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Novice monks in saffron robes holding alms bowls in Luang Prabang

Inside Laos · Verified 14 October 2026

Getting Around Laos by Bus, Train and Minivan

Most routes in Laos start in Vientiane. North to Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang, the train is much faster than the bus; south to Thakhek and Pakse, you take the bus, or fly to Pakse.

  • 5 main corridors
  • From 242,000 kip
  • Train faster in the north
  • Sleepers share bunks

Should I take the bus or the train?

The train wins north of Vientiane: under two hours to Luang Prabang against about ten by bus. The bus still wins on price, and on the southern run to Pakse, which the railway does not serve. Several of these corridors carry straight on across a border: Luang Prabang towards Chiang Mai and the Mekong slow boat, Vientiane towards Bangkok or Hanoi.

The main corridors

VientianePakse

Sold as
bus, van, flight, taxi
Duration
approx 10 hrs, usually overnight

The overnight route south, ending near Wat Phou's Khmer ruins and the Bolaven Plateau's coffee country.

Getting to Pakse

Check prices

VientianePaksePakseVientiane

When to book early

Pi Mai, Lao New Year in mid-April, moves most of the country at once, book main routes several days ahead. The wet season, roughly May to October, mainly affects the mountain roads towards Vietnam, which are the most landslide-prone in the country. The Mekong corridors and the railway are largely unaffected either way.

Holidays that move demand
HolidayWhenTravel impact
Pi Mai (Lao New Year) 13–15 April officially, but effects spread across 12–18 April every year Moves most of the country at once. Book long-distance routes, especially sleepers, several days ahead.
Vietnamese Tết (Lunar New Year) Late January or February, date changes every year The week around Tết brings heavy demand and thinner schedules on every Laos–Vietnam crossing and route. Shift your date if you can.
Boun That Luang Tuesday 24 November 2026 (full moon of the 12th lunar month, usually November; the date moves each year, with the trade fair and processions building through the preceding week) Vientiane's largest festival. Expect the capital's hotels and the roads in and out of it at their most crowded of the year.

Money, and paying for transport

The currency is the Lao kip, and it is the only legal tender, but in practice US dollars and Thai baht are accepted for plenty of things a traveller buys, including guesthouses and tour operators. Bus stations are the exception: at a ticket window, expect to pay kip.

Laos runs on cash outside the top end. Cards work in Vientiane hotels and in a shrinking number of places elsewhere, and not at all at a rural bus station. BCEL has the widest and most reliable ATM network, and its machines are the ones to look for outside the capital.

Per-withdrawal limits are low by regional standards, so plan on several visits rather than one large draw, and carry kip before heading anywhere small.

Keep a separate reserve of clean, unmarked US dollar notes for the land borders. Visas on arrival are priced in dollars, counters reject torn or heavily creased notes, and none of the crossings this site covers has an ATM on site.

Ride-hailing, and which apps work

  • Grab does not operate in Laos. It is the reflex assumption for anyone arriving from Thailand or Vietnam, and it is wrong here.
  • LOCA is the established Lao app, strongest in Vientiane, with fares shown before you book.
  • Xanh SM (also written Green SM) runs electric taxis in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Savannakhet and Champasak, with a fixed fare quoted up front.
  • inDrive stopped working on 28 May 2025, after Lao authorities moved against it over registration, tax and safety failings. Guides still listing it are out of date.

Outside those cities the tuk tuk is still the way to cover the last few kilometres, and the fare is agreed before you get in, not after.

Getting to each destination

The stations and terminals themselves, not the sights, for the six places we get asked about most.

A tuk tuk on a street in central VientianeThe hub for almost every routeVientianeWhich terminal for which direction, the airport, and the railway station.Getting there → Hot air balloons over Vang Vieng2 stations, neither centralVang ViengWhich station, and what the ride into town costs.Getting there → Kuang Si Falls outside Luang Prabang3 hubs, none in the old townLuang PrabangNorthern or southern bus station, plus the airport and the railway.Getting there → Nong Khiaw on the Nam Ou river, from aboveRoad only, then boatNong KhiawNo airport, no railway, and the Nam Ou boat onward to Muang Ngoi.Getting there → Karst hills around ThakhekDirect bus, approx 8–9 hrsThakhekThe bus station, the loop that starts here, and the crossing to Thailand.Getting there → A waterfall on the Bolaven Plateau near PakseOvernight sleeper, approx 10 hrsPakseThree bus stations by direction, plus Wat Phou, the 4000 Islands and the Bolaven Loop.Getting there →
Departure board at a Laos domestic bus terminal listing destinations and times
A domestic terminal departure board: this is what "getting there" looks like at the station.

What travellers report

Before you book

  • "VIP bus" is used loosely. On longer overnight routes it often just means a bed bus, flat bunks, no reclining seats.
  • Buying at the bus station is consistently cheaper than through a guesthouse or hotel desk. Markups of double the station price come up again and again.
  • Bed bugs on sleeper bedding come up often enough that a light sleeping bag liner is a fair precaution.
  • Shoes off on board, with a plastic bag for them, is standard on sleeper buses nationwide.
  • Aircon on overnight buses runs cold. Bring a layer.

Sleeper buses vary a lot between operators. Recent Vientiane–Pakse passengers report short, narrow bunks, especially when shared, and charging sockets that may or may not work. Many buses have no usable toilet on board and make toilet and food stops instead. Check the exact arrival point too, rather than trusting the booking map: some passengers have been dropped at a different stop or in the town centre.

Common questions

Does Laos take US dollars?
Widely, in practice, though the kip is the only legal tender. Guesthouses, tour operators and border visa counters all deal in dollars. Bus ticket windows generally want kip. Carry clean, unmarked notes for visa fees, because damaged ones get refused.
How much cash should I carry in Laos?
Enough to be independent of ATMs for a few days. Laos is largely a cash economy outside Vientiane, BCEL has the most dependable machines, and per-withdrawal limits are low, so several smaller draws beat one big one. Keep US dollars separate for border visas.
Does Laos have Uber or Grab?
Neither. Use LOCA, or Xanh SM for electric taxis in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Savannakhet and Champasak. inDrive was blocked across Laos on 28 May 2025 and no longer works.
What is the difference between VIP, sleeper and minivan?
VIP is a seated coach with aircon; sleeper has flat bunks for overnight; minivan is quicker point to point. "VIP" is used loosely on overnight routes.
Will I share a bed on the sleeper to Pakse?
Often, yes, two per bunk, paired by gender for solo travellers. Ask about single bunks when booking, or book two tickets for the full bunk.
Is overnight bus travel safe for solo women?
Generally regarded as safe on main tourist routes, with same-gender bunk pairing standard.
Should I take the train instead?
On the northern corridor, usually yes. See Laos train tickets.
How far ahead should I book?
A day or two in high season; several days around Pi Mai in mid-April.

Laos Bus Tickets

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.

Sources for this page

  1. Lao Department of Immigration: checkpoint list, opening hours and visa status
  2. Wikivoyage: Laos: background on overland travel and bus classes
  3. Tourism Laos, official national tourism site: the 2026 date of Boun That Luang
  4. Bank of the Lao PDR: the kip as sole legal tender, and exchange rates
  5. BCEL, Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao: the widest ATM and branch network in the country
  6. LOCA: the Lao ride-hailing app and the cities it covers
  7. Xanh SM Laos: electric taxi coverage in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Savannakhet and Champasak
  8. The Laotian Times: inDrive blocked across Laos: the 28 May 2025 block and the registration and tax failings behind it
  9. Radio Free Asia: Laos's block on the InDrive ride-hailing app
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