# Chiang Khong to Huay Xai: the 4th Friendship Bridge, Step by Step

> The 4th Friendship Bridge, step by step: the shuttle fare, Lao visa on arrival, and how to continue to Chiang Rai or the Luang Prabang slow boat.

**Source:** https://laosbustickets.com/chiang-khong-huay-xai-border/  
**Language:** en  
**Last verified:** 23 September 2026  
**Written by:** Laos Bus Tickets, Vientiane, Laos
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## Quick answer

Chiang Khong (Thailand) and Huay Xai (Laos, Bokeo Province) are linked by the 4th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, open 06:00-22:00. You cannot walk or cycle across: a mandatory shuttle bus covers the bridge itself in about five minutes, and travellers report paying roughly 20 baht during the day, more (25 to 40 baht) outside standard hours or at weekends. It is not sold online, buy it at the counter after Thai immigration. Lao visa on arrival costs about US$40 in cash, or roughly 1,500 to 1,800 baht; the Lao eVisa is also reliably accepted here, one of the few Laos land borders where that is true. From Huay Xai, book onward transport to Chiang Rai (about 1.5 hours) or Luang Prabang, either the roughly 8-hour road option or the two-day Mekong slow boat via Pakbeng.

## How do I actually cross at Chiang Khong and Huay Xai?
The **4th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge** links Chiang Khong and Huay Xai, open **06:00 to 22:00**. You cannot walk it: a shuttle bus covers the bridge itself in about five minutes, roughly **20 baht**, more outside standard hours. Lao visa on arrival is about **US$40**, and this is one of the few Laos land borders where the **Lao eVisa is also reliably accepted**.

## The crossing itself

**The 4th Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge, from the Lao Department of Immigration register.**

| Crossing | Connects | Hours | Lao visa on arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge; Also written Huay Xai–Chiang Khong Bridge | Huay Xai, Bokeo → Chiang Khong, Thailand | 06:00–22:00 | Yes |

Five steps, in order, drawn from traveller reports rather than the official notice board, which does not spell any of this out: clear Thai exit immigration in Chiang Khong; buy a shuttle ticket at the booth just past the counters (cash, small baht notes, no advance booking); ride the shuttle across, about five minutes; clear Lao entry immigration on the Huay Xai side, where visa on arrival is issued; then walk or tuk tuk out to Huay Xai's bus station or slow boat pier, both a short ride rather than a walk from the immigration building. The whole thing, excluding queues, rarely takes more than 30 to 45 minutes.

## The Lao visa here, specifically

This bridge is one of the more forgiving Laos entry points on visas. **Visa on arrival** costs about **US$40** for most nationalities, payable in cash, plus a passport photo and a US$1 surcharge outside office hours or at weekends. Pay in baht instead and expect roughly **1,500 to 1,800 baht**, since the counter sets its own exchange rate rather than the market one; carry clean, recent-series US notes if you can, since worn or old-series bills are commonly refused here and elsewhere in Laos. The **Lao eVisa is also reliably accepted** at this crossing according to the official register, one of only a handful of land borders where that is true rather than a source of dispute.

Coming the other way, into Thailand, the visa position depends on your nationality and, since **15 September 2026**, on whether you are arriving by land: the 30-day exemption for 60 nationalities now caps **land-border entries at twice per calendar year**. Full detail, including the Thailand Digital Arrival Card, is on [Laos to Thailand crossings](/laos-thailand-border-crossings/), which covers every Friendship Bridge, not just this one.

_A Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge at dusk. Not identified to a specific one of the five bridges._

## Onward from Huay Xai: Chiang Rai, about 1.5 hours

Checked live on 23 September 2026: **Huay Xai to Chiang Rai** runs 15 departures a day, van and bus, as late as 19:30, fastest journey about **1 hour 30 minutes** door to door, current operators K Buddy, LaoLuang Travel and Yortdoy Travel. This is the short final hop for anyone who has just taken the two-day Mekong slow boat down from Luang Prabang and is heading on into northern Thailand, and it is worth booking as its own leg rather than assuming the border shuttle covers it: the shuttle only crosses the bridge itself.

## Onward from Huay Xai: Luang Prabang, by road or by boat

Two genuinely different journeys share this starting point. The **road option**, about 8 hours by van or bus door to door on current online listings, is the fast way to arrive. The **Mekong slow boat**, a public riverboat with a compulsory overnight stop in Pakbeng, takes two full days and is the reason many travellers come to this crossing at all rather than flying past it. Neither is the "right" answer; they are different trips. The full comparison, fares, exact slow boat departure times and what actually goes wrong on the boat, is on [the Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang page](/chiang-mai-luang-prabang-bus/).

[Book Huay Xai to Chiang Rai](#r-huayxai-chiangrai)

## What Huay Xai itself is, and is not

Huay Xai is a border town, not a destination most people linger in. The slow boat pier sits roughly a kilometre outside the small centre, and the bus station is a separate short ride again, so budget a tuk tuk between whichever terminal you need and the immigration building rather than assuming you can walk it with luggage. Almost everyone who arrives here is either about to cross into Thailand or has just crossed in and is heading straight on to Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai or Luang Prabang; treat an overnight here as a practical stopover for an early departure, not a stop worth planning a full day around.

## More on this border

For every Laos-Thailand bridge, the 15 September 2026 visa change, and the Vientiane-Bangkok corridor, see [Laos to Thailand crossings](/laos-thailand-border-crossings/). For the full official checkpoint list, see [all Laos border checkpoints](/laos-border-checkpoints/), and for a nationality-by-nationality visa rundown, [the Laos visa guide](/laos-visa-guide/). For every other route we cover, start at [all bus routes from Laos](/routes/).

## Border crossings

| Crossing | Connects | Hours | Lao visa on arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | Huay Xai, Bokeo to Chiang Khong, Thailand | 06:00–22:00 | Yes |

## Routes

| Route | Border crossing | Duration | Bookable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chiang Khong to Huay Xai | 4th Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | about 5 minutes across the bridge itself | No, not sold online |
| Huay Xai to Chiang Rai | 4th Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | approx 3 hrs | Yes |

## Common questions

### Can I walk across Friendship Bridge 4?

No. Walking and cycling are banned on all five Thai-Lao Friendship Bridges. A shuttle bus covers the roughly 5-minute crossing between the two immigration buildings.

### How much is the shuttle bus, and where do I buy it?

Traveller reports from 2026 put it at around 20 baht during standard hours, rising to 25 to 40 baht outside them or at weekends. Buy it at a ticket booth after you clear Thai immigration; it is not sold online or in advance.

### What time does the border close?

The bridge itself runs 06:00 to 22:00. As at every Friendship Bridge, immigration commonly stops issuing new Lao visas on arrival well before that, often by mid-afternoon, so do not plan to arrive late in the day if you need a visa here.

### Is the Lao eVisa accepted at this crossing?

Yes, reliably, according to the Lao immigration register, one of the few land borders into Laos where that holds. Visa on arrival also works, about US$40 in cash or roughly 1,500 to 1,800 baht, since the counter sets its own baht rate.

### How do I get from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang?

Two real options: a road journey of about 8 hours by van or bus, or the two-day Mekong slow boat via an overnight stop in Pakbeng. Both are bookable in advance; see the full comparison.

## Sources

- [Lao Department of Immigration](https://immigration.gov.la): checkpoint list, opening hours and visa status
- [Tourism Authority of Thailand](https://www.tatnews.org): the visa exemption change in force since 15 September 2026

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_Written and maintained from Vientiane. The people behind this site have lived in Laos for two decades and cross these borders themselves. Routes and visa rules get rechecked whenever something changes, not on a fixed schedule that lets stale information sit for months._