VientianePhonsavan
Direct service
Lao Airlines flies the same trip in 40 minutes, once or twice a day.
Xieng Khouang · Verified 21 October 2026
Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars by Bus, Minivan or Plane
Phonsavan, the town also called Xieng Khouang beside the Plain of Jars, is a 40-minute Lao Airlines flight from Vientiane, or about 12 hours by bus or minivan. From Luang Prabang, minivans take about 8 hours; there is no direct flight.
- Flight from Vientiane: 40 min
- Bus from Vientiane: about 12 hrs
- Luang Prabang minivan: about 8 hrs
Search routes to Phonsavan
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
- Luang Prabang to Phonsavan by minivan
- From Pakse and the south: change at Pakxan
- The Plain of Jars
- Onward to Vietnam
Vientiane to Phonsavan: bus, minivan or flight
| 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 is, and how to get there, is on the Vientiane page.
Vientiane
Direct serviceLuang 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.
Luang PrabangPhonsavan
Direct service
Minivans leave early in the morning; there is no direct flight.
From Pakse and the south: change at Pakxan
No bus runs straight from Pakse to Phonsavan. Take a bus from Pakse 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.
PakseVientiane
PaksanPhonsavan
Not bookable online
Not sold online. Coming from Pakse or Thakhek, take the bus towards Vientiane, get off at Pakxan and change to a bus to Xieng Khouang; buy that ticket at the bus station.
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 sleeper runs through Phonsavan and crosses at Nam Kan – Nậm Cắn.
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.
Laos Bus Tickets
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).
Sources for this page
- Lao Airlines: domestic and regional flight legs
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang – Plain of Jars: the jar sites, their age and the clearance of unexploded bombs