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Flights · Verified 14 October 2026

Flying to Laos: Direct Routes, Airlines and Fares

Most international flights land in Vientiane or Luang Prabang, a few in Pakse. From elsewhere in the region you usually connect in Bangkok or Hanoi.

  • Bangkok 1 h 15 m
  • From USD 119
  • Bus still wins short hops

Should I fly or take the bus?

Fly when the overland leg is more than about twelve hours. Bangkok to Vientiane is 1 h 15 m in the air against 20 to 24 hours by bus, and the fare gap is smaller than that difference suggests. Take the bus for shorter trips, or where flights are few, as at most smaller Lao airports.

Flying against the bus, compared

The same journeys by air and by road.
JourneyBy airOverlandWorth flying?
Bangkok to Vientiane1 h 15 m20 to 24 hrsYes
Bangkok to Luang Prabang1 h 50 mno direct busYes
Hanoi to Vientiane1 h 10 mabout 24 hrsYes
Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang1 h 10 mabout 20 hrsYes, but the bus is far cheaper
Siem Reap to Luang Prabangabout 2 hrs2 to 3 daysYes, clearly

Flights into Laos

What to know before booking

  • Vientiane (VTE) and Luang Prabang (LPQ) take almost all international traffic. Pakse (PKZ) is the useful third one: Lao Airlines links it to Vientiane in about 1 h 15 m, and there is a direct hop to Ho Chi Minh City, which saves a long ride down Route 13 and across the Vietnamese border. Savannakhet has an airport but almost no scheduled traffic.
  • Most regional routes are operated by Lao Airlines, Thai AirAsia, Vietnam Airlines and Bangkok Airways. Frequencies drop sharply outside the November to February high season.
  • New: Thai AirAsia flies Bangkok to Luang Prabang and on to Hanoi daily from 1 December 2026 (FD1038 leaves Bangkok 13:55, Luang Prabang 17:15; FD1039 back from Hanoi 17:45), and Luang Prabang to Hanoi can be booked on its own. Cambodia Airways has flown Phnom Penh to Vientiane on Thursdays and Sundays since 29 January 2026.
  • Lao Airlines' winter schedule (25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027) also flies direct from Vientiane to Seoul-Incheon every night, and to Kunming, Guangzhou, Changsha, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Yiwu, Ningbo and Nanning on set days.
  • Vientiane airport is about 15 to 20 minutes from the centre by taxi. The cheaper option is the airport bus, route 44, to the Central Bus Station (Talat Sao) for 40,000 kip, about 35 minutes; sources disagree on how often it runs, so see Vientiane tickets.
  • If you are heading onward overland, remember the arrival airport, not the country, decides your first leg. Flying into Luang Prabang and busing south is very different from flying into Vientiane.

Common questions

Which airport should I fly into?
For the north and the classic Luang Prabang route, fly to Luang Prabang (LPQ). For the capital, the Thai border and the train south, fly to Vientiane (VTE). Those two take nearly all international flights.
Is flying much more expensive than the bus?
Less than you would expect on the long routes. Bangkok to Luang Prabang starts around USD 119 and there is no direct bus at all. On short hops like Vientiane to Nong Khai the bus is a fraction of the price and the plane makes no sense.
Can I get a Lao visa on arrival at the airport?
Yes, and it is more reliable than at the land borders. Both Vientiane and Luang Prabang issue visa on arrival, and unlike the Vietnam and Cambodia crossings the Lao eVisa is accepted here without trouble. See the visa guide.
Are there flights within Laos?
Yes, but thin and prone to cancellation. On the Vientiane to Luang Prabang corridor the train is faster door to door once you account for airport time, and far more reliable.
What about flying from Thailand to Cambodia?
Flights operate normally and are the sensible choice, because every Thailand to Cambodia land border is closed. Overland now means a two to three day detour through Laos.
Do I need Laos's online arrival form when I fly in?
At Wattay, Luang Prabang and Pakse, yes: free at immigration.gov.la, up to three days before you land. Paper cards still work if the site fails.

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: digital arrival and departure form: where the Lao Digital Immigration Form is required
  2. Lao Department of Immigration: checkpoint list, opening hours and visa status
  3. Wikivoyage: Laos: background on overland travel and bus classes
  4. Thaiger: Thai AirAsia adds Luang Prabang–Hanoi via Bangkok: the 1 December 2026 route and times
  5. Lao News Agency (KPL): Cambodia Airways Phnom Penh–Vientiane: the Phnom Penh–Vientiane service
  6. The Laotian Times: Wattay airport shuttle bus: the airport bus service and its route to the Central Bus Station
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