# Vientiane to Hanoi: Sleeper Bus, Flight, or via Vinh

> The 22 to 24-hour sleeper bus from the Southern Terminal, two daily flights, and the Nam Phao crossing that has no visa on arrival either way.

**Source:** https://laosbustickets.com/vientiane-hanoi/  
**Language:** en  
**Last verified:** 23 September 2026  
**Written by:** Laos Bus Tickets, Vientiane, Laos
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## Quick answer

Vientiane to Hanoi runs a direct overnight sleeper bus, operated by HTX Van Tai and The Sinh Tourist among others, departing Vientiane's Southern Terminal (Dong Dok) in the late afternoon and arriving in Hanoi around 22 to 24 hours later, covering roughly 760 km. Two daily flights, Lao Airlines and Vietnam Airlines, cover the same route in about 1 hour 10 minutes, from around USD90. Both cross at Nam Phao - Cau Treo over the Keo Nua Pass, a crossing that issues no Lao visa on arrival and no Vietnamese visa on arrival either: sort your Vietnam e-visa (unless your nationality is visa-exempt) and your Lao visa (unless entering Laos at Lao Bao instead) before you travel. A slower alternative splits the trip via Vinh, about 14 hours to Vinh by bus, then a further 6 to 7 hours on to Hanoi by train or bus.

## How do I actually get from Vientiane to Hanoi?
A direct **overnight sleeper bus** covers Vientiane to Hanoi in about **22 to 24 hours**, leaving from Vientiane's **Southern Terminal (Dong Dok)**. Two **daily flights** do the same route in about **1 hour 10 minutes**. Both cross at **Nam Phao – Cầu Treo**, which issues **no visa on arrival in either direction**, so your visa needs to exist before you reach the gate.

## The direct sleeper bus

Operators including **HTX Van Tai** and **The Sinh Tourist** run daily sleeper coaches from Vientiane's **Southern Terminal (Dong Dok)** in the late afternoon, arriving in Hanoi roughly **22 to 24 hours later**, around 760 km by road. It is a VIP sleeper bus with two-tier bunks, one berth-aisle-two-berths across each row; the lower single berths are worth asking for specifically, since they let you sit upright during the day rather than being stuck flat for the whole run. Fares and exact departure times move, so check current pricing rather than treating any single figure as fixed; current online listings for this pair range from roughly the price of a budget domestic sleeper up to about USD40 depending on operator and how far ahead you book.

## Flying instead

**Two daily flights** connect the two capitals, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, run by **Lao Airlines** and **Vietnam Airlines**. The flight itself takes about **1 hour 10 minutes**, from around **VND 4,957k** one way, though both carriers are worth checking directly since they do not always price the same departure the same way. A busy connecting option also exists via Luang Prabang for travellers already in northern Laos, using a short hop to Luang Prabang followed by its own onward flight to Hanoi, though this usually costs more than the direct flight and only makes sense if a direct seat is not available.

## The crossing: Nam Phao – Cầu Treo

**Nam Phao - Cầu Treo, the crossing this route uses, from the Lao Department of Immigration register.**

| Crossing | Connects | Hours | Lao visa on arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nam Phao – Cầu Treo; Also written Cau Treo, Cầu Treo | Bolikhamxay → Cầu Treo, Hà Tĩnh, Vietnam | 07:00–19:00 | No |

Over the **Keo Nua Pass**, this is the main road link on the Laos–Vietnam border and the crossing every direct Vientiane–Hanoi bus uses. Unlike the Thai Friendship Bridges, buses drive straight through, there is no separate paid shuttle leg here.

**Neither visa is issued here**

Nam Phao does not issue a Vietnamese visa on arrival, and it does not issue a Lao visa on arrival either, unlike Dansavanh further south, the one Laos–Vietnam crossing that does. Sort your paperwork before you leave: a Vietnam e-visa if you are not on the 45-day exemption list, and a Lao visa in advance if you are entering Laos this way from Vietnam. See [Laos to Vietnam crossings](/laos-vietnam-border-crossings/) for the full nine-checkpoint picture and the exemption list.

_A mountain road in northern Vietnam, illustrative of the terrain these crossings run through. Not the Keo Nua Pass itself._

## The slower way: splitting the trip via Vinh

Rather than one 24-hour push, some travellers break the journey at **Vinh**, on Vietnam's north-central coast, using the same Nam Phao crossing. The Vientiane to Vinh leg runs about **14 hours**, a shorter run than the full trip to Hanoi, and at the moment it is not sold online: buy it at the Southern Terminal. From Vinh, the remaining roughly **6 to 7 hours** to Hanoi can be done by train or bus the same day or, more comfortably, after a night's stop in Vinh itself. It is not a faster route overall, but it turns one very long sleeper into two manageable legs and adds a stop most people travelling straight through never see.

## More on this border

For all nine Laos-Vietnam crossings, the e-visa rule change and which gate actually issues Lao visa on arrival, see [Laos to Vietnam crossings](/laos-vietnam-border-crossings/). For Vientiane's own bus terminals and the airport, see [Vientiane tickets](/vientiane-bus-train-tickets/), and for the wider flight picture, [flights to Laos](/flights-to-laos/). Heading the other direction out of Vientiane, [Vientiane to Bangkok](/vientiane-bangkok/) covers the equivalent journey to Thailand. For every other route we cover, start at [all bus routes from Laos](/routes/).

## Border crossings

| Crossing | Connects | Hours | Lao visa on arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nam Phao – Cầu Treo | Bolikhamxay to Cầu Treo, Hà Tĩnh, Vietnam | 07:00–19:00 | Shown as unavailable now, changed recently |

## Routes

| Route | Border crossing | Duration | Bookable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vientiane to Hanoi | Nam Phao – Cầu Treo | approx 24 hrs | Yes |
| Vientiane to Vinh | Nam Phao – Cầu Treo | approx 14 hrs | No, not sold online |

## Common questions

### How long does the bus from Vientiane to Hanoi take?

About 22 to 24 hours on the direct overnight sleeper, covering roughly 760 km. It is run as a VIP sleeper coach with two-tier berths; the lower single berths are the most comfortable for a journey this long, since you can sit up during the day.

### Which bus station do I leave from in Vientiane?

The Southern Terminal (Dong Dok), about 11 km north-east of downtown, the same terminal that handles Thakhek, Savannakhet, Pakse and the Cambodia routes. See the Vientiane page for how to reach it.

### Are there flights from Vientiane to Hanoi?

Yes, two a day, one in the afternoon and one in the evening, run by Lao Airlines and Vietnam Airlines, about 1 hour 10 minutes in the air, from around USD90. Compare both airlines directly, since one regularly undercuts the other on the same flight time.

### Do I need a visa for this crossing?

For Vietnam: check the 45-day exemption list first, since it covers many nationalities including the UK, France, Germany and others; if you are not on it, arrange the e-visa online before you travel, because Nam Phao issues no Vietnamese visa on arrival. For Laos: this crossing does not issue Lao visa on arrival either, only Dansavanh (Lao Bảo) reliably does among the nine Laos–Vietnam gates, so arrange your Lao visa in advance if you are entering this way from Vietnam.

### Is there a cheaper or faster alternative than the direct bus?

Splitting the journey via Vinh is the main alternative: about 14 hours Vientiane to Vinh, then a further 6 to 7 hours on to Hanoi by train or bus, with the option of stopping a night in Vinh rather than pushing straight through. It is not faster overall, but it breaks up the journey and lets you see a part of Vietnam the direct sleeper skips.

## Sources

- [Lao Department of Immigration](https://immigration.gov.la): checkpoint list, opening hours and visa status
- [Vietnam Immigration Department](https://evisa.gov.vn): e-visa checkpoints and rules
- [Embassy of Vietnam: visa exemption policy](https://vnembassy-jp.org/en/vietnam-extends-visa-exemption-policy): the 45-day visa exemption and the resolutions behind it
- [The Man in Seat 61](https://www.seat61.com/Laos.htm): train classes, timings and the 2025 extension of the advance booking window

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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._