with the Thai ones, or even beat them. And there are much fewer mopeds, and more bicycles.

I came across outdoor exercise machines, although they are used more as a children's playground. On the other hand, who will study at one o'clock in the afternoon?

There are also often signs of attractions, and maps of the city in general.

Yes, in 3 hours in Vientiane I didn’t see a single optician. Either everyone here already has good eyesight, or it’s too expensive.

International Bus

Of course, I didn’t have time to see everything, but I had to be on the bus at 2:30 p.m.

The bus itself is funny, with free internet:

True, this WiFi is only available at bus stops, and even there it doesn’t really work.

He took us to the Laotian border, dropped everyone off, and crossed the border. We reached the Thai border. Everyone also had to pick up their luggage in order to go through customs. There were about 15 people on the bus, we waited about twenty minutes for two Japanese women. But in total we got there in 1.5 hours.

Reached the Mekong from Thailand.

Someone is fishing, someone is sailing on a boat along the river.

And Buddha is watching all this. 🙂

Bus Nong Khai - Pattaya

No surprises here. We left at 5:30 p.m. and were in Pattaya before 6 a.m. On the way we stopped to eat. Coupon with regular ticket for 15 baht. Boiled chicken with rice - 30. 🙂

By expenses: 551 (there ticket) + 551 (return ticket) + 20 (bus across the Friendship Bridge) + 40 (entry fee to Laos) + 30 (bus to Vientiane) + 200 (a couple of meals) + 70 (bus Vientiane - Nong Khai).

Total less than 1,500 baht for everything. Since you don’t have to pay for a visa, it’s even cheaper than going to Cambodia. But physically it’s hard. Two nights in a row on a bus, without a shower and a proper bed is not worth it. 🙂

And also about how to get back from Laos to Thailand :) and a little about the peculiarities of crossing the Thailand-Laos and Laos-Thailand borders.

Border crossings Thailand - Laos

In the northern part of Thailand and Laos, the main border crossings are:

1. Chiang Khong - Huai Xai. It is convenient to use it if your next route lies in Luang Prabang.
2. Nong Khai - Vientiane. It is convenient to use if your main goal is a visa to Laos, i.e. obtaining a Thai visa in Vientiane or visiting Vang Vieng.
3. Transfer to Huay Con (Nan Province) – Muang Nguyen. This border crossing between Thailand and Laos is not yet very popular among tourists, but it is quite convenient for those who cannot spend 3 days and 2 nights traveling between Chiang Mai and Luang Prabang, but want to sail a boat along the Mekong. From Huai Kon to the village of Pak Beng, where boats from Huai Xai to Luang Prabang stop overnight during the two-day route, it is only about a 2-hour drive.

There are other border crossings between Thailand and Laos, but tourists mainly use the first two. If your goal is only a visa, then use the second border crossing, but if your goal is travel and vacation in Laos, then the route can start either from Huay Xai (or immediately from Luang Prabang) and move south, or from Vientiane and move north. By the way, for some reason all travel by bus from south to north is cheaper.

How to get to Laos from Chiang Mai

How to get to Huai Xai from Chiang Mai

Chiang Mai – Chiang Khon – Huai Xai

1. Take a direct Green Bus to the border town of Chiang Khon. Buses depart from Arcade Bus Terminal, it is better to buy bus tickets in advance - when we were traveling, there were no empty seats on the bus!

Three flights per day: 8:00, 9:30 and 14:30. The drive takes about 5.5 hours.

The cost of VIP class tickets (huge comfortable seats) is 406 baht, regular tickets are 266 baht. Comfortable bus with toilet. Cookies and water are provided along the way.

Queue for Green Bus tickets. It is advisable to buy tickets in advance
Our bus Chiang Mai - Chiang Khong
You don’t mind paying extra for VIP class! Very comfortable seats on the bus and a delicious snack :)

2. The bus stops 3 km from the border, where you need to change to a tuk-tuk. The cost of travel in a tuk-tuk is 50 baht per person, the price is fixed, there is no use in haggling.

A tuk-tuk to the border costs 50 baht per person, the ride is only 3 km

3. After passing the border on the Laotian side, a tuk-tuk will also be waiting for you and will take you to the center of Huai Xai for 100 baht or 25,000 kip.

Chiang Mai – Chiang Rai – Chiang Khon – Huai Xai

1. Bus tickets Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai (Green Bus) 165 baht. The bus runs frequently.

2. From Chiang Rai to Chiang Khong, buses depart every hour from 6 am to 5 pm from both the old bus station in the city center and the new bus station on the outskirts of the city. The fare is 65 baht. Despite the fact that Thailand usually has good, comfortable buses, for some reason an old bus without air conditioning runs on this route! Travel time is 2-2.5 hours.

How to get to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai

By plane

You can easily and quickly get to Chiang Mai by plane. The cost of the flight is not low - from 150 dollars. But if you calculate the money and time costs of traveling by land and water and compare it with the cost of a plane ticket, then on vacation or if you don’t have time, you can use this option. To be honest, I was wondering whether we could fly to Luang Prabang from Chiang Mai by plane, but I’m glad that I chose the boat route along the Mekong. Still, such a trip left an indelible impression :)

On the ground

Get to Huay Xai using the methods described above, and then take the Huay Xai – Luang Prabang bus. Two flights a day: at 12:00 and at 16:00. Ticket price 120,000 – 130,000 kip (~$15). Travel time from 12 hours.

I must say that I did not consider this option to get to Luang Prabang - I had read horror stories about the terrible road, drunk bus drivers and accidents on the roads.

By land and water (option 1)

Get to Huay Xai, and then buy a boat ticket on the Mekong

• The slow boat travels for two days, stopping overnight at Pakbeng. Cost Huai Xai - Luang Prabang - 220,000 kip
• A fast boat goes - floats - rushes through the water for only 6 hours (but what 6 hours! They say that it’s even more extreme!) - cost 320,000 kip

By land and water (option 2)

Use the border crossing Huay Con - Muang Nguyen. I don’t know exactly how to get to this border by public transport, but I know that Green Bus has buses to the city of Nan.

Also in Chiang Mai you can buy a tour along the route Chiang Mai - Huay Kon - Muang Nguyen (overnight) - Pak Beng - boat to Luang Prabang. This journey takes 2 days and one night and costs approximately 1,700 baht per person including all travel and one overnight stay.

Now a bridge is being completed near the village of Pakbeng and perhaps some regular buses will be launched soon.

A bridge is being completed near the village of Pakbeng in Laos, which means transport will soon be allowed in and tourism will begin to develop even faster

How to get to Vientiane from Chiang Mai

By bus via Udon Thani

1. From Chiang Mai, get to the city of Udon Thani, which is located 50 km from the Thailand-Laos border. Several bus companies operate in Udon Thani; tickets can be purchased at the Arcade Bus Terminal. Some buses stop in Udon Thani near the Central Plaza in the city center, some at the bus station on the outskirts of the city.

The cost of a bus ticket Chiang Mai - Udon Thani is 650 baht first class, 840 baht - VIP class. Travel time is about 12 hours.

2. Get to the border. If you come to the Central Plaza in Udon Thani, then from there minibuses go to the border for 50 baht per person. The drive is about an hour.

You can also walk a few meters and at the central bus station buy a ticket for an international bus to, the cost of a ticket for the Udon Thani - Vientiane bus is 80 baht. Travel time is 2 – 2.5 hours. BUT:

• The first bus leaves quite late, around 8:30 - 9:00 in the morning, and if your goal is to apply for a Thai visa at the consulate on the same day, then you may not be on time or you may be on time. About our experience of obtaining a Thai visa in Laos.
• Despite the fact that Russians do not need a visa to Laos for up to 15 days, they do not always sell tickets for the international bus Udon Thani - Vientiane without a visa in the passport. But for us (Ukrainians and Belarusians) this option is not suitable - the bus will not wait until we get a visa to Laos at the border.

3. After crossing the border, you can get to Vientiane by tuk-tuk - 100,000 kip for the whole tuk-tuk or by bus No. 14 for only 6,000 kip or 30 baht. The bus will take you to Khua Din bus station.

If you are not in a hurry, then you can get to the city cheaply from the border on this bus. Just 30 baht or 6000 kip and about 40 minutes on the road and you are at the bus station in Vientiane

By bus via Nong Khai

From Chiang Mai you can take a bus directly to the border town of Nong Khai. Previously, there was only one bus on this route, but in December there were at least three :) Bus Chiang Mai - Nong Khai VIP class, with comfortable wide seats (2+1 in a row, not 2+2), warm blankets and delicious food . Ticket price 840 baht.

I advise you not to waste money and choose this particular bus - you can sleep quite comfortably in it at night.

I advise you to choose a VIP class bus with comfortable seats for overnight travel. And the food is good everywhere :)

The bus arrives at Nong Khai bus station, from where you can take a tuk-tuk to the border for 50 baht per person or a direct bus to Vientiane for 55 baht. Buses to Vientiane depart at 7:30, 9:30, 12:40, 14:30, 15:30 and 18:00.

You can also leave from Nong Khai bus station directly to Vang Vieng at 9:40 for 270 baht.

By plane

The low-cost airline Nok Air has a very convenient flight Chiang Mai - Udon Thani. If you buy tickets in advance, you can get tickets for only 800-900 baht per person and you don’t have to sit on the bus all night :)

From Udonani Airport you can get to the border by minibus for 200 baht per person. Travel time is about an hour.

How to get to Laos from Bangkok

From Bangkok to Luang Prabang

By plane

Duty free on the Laos – Thailand border

I really wanted to go to Duty Free before the New Year and buy alcoholic drinks. The Laotian Duty Free was a disappointment, perhaps everything was sold out before the holidays, or perhaps it’s always like that there, BUT: there was no Martini, no Martini Asti, I had to take Lambrusco (only red was available) for $15 - I didn’t like the drink for Christmas at all... We bought it again several bottles of beer with mangosteen flavor (!). Nothing so sweet :) We didn’t find any sweets or Belgian chocolate in Laotian Duty Free either.

By the way, this Duty Free is located in a very unusual way: not between countries on neutral territory, not after passport control, but before Laotian border! Those. if you live in Vientiane, you can safely go to Duty Free for drinks on bus number 14 :)

Laotian Duty Free is located before passport control

Features of the Thai-Laotian border

Thailand's border with Laos at Chiang Khong and Nong Khai follows the Mekong River. The bridge across the Mekong between Chiang Khong and Huai Xai was built quite recently; previously they were transported across the border in boats :)

Border Thailand - Laos (Chiang Khong - Huai Xai)

We took a tuk-tuk to the border from the highway for 50 baht per person and saw a new, almost empty building :) There is a free toilet (clean) and a currency exchange nearby. At passport control, the officer looked at my passport with 3 Thai visas for a very long time and asked questions about what I was doing in Thailand, but still let me go. Although he couldn’t not let me out...

Border crossing Thailand Laos

To get from Thailand to Laos you need to cross the Friendship Bridge by bus. The cost of a bus ticket depends on the time of day and day of the week.

• 20 baht from 8:30 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:30 and 25 baht from 6:00 to 8:30, from 12:00 to 13:00 and from 16:30 to 18:00 on weekdays days
• 25 baht on holidays and weekends

The border is open from 6:00 to 18:00.

We buy bus tickets to travel across the Mekong Bridge between Thailand and Laos
And here is the bus itself, on which we have to travel literally 5 minutes

We take the bus across the bridge over the Mekong, get out, and now we are almost in Laos :) We approach the Visa on Arrival window, where you need to pick up a form to fill out and a migration card.

Visa to Laos for Russians up to 15 days need not. If you have a Russian passport and want to stay in Laos for up to 15 days, then fill out only the migration card and immediately go to passport control. If you want to stay in Laos for a longer period, you need to fill out an application and get a visa for 30 days.

Visa to Laos for Ukrainians and Belarusians needed, issued right at the border.

Documents for a visa to Laos:

• Passport
• Completed form
• One photo
• 30 dollars (if you don’t have dollars, you can either buy them right there at the bank or pay in Thai baht, but not at a favorable rate)

A visa to Laos for 30 days can be obtained at the border without any problems

We filled out forms, handed over documents and literally 10 minutes later received passports with visas. Although I read that visa processing can take an hour or an hour and a half. We were in no hurry, but they gave us our passports quickly. The visa was immediately stamped with an entry stamp, so there was no need to go to passport control, but we went straight to Laos :) Everything was quick, clear and easy, but the process still took about an hour. On the Laotian side, currency exchange is at the normal rate. You can immediately withdraw money from the card.

If you do not need a visa, then you need to go straight to passport control. And with the received visa, go straight to the city
On the Laotian side there is a currency exchange with a normal rate and several ATMs

Border Laos - Thailand (Vientiane - Nong Khai)

There were many, many people on the Laos-Thailand border. After Duty Free, we went through passport control and stood in line to buy a card to exit Laos!

Since we crossed the border on a weekday and before 16:00, we received such a card for free, but for crossing the border on weekends or from 6:00 to 8:00 and from 16:00 to 22:00, foreigners are charged a fee 11,000 kip or 50 baht.

The Vientiane-Nong Khai border operates from 6:00 to 22:00.

To cross the border you need to get (and sometimes buy) a card like this and immediately throw it at the turnstile, like in the subway
Cost of crossing the Laos-Thailand border

We buy bus tickets over the Friendship Bridge across the Mekong (20 baht or 4,000 kip) and in a few minutes we are on the Thai side. And here there are even more people at passport control! This, of course, is not New Year’s Eve, but there are a lot of people.

Waiting for the bus from Laos to Thailand
The queue to enter Thailand is amazing in size
I wonder if there are always so many people here or is it a full house because of the New Year?

While we are standing in line, we fill out migration cards. The sun is very hot, hot, stuffy, there is nowhere to sit. We stood in line for over an hour. Fortunately, the border guards didn’t ask any questions, didn’t ask for tickets from Thailand, or 20,000 baht per person ($700), although we had supplies with us just for such a case, they simply stamped us and let us go home to Thailand. ! That's it, we're home :)

I hope this article helped you decide how to get to Laos from Thailand. If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments!

Laos has long been considered one of the most mysterious and mysterious countries of all three former French colonies of Indochina. There are many beautiful places to see and lots of photos to take.

If you go to excursion from Pattaya to Laos , you will learn a lot about this place. Your guide, who has a fairly high level of qualifications and many years of experience behind him, will tell you about dogmatic socialism and the internecine conflicts that brought the entire country to its knees in the late seventies. It is for this reason that almost ten percent of the total population left these places.

But after two decades, this country, which has absolutely no access to the sea and with a small population, has found peace, tranquility and prosperity. It has long stabilized its politics and economy, and also began to allow foreign tourists to enter its territory. And tourists love to visit here.

Sample excursion program

Laos has a fairly developed excursion program, there are many luxury hotels, the infrastructure is rich, and the service is simply excellent. It's really worth going here.

In this place you can see the traditional lifestyle of the whole of Southeast Asia, since there is a complete absence of foreign influence here.

This country is considered one of the most interesting in Asia. You will be able to see the beautiful Mekong River valley, beautiful cliffs and hills of Annamite. All tourists believe that this is one of the most interesting and picturesque countries in Asia.

Approximate two-day excursion program:

1. Departure from Bangkok airport to Laos.
2. Transfer to the hotel.
3. Dinner.
4. A short sightseeing tour of the city. You can visit the Great Stupa, the Black Stupa, see Patusai and so on.
5. Dinner at a restaurant with national cuisine.
6. The next day breakfast. 7) Departure to the Talatzao market.
7. Departure on the lake by boat to picturesque areas.
8. Lunch at the restaurant.
9. Visit to Buddha Park.
10. Transfer to the airport and departure.

During the excursion, you need to have with you a foreign passport, air tickets from Thailand to Russia (or to the country you came from), two 3x4 photographs, and an immigration card.

Do not forget that the organizer has the right to change the excursion program at his own discretion. But in any case, you will be satisfied.