# Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars by Bus, Minivan or Plane

> Vientiane to Phonsavan (Xieng Khouang) by bus or minivan in about 12 hours or a 40-minute flight, and Luang Prabang by minivan in about 8 hours.

**Source:** https://laosbustickets.com/phonsavan-bus-tickets/  
**Language:** en  
**Last verified:** 21 October 2026  
**Written by:** Laos Bus Tickets, Vientiane, Laos
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## Quick answer

Phonsavan (also called Xieng Khouang, after its province) is the town for the Plain of Jars. From Vientiane: Lao Airlines flies to Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH) daily at 09:00, plus 15:40 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, in 40 minutes; Lao Skyway also flies the route; by road, a public bus leaves the Northern Bus Station at 08:00 and minivans and overnight sleepers take about 12 to 13 hours. From Luang Prabang: minivans leave between 07:00 and 08:00 and take about 8 hours; there is no direct flight. From Pakse or Thakhek: take a bus towards Vientiane, change at Pakxan for Xieng Khouang.

## How do I get to Phonsavan?
Fly from Vientiane to **Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH)** in 40 minutes, or take the road: about **12 hours** from Vientiane by bus or minivan, about **8 hours** from Luang Prabang by minivan. From Pakse, change at Pakxan.

## Vientiane to Phonsavan: bus, minivan or flight

**Vientiane to Phonsavan, November 2026.**

| Mode | Leaves | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lao Airlines flight | 09:00 daily; 15:40 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun | 40 min | Back from Xieng Khouang 10:10 daily, 17:00 Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun |
| Lao Skyway flight | about 12:15 | about 40 min | Sold online for November 2026; back about 13:20 |
| Public bus | 08:00 | about 12 hrs | From the Northern Bus Station |
| Minivan | 07:00 | about 12 hrs | Hotel pickup in Vientiane |
| Overnight sleeper | about 18:00 or 20:00 | about 13 hrs | Arrives early morning |

Flights are from the **Lao Airlines winter schedule** (25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027). Where each [Vientiane bus station](/vientiane-bus-train-tickets/) is, and how to get there, is on the Vientiane page.

## Luang Prabang to Phonsavan by minivan

Minivans leave between about **07:00 and 08:00**, from the Naluang (Southern) bus station or with a pickup in town, and take about **8 hours** on a mountain road. There is **no direct flight**: by air you go via Vientiane. Going back, a bus leaves Phonsavan for Luang Prabang at 08:00.

## From Pakse and the south: change at Pakxan

No bus runs straight from Pakse to Phonsavan. Take a bus from [Pakse](/pakse-bus-tickets/) towards **Vientiane**, get off at **Pakxan**, and change to a bus to Xieng Khouang, bought at the bus station. Only the Pakse to Vientiane bus is sold online.

_One of the stone jars of the Plain of Jars._

## The Plain of Jars

- **What it is:** Iron Age people carved more than 2,100 large stone jars and set them on the hill slopes around Phonsavan's plateau, using them for burials between about 500 BCE and 500 CE. Stone discs, probably lids, and old quarries lie scattered around them.

- **World Heritage:** UNESCO listed the Plain of Jars in 2019 as 15 separate sites that together hold 1,325 of the jars, and nearby villages look after most of them.

- **Latest find:** in May 2026, archaeologists opened a huge jar at Site 75 and found the remains of at least 37 people inside, the clearest proof yet that the jars served as shared burial urns.

- **Safety:** clearance teams have removed unexploded bombs from all 15 listed sites, so you can walk them, but stay on the marked paths and leave the fields around them alone.

- **Getting there:** the sites sit on slopes outside town, so you reach them by road from Phonsavan with a tuk-tuk, a taxi or a tour. You buy a ticket at each site, and the villages share the income.

## Onward to Vietnam

The [Luang Prabang to Hanoi](/luang-prabang-hanoi/) sleeper runs through Phonsavan and crosses at Nam Kan – Nậm Cắn.

## Routes

| Route | Mode | Border crossing | Duration | Bookable online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vientiane → Phonsavan | Bus or van | Domestic | approx 12 hrs | Yes |
| Luang Prabang → Phonsavan | Bus or van | Domestic | approx 8 hrs | Yes |
| Paksan → Phonsavan | Bus or van | Domestic | Not published | Not bookable online |

## Common questions

### How do I get from Vientiane to Phonsavan?

Fly with Lao Airlines to Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH), 40 minutes, daily at 09:00, or go by road: a public bus from the Northern Bus Station at 08:00, or a minivan or overnight sleeper, about 12 to 13 hours.

### Is there a flight to the Plain of Jars?

Yes, to Xieng Khouang Airport (XKH) at Phonsavan, from Vientiane only: Lao Airlines daily at 09:00 and on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 15:40. Lao Skyway also flies Vientiane to Xieng Khouang. From Luang Prabang you fly via Vientiane.

### How do I get from Luang Prabang to Phonsavan?

By minivan, leaving between about 07:00 and 08:00, about 8 hours. A bus runs back from Phonsavan at 08:00.

### Can I get to Phonsavan from Pakse?

Not directly. Take a bus from Pakse towards Vientiane, get off at Pakxan, and change to a bus to Xieng Khouang. Only the Pakse to Vientiane leg is sold online.

## Sources

- [Lao Airlines](https://laoairlines.com): domestic and regional flight legs
- [UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang – Plain of Jars](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1587/): the jar sites, their age and the clearance of unexploded bombs

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_Written and kept up to date from Vientiane by people who have lived in Laos for two decades and take these buses, trains and boats themselves, around the country and across its borders. Each page is checked against Lao government, immigration and operator sources and the news, and the routes it lists are tested online on several dates. We recheck whenever something changes, not on a fixed schedule ([how we check things](https://laosbustickets.com/about/#how-we-check))._