Laos Transportation

Three major international airports in Laos are Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Luang Prabang International Airport, and Pakse International Airport. Wattay International Airport is the largest airport and the major transport hub of the country.

Wattay International Airport is located 2 miles (3 kilometers) from the city center of Vientiane, where flights from Guangzhou, Changsha, Changzhou, Haikou, and Kunming of China, Bangkok of Thailand, Phnom Penh and Siem Reap of Cambodia, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam, Moscow of Russia, and Singapore land. You can visit Laos by plane from the above countries. After getting off the plane, you can take a taxi to downtown area, and the taxi ticket booth is located outside the arrival hall.

Luang Prabang International Airport, the second largest airport, is situated about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the old town, which hosts scheduled flights from Bangkok and Chiang Mai of Thailand, Jinghong and Kunming of China, Hanoi of Vietnam, and Siem Reap of Cambodia. The airport is very small with one terminal building. Visitors can take minivans or tuktuks to the town center.

Located about 2 miles (3 kilometers) north of Pakse, Pakse International Airport is a major transportation hub in southern Laos, where flights from Bangkok of Thailand, Siem Reap of Cambodia, and Ho Chi Minh City of Vietnam land. It is not only a civil airport, but also a military airport. Tuktuks and motorcycle taxis are good choices for you to reach the city center. Undoubtedly, it is faster and more comfortable to take a trip to Laos by plane, but you can also choose bus. You can take a bus from Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Yunnan Province of China. In Yunnan Province, you can get directly to Vientiane and Luang Prabang, but it will take more than 20 hours. There are several international long distance buses from Nong Khai of Thailand to Vientiane, and it only takes 90 minutes. Thanaleng Railway Station is the only railway station of the country, located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) southeast of Vientiane. There are four trains to Nong Khai, Thailand every day.Lao Airlines is the major carrier for domestic flights in the country, which serves flights among Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Houei Sai, Luang Namtha, Oudomxay, Pakse, Sam Neua, Sayaboury, and Xieng Khuang. You can make your trip plan according to the flight schedule. Highway is the main transport system of the country, total mileage of which is around 29,200 miles (46,993 kilometers), carrying 80% of passenger and freight volume. The preferred vehicle for tourists is bus. Usually, some VIP buses are provided for visitors in tourist cities, and the price is higher than ordinary buses.

Overall, transportation in Laos is not well-developed. Compared with other cities, Vientiane has better transport facilities, making it the traffic center. The main bus stations are Vientiane Bus Station, known as Talat Sao Bus Station, Northern and Southern bus stations.

Vientiane Bus Station is located beside the morning market in the city center, where buses to a few destinations in Laos such as Vang Vieng and Pakse are served. Northern Bus Station is in the west of the city and serves buses to the northern part of Laos. Southern Bus Station, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) north of the downtown area, is the main departure point for destinations in southern part of the country. The public traffic system of Laos is not very developed. Even in the capital Vientiane, there are limited number of public buses with simple bus shelters and no bus information on the signposts. If you want to take a public bus, you'd better confirm the destination with the driver and get on the bus at the starting station which is usually beside the morning market.

Taxis in Laos are rare, which generally carry passengers from airport to city center. Bicycle rental service is common in the country and the price is 10,000-20,000 kip per day. Cities of the country are not big, so bicycles are relatively safe and convenient vehicles for visitors. Compared with taxis, tuktuks are more convenient and faster, which can take you to distant attractions as long as the price and wait time are agreeable. Motorcycles can also be easily rented with higher fee, but it is not safe for visitors in a strange city.

There is no subway in Laos, but ferryboats that run among Luang Prabang, Huay Xai, Nong Khiaw, Four Thousand Islands, and Pakse are operated.