Nguyen Thuy Trang, living in Hanoi, has just had an 8-day 7 night trip through Laos and Thailand, traveling entirely by road.

From September 25 to October 2, Thuy Trang, 27, went to Laos and Thailand with a friend. The total cost of the trip per person is 250$.

In my opinion, Laos is the easiest country to go to with Trang, and cheap. “Laos has changed after my visit 4 years ago. Memories of this country are also gradually diluted because there are so many other trips to fill. But the peace, slow pace of life, and gentle people are still present in Laos. my subconscious, like a perfume,” shared the female travel blogger.

Nguyen Quynh Trang took photos in Laos during her trip in late September, early October. On October 13, she continued to fly to Brunei for tourism.

Laos borders Thailand, China, Myanmar, Vietnam, and Cambodia, is landlocked and has the same time zone as Vietnam time. Therefore, Vietnamese guests are not affected by the time zone difference when coming here. Lao cuisine is mainly spicy, sour, sweet, similar to Cambodian – Thai cuisine.

Weather: May-October: heavy rain, average temperature 29 degrees Celsius. From November to mid-February: dry climate, the temperature is about 15 degrees Celsius. From March to May is the hot season, Laos wind blows much, the average temperature is about 38 degrees Celsius.

Detailed itinerary 8 days 7 nights

Vietnamese tourists travel from Laos – Thailand for 8 days with 5.5 million VND

Nguyen Thuy Trang, living in Hanoi, has just had an 8-day 7 night trip through Laos and Thailand, traveling entirely by road.

Schedule:

Day 1: 17:30 present at Nuoc Ngam bus station, 18h departure

Day 2: 17:00 to Vientiane, back to the hostel to rest, walk around the night market, eat.

Day 3: Go to Luang Prabang, and buy tickets to Vientiane for the next two days because buying earlier is cheaper.

Take a bus to the center, check in, rent a motorbike (135,000 VND per car). Lunch at Ock Pop Tok, with a view of the Mekong River. In the afternoon, Trang goes to Mount Phousi Hill to watch the sunset. Trang goes early to choose a seat in advance, because this place is crowded with tourists.

Dinner at the night market. The market has two zones. One area is a long and narrow street, selling traditional food (grilled fish, khao soy, Lao sticky rice, King sausage, Lao lap, grilled chicken…). The second area is located at the beginning of the market, like a dining complex with a wider variety of dishes but more expensive. After eating, Trang walked around the market, brocade products were sold at very cheap prices and went for a massage. At night, she goes to drink Lao beer at 360 Sunset bar by the river.

Day 4: Alms ceremony – National Museum – Street photo – Kuang Si waterfall – night market.

The alms-giving ceremony, which takes place at 5:00 am – 6:30 am every day, is a very typical religious and cultural activity in Luang Prabang, which is very popular with tourists. “You should get up early, choose a corner for yourself to experience. This place sells sticky rice and cakes, and chairs are arranged so that guests can sit and make offerings to the alms-monks,” Trang said.

There are many attractions around the night market: National Museum, Wat Xieng Thong, Wat Mai, Luang Prang library area, peaceful corners very similar to Hoi An.

Kuang Si Waterfall: 30 km from the center, easy access, 7-storey turquoise waterfall. You can bring a swimsuit on a summer day because the waterfall also has bathing floors.

Day 5: Pak Ou cave – lunch – return to Vientiane – cycle around the city at night

Pak Ou Cave: 30 km from the center, the cave is empty, with hundreds of statues placed inside. There are also tattoo pickers. Trang also drew a card. She did not understand Lao, so she asked the ticket seller to translate for her. “She told me it was a good card,” Trang said.

Day 6: Breakfast – walk around Talat Sao market – go to Udon Thani – Central Plaza – UD Town – Thai Trung Cultural Center – Night market

Udon Thani doesn’t have too many places to play, but Trang still chooses to come because “likes the backpacking style from Laos to Thailand by road. Breakfast in Laos, lunch drinking milk tea in Thailand is also a memorable experience.” .

Day 7: Back to Vientiane – lunch – back to Hanoi

Day 8: 19h, the car arrives at Nuoc Ngam wharf, ending the trip.

Total cost: 5.5 million VND per person including transportation, meals and hotel.

Moving Hanoi – Laos

Nuoc Ngam bus station has daily buses to Laos. Running time is 18h, to Vientiane at 16-17h the next day; One-way ticket price is 800,000 VND.

Before the epidemic, there was a car going directly from Hanoi to Luang Prabang, costing 850,000 VND one way, with traveling time from 18:00 to 22:00 the next day. But after the epidemic, the number of tourists is still small, so now only cars go to Vientiane.

Moving within Laos

From Vienna, Trang took the China-Laos high-speed train to Luang Prabang. Newly built highway, rated by female tourists as “modern but fast to fill up”. The railway line is more than 400 km long, passing through six stations in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Muang Xai, Luang Namtha and Boten. This railway has both high-speed and regular trains.

There are three flights from the capital to Luang Prabang in a day: 7:30, 8:00, 15:05. If you leave Hanoi at 5pm, you won’t be able to catch the next train. Therefore, Trang booked a hotel room to stay in the Lao capital for one night, the next morning, arrived two hours before the train time to buy tickets.

“Many guests, tickets are sold out quickly. Tickets can’t be bought for them either because international guests have to bring their passports to register and are only open for sale two days in advance,” Trang said. From train stations, there is a shuttle bus to the center, get off the elevator, go to the parking area at the station to see a shuttle bus.

The alms round in Luang Prabang takes place every day from 5am-6:30pm.

Moving Laos – Thailand

After two days in Luang Prabang, Trang and her friend took the fast train C81 which runs at 13:45 back to Vientiane. The next day, the two took a bus to Udon Thani, a province bordering Thailand’s Laos. The distance between the two places is nearly 70 km, the travel time is 2.5 hours. This bus route has many departure time frames for visitors to choose: 8am, 11am, 2pm, 3pm and 5pm. The ticket counter is open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., the ticket price is VND 63,000 per person.

From Udon Thani, Trang to the bus station of the same name, located in the center, near Central Plaza to buy tickets. Tickets are open for sale an hour in advance, priced at 55,000 VND per person.

Money exchange – buy sim

At Cau Treo border gate, Ha Tinh to go to Laos, there are grocery stores, selling sim cards and exchanging money. The page to buy sim card and top up card is 70,000 VND. The exchange rate is 100,000 kip (Laos currency) equivalent to 135,000 VND.

In Thailand, if you forget to change money at the border, you can go to Central Plaza and find the orange Super Rich counter. This place accepts both Vietnamese currency (VND 500,000 bill) and USD. Thai currency 1,000 baht is equivalent to 630,000 VND.

If you stay in Udon Thani for two days and then return to Laos (like Trang), you don’t need to buy a Thai sim. “Download Map.me, Udonthani map or offline Thailand map first, wherever you go, you just need a map. If you go to Bangkok, Chiang Mai, you can buy a sim at the Nong Khai border gate or buy a sim to deliver it to you. home on Klook,” Trang said.

Immigration procedure

Vietnam – Laos: Trang is supported by a bus operator in Vietnam to complete the procedure, just show your passport.

Laos – Thailand: “You just have to follow everyone’s footsteps,” Trang said. After she and her friend got off the bus, followed the line of people in front of the line, stamped the wood, went through security screening and then got on the right bus from Laos to continue the journey. Entry forms for Thailand and Laos are available at the door when stamped. Get off the bus page, fill it out and bring it in for stamping.

Khaosoy – Chiang Mai specialty but sold a lot in Luang Prabang.

Accommodation

Lucky Backpackers Hostel (Vientiane) costs 240,000 VND a night for a double room, 114,000 VND a night if it is a dormitory. The owner of the hotel is Vietnamese, rated “enthusiastic, lovely” by Trang. The hotel is right next to the night market and the Mekong River, convenient for exploring Laos at night and going to the river to enjoy the wind, eat, massage or cycle around the city (29,000 VND a day per car).

Downtown Backpacker Hostel 2 (Luang Prabang), 100,000 VND per night, dormitory room includes breakfast. This place is about 600 meters from the walking street, night market, and attractions. “The owner is also Vietnamese, and very kind. He taught us everything and cared little by little. I felt like going to Laos to visit my family, not traveling anymore.”

Chanathinat Place (Udon Thani): 210,000 VND for a double room, about 750 meters from the bus station and the central area, convenient for traveling and sightseeing.

Photo: Nguyen Thuy Trang