Visa Run To Vientiane, Laos | Travel Guide & Thai Visa Tips

Thai Tourist Visa? Why Vientiane Is The Place To Go

Since the October 2006 changes to Thai immigration law Vientiane, the quiet Lao capitol, stretched out on the north-eastern bank of a bend in the Mekong river directly opposite Thailand's Nongkhai province, has become increasingly popular with frequent "visa runners", especially those who do not qualify for a "Non-immigrant visa" of either type but wish to stay longer than three months without travelling back to their home countries.
Unless you are legally married to a Thai citizen, run your own business or
legally work in Thailand - and can submit the appropriate documentation -, your best chances to stay in Thailand long-term are with an easy-to-obtain regular tourist visa (TR).
For many years the island of Penang, just offshore the Malaysian peninsula and easily reached by air or train from Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station, had been the favourite destination for visa-runners, wishing to obtain a new tourist visa; not so much because of Penang's proximity - it is a 21-hours train ride from Bangkok to Butterworth - or Penang's exciting nightlife - which virtually doesn't exist. The main argument in favour of Penang had been the good and "Farang-friendly" reputation of the local Thai consulate where - at least before February 2008 - a tourist visa could be obtained very easily. In most cases applicants didn't even have to visit the consulate themselves but could leave their passport with an agency that would arrange the desired visa within one working day and at a extremely low fee. Things have dramatically changed since.
Now we all know Thailand is not necessarily keen on long-stayers who can neither prove they're actually billionaires nor qualify for a business, marriage or retirement visa (not every Thailand fan younger than 50 is married to a Thai or wants to work or invest in Thailand). The Kingdom's first step to stop long-
stayers with "insufficient" funds re-enter the country again and again, was the above mentioned "new visa rule" which took effect on October 1, 2006. Since then 30-days entry stamps (visa exemption) may only be used back to back for a maximum of 90 days within a given six-months period, thus making the formerly popular visa runs to the nearby Cambodian borders of Aranyaprathet or Chantaburi far less attractive for Pattaya "long-stayers" who subsequently changed their strategy to obtaining tourist visas from nearby Thai embassies in the ASEAN region to legalize their stay in the Kingdom. Penang had been one of the top destinations for visa-runners with "backpacker's finances". But when new and stricter visa regulations were enforced by the Thai consulate in Georgetown (restricting visa applicants to only three consecutive tourist visas issued only to those in possession of an air ticket departing from Thailand to an international destination not local in the ASEAN region) the consulates in Savannakhet and Vientiane, Laos, became increasingly popular with those in need of a new tourist visa. Indeed - Vientiane has become the "place to go" for those who wish to stay in Thailand long-term on the basis of an ordinary tourist visa.
Why? Simple answer.
Because, so far, there have been no problems at all with obtaining as many consecutive tourist visas from the Royal Thai consulate in Vientiane as you like. Even better: Since late 2007 double-entry tourist visas are availale, too. This means, you can apply for a Thai tourist visa in Vientiane at a fee of 1000 Baht (single-entry), stay in Thailand for sixty days (or ninety if extended at a local Thai immigration bureau), then go back to Laos, get another tourist visa, back to Thailand and so on - without any limit to how many consecutive visas you may obtain. Double-entry tourist visas (meaning that after your first sixty or ninety days a visa run to the Cambodian border - second entry - will entitle you to stay in Thailand for another sixty days) are available at 2000 Baht and are a good option for those living in Pattaya, Bangkok or elsewhere in central or South Thailand.
To sum it up: You can actually live in Thailand on the basis of a tourist visa, provided you're willing to make a trip to Laos every couple of months. Not the greatest and most "Farang-friendly" option, I agree - especially when living in Pattaya or Bangkok, but for many people probably still more convenient and, most importantly, less expensive than travelling back to their home countries.

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Inter City Hotel ***
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Visa-Run To Vientiane, Laos

Due to the Farang-friendly policy of the local Thai embassy in Vientiane and increasingly stricter regulations on visa issuance at other Thai consulates in Southeast Asia, Vientiane has become extremely popular with "visa runners" from Thailand - and the Thai embassy extremly busy! Please click one of the links below to find everything you need to know about a visa-run to Vientiane.

Thai Tourist Visa? Why Vientiane Is The Place To Go
How To Get To Vientiane? By Air Railway Public Bus
Friendship Bridge   Lao Visa On Arrival   Transfer To Vientiane
Thai Embassy In Vientiane - Visa Application And Procedure
Where To Stay?   Vientiane Map & Hotel Location Map
Introduction To Vientiane   Lao Nightlife, Bars & Girls?
Thailand Visa Application Form (PDF File)

30-Days Visa Exemption
Thailand Tourist Visa
Business/ Non-Immigrant Visa "B"
Retirement/ Non-Immigrant Visa "O-A" (Longstay)
Marriage/ Non-Immigrant Visa "O"

Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Directory of Thai Embassies and Consulates
www.thaiembassy.org (official website)

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How To Get To Vientiane, Laos?

When travelling from Pattaya, there are basically three options for getting to Vientiane. Here are the pro's and con's. Read more below.
By Air Fast and comfortable but relatively expensive - flights leave only from Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi and Don Muang airports
By Train Relatively comfortable and cheap but slow - trains leave only from Bangkok's Hua Lamphong railway station
By Coach Uncomfortable and slow but cheap - coaches leave directly from Central Pattaya

From Bangkok To Vientiane And Udon Thani By Air

No doubt - a smooth one-hour flight from Bangkok is the most comfortable and the fastest way of getting to Vientiane. On the downside, it's the most expensive alternative, too. From Pattaya To Suvarnabhumi Airport

Vientiane's Wattay Airport (VTE), 4 km west of the city, provides only limited international services between Thailand and the Lao PDR and at relatively expensive fares.
THAI Airways Intl. operates two daily flights to Vientiane's only international airport, departing from Suvarnabhumi Airport at 11.45 h respectively 20.00 h and arriving at Wattay Airport at 12.55 h and 21.10 h.
Lao Airlines operates three flights a day from Bangkok to Vientiane, according to their timetable departing from BKK at 15.20, 18.50 and 19.20 h.

A cheaper and therefor more popular alternative is a domestic flight to Udon Thani airport (UTH), just about 50 km from the Thai border post. Direct shuttle service from the airport to Friendship Bridge is available at only 150 Baht.
There are several daily flights from Bangkok to Udon Thani Airport. Apart from THAI Airways you have the choice between the low-cost carriers Thai AirAsia and Nok Air.
As with all budget airlines, the earlier you book, the cheaper your flight, with rates starting at as cheap as less 1000 Baht. Please note, however, that the advertising prices, due to additional taxes and surcharges, are just a fraction of the price you will actually be required to pay for your flight. Please check their websites for up-to-date information, flight schedules and fares.

AirAsia departs daily from Suvarnabhumi Airport at 16.15 h and arrives in Udon Thani at 17.15 h.
Nok Air departs from Bangkok's old Don Muang Airport at 6.00, 12.20 and 16.40 h, flight duration is one hour five minutes. Due to economic problems, however, Nok Air will reportedly cut flights and routes, so please check the flight frequency on their website.
THAI Airways currently departs three times a day from Bangkok's old Don Muang Airport to Udon Thani. Departure times 9.25, 13.20 and 18.05 h.

From Bangkok (Pattaya) To Nongkhai By Railway

A train ride from Bangkok's Hua Lamphong railway station to Nongkhai, right at the Thai-Lao border and within five-minutes driving distance from Friendship bridge, is an inexpensive and, depending on what class you choose to travel, relatively comfortable alternative for those who don't enjoy flying. However, as Thai trains are rather slow - no matter whether "rapid" or "express" trains - it will take a minimum of 11 hours to get to Nongkhai's small railway station - provided your train arrives in time?
You can choose between third class (no air-con), 2nd class (with several options available: air-con, no air-con, sleeper berth, upper bed or lower bed) and first class travel. Second class prices approximate 500 to 600 THB for a one-way ride. It is advisable to book your ticket in advance to secure a seat and sleeper berth in the desired class. Advance booking is also possible at Pattaya's little railway station off Sukhumvit Road/ Soi Siam Country Club.

There are three daily trains departing from Hua Lamphong to Nongkhai every evening:
18.30 h (Second class, air-conditioned, no sleeper berths; scheduled arrival in Nongkhai 5.05 am)
18.40 h (Second and Third class, no sleeper berths; scheduled arrival time in Nongkhai 7.35 h)
20.45 h (First, Second and Third class, sleeper berths and board restaurant; scheduled arrival time 9.10 h)
For more details and timetables please visit the State Railway Of Thailand website (timetables seem to be up-to-date, unfortunately not the fares) or ask the friendly guy at Pattaya's railway station.

When travelling from Pattaya, Hua Lamphong Station can be reached most conveniently by public bus from Pattaya's bus terminal on Pattaya Nua Road/ North Pattaya. The bus ride to Bangkok's Ekamai bus terminal on Sukhumvit road takes approximately 2 hours and costs 128 Baht (June 2008). Coaches leave every thirty minutes from about 5 am till the evening hours.
From Ekamai bus station (with immediate BTS connection) you can reach Hua Lamphong railway station conveniently by skytrain (BTS) and subway (MRT) in less than thirty minutes. From Ekamai BTS station on Sukhumvit Road take the skytrain to Asok station (interchange with MRT; stations will be announced in Thai and English). Then simply follow the exit signs to MRT Sukhumvit station, just underground Asok BTS station, and take the subway to Hua Lamphong. From there follow the signs to the railway station.
From Nongkhai railway station it's less than a 5-minutes Tuktuk ride (about 30-40 Baht) to the Thai border post at Friendship bridge.

On July 4, 2008, a first test run of the new Thai-Lao railway link, connecting Nongkhai and Thanaleng Station in Laos via the Thai-Lao Friendship bridge, has been successfully completed. According to media reports, the 3.5 km railway link will be ready for public service as soon as August. Reportedly a plan to extend the line for another twenty kilometres to the capital Vientiane is underway.

From Pattaya To Nongkhai By Public Bus

No matter whether air-conditioned, "VIP" or not - the minimum eleven-hours bus ride from Pattaya to Nongkai is definitely the least comfortable transport option for getting to Vientiane - especially for XXL-sized Farangs. And unless you have adapted a sufficient amount of Thai mentality, you will probably find it as hard to fall asleep as I did during the seemingly never-ending journey?
On the other hand, a bus ride is cheap and doesn't require you to travel via Bangkok as coaches leave directly from Central Pattaya.

Public bus service - with relatively comfortable VIP coaches - from Pattaya to the Northeastern provinces of Isaan (Nakhon Ratchasima, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Nongkhai) is provided by the 407 Pattana bus company.
407 Pattana, serving the busy Rayong-Udon Thani (Nongkhai) route, operate a little bus stop - including a ticket office and a canopied waiting hall - at the Petronas gas station (formerly Q8), Sukhumvit Road, just around the corner from Pattaya Klang. Air-conditioned coaches leave a dozen times daily and stop only at major bus terminals along the way (including an approx. twenty-
minutes stop in Nakhon Ratchasima. Upon leaving the coach you should be handed over a voucher - worth twenty Baht - by the stewardess, which can be used for purchasing a meal in the bus terminal's food court.) If there shouldn't be enough passengers who continue their journey to Nongkhai, you might be required to change the bus in Udon Thani.
A few buses leave in the morning hours. From afternoon to the late evening hours VIP coaches leave every thirty minutes. If you want to visit the Thai consulate in Vientiane the following morning (visa application before 12h) a night trip is recommended anyway.
The approximately 11 to 12-hours bus ride to Nongkhai costs just above 500 Baht (February 2008). Due to a continuously surging oil price, however, this fare may be expected to increase soon. Advance booking is recommended, especially before Thai public holidays when many local Thais travel back to their home provinces upcountry (e.g. Songkran).

From Nongkhai bus station to the Thai border post at Friendship bridge it's just a 10-minutes Tuktuk ride at approx. 60 Baht. Many drivers will ask you whether you already had a Lao visa. No matter what you reply, they will try
to take you to a "visa office" halfway between the bus station and the bridge where your visa would be arranged "cheaper" than at the immigration post. Whereas having a visa in advance reportedly speeds up the process at the border, the truth is - of course - that this service is slightly more expensive than the regular visa fee - to compensate for the Tuktuk driver's commision.
If you do not fancy using this service, just tell the driver to take you directly
to the border; a Lao visa-on-arrival - as the name says - is easily available upon arrival at the Lao border.

Test run of the railway link between Nongkhai and Laos

Mekhong river from the Thai-Lao Friendship bridhe

Where To Stay In Vientiane? Hotels & Guesthouses

Apart from a few upscale boutique-style hotels, there are numerous cheap guesthouses and low-budget hotels in Vientiane - catering mainly to young backpackers and an increasing number of visa-runners from Thailand. Most guesthouses are concentrated in the areas around the Nam Phou fountain and along the Mekhong riverside and its side-streets. Due to the density of low-budget accomodation in these areas - with dozens of guesthouses and small hotels - it should be easy to find a cheap room within minutes. When coming straight from the border the Thai consulate, just take a tuktuk to the Mekhong river ("Mae Nam Kong") or the Nam Phou fountain and start your search from there.
Room rates, depending on the room standard, range from less than to 200 to approximately 800 Baht. You can choose between dormitory-type rooms, fan rooms of different standards and air-conditioned rooms with TV, fridge, warm water a.s.o. Basically you may expect to spend around 500 Baht for a clean and decent room in a central location near the Mekhong riverside. Payments are possible in Lao Kip, Thai Baht and US dollars.

During the last couple of years, responding to the needs of growing tourism,
a number of upscale hotels have been built in Vientiane which correspond to the taste and demands of sophisticated travellers, too, and complement the choice of reasonable hotels in the two to 4-star range. The most notable of these new constructions, completed only in 2004, is the Don Chan Palace hotel at the Mekhong riverside. With its 14 floors - overlooking the Mekhong valley and Vientiane city and home to a popular discotheque, open till 4 am on weekends - this is the tallest building not only in the capitol but all over the Lao PDR.
Room rates for mid-class hotels of a decent quality standard start at only 30 US$ (~1000 Baht), up to more than 100 US$ for a luxury suite in a posh five-
star hotel. As in guesthouses, payments are possible in Lao Kip, Thai Baht and US dollars. Tip: Online booking at discount internet rates is generally a lot cheaper than the "walk in" rate.
Vientiane Hotel Directory & Location Map

Please note that, according to a "secret" Lao law, in most guesthouses you will not be allowed to entertain female Lao guests in your room - unless you are legally married. In other words: Sexual relationships between foreigners and local women are prohibited by Lao law. Penalties, if "caught in the act", may be severe, and the foreigner may be jailed or deported, on top of paying
a hefty fine. Or how about getting married quickly - just in order to "legalize" your "dirty deeds" belatedly? Police raids might not be very common - but if you take a girl to your room and she should rob you during your well-served sleep, this law makes it virtually impossible to obtain assistance from the police.
Hence most guesthouses will not allow foreigners to take freelance Lao girls back to their rooms. Hotels will categorically not allow you to enjoy company overnight. So if you can't live without "it" for a night or two, please ask at the reception - before checking in - whether female guests would be allowed or not.
Two low-budget guesthouses on Sai Lom Yen - roughly between the Morning market and the Nam Phou fountain - will kindly ignore guests of whatever sex you take back to your room for whatever "illegal" activity. So if you don't mind sleazy hotels with rather poor room standards, please ask your tuktuk driver to drop you off at Sailom Yen Guesthouse or Nita Guesthouse - both on the same street. Room rates start at less than 200 Baht (fan room, cold water), up to approximately 450 Baht for an air-con room with TV, fridge, a bath tub and hot water. No extra charge for overnight visitors.

In addition, some places insist on an early nightly curfew and lock the front door without giving you a key; others employ night clerks. If you fancy late-
night activities (though there aren't many options for night revellers as most
of the few bars there are in Vientiane close around midnight anyway) make sure you'll be able to get back in.

Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge

The Thai-Lao Friendship bridge (Saparn Mittaparp) between the Northeastern Thai province of Nongkhai and the Lao PDR was the first bridge to cross the lower Mekhong river and to link the communist country with the Kingdom of Thailand. With a length of 1170 meters, the bridge has two road lanes, two footpaths and a railway line in the middle.
Opened in April 1994, it significantly boosted tourism and trade between both countries. The construction of a 35-km long railway link crossing Friendship bridge from Nongkhai to Thanaleng railway station in Laos has recently been completed. According to newspaper reports, it is expected to open for public service in August 2008.
From the Lao border post it's just approx. 30-minutes drive to the Lao capitol Vientiane.
The Thai border post opens at 6 am (make sure you wait in the correct queu; there are different queus for Thai, Lao and foreign visitors). Please note that you should have at least 1½ blank pages left in your passport, needed for the Lao visa sticker, exit and entry stamps; otherwise Thai immigration would not be allowed to let you leave the Kingdom. In case of an "overstay" you will get charged 500 Baht overstay fine per day, to be paid in the main building left of the immigration booths.
Upon receiving your exit stamp, a shuttle bus will take you across the bridge to the Lao border post. Officially the ticket costs 15 Baht (for little transparent reasons sometimes 20 Baht are being charged). It is not allowed to cross the bridge on foot. Although the Thai border post opens at 6 a.m., the first shuttle bus will depart not before 7 a.m. - before which time only private vehicles and tour buses may ctoss the bridge. From 7 a.m. on shuttle buses should leave every ten to twenty minutes.
Direct buses from Nongkhai (30 Baht) and Udon Thani (80 Baht) arrive and depart from the Morning market (Talat Sao) bus terminal (advance booking recommended). However, these comfortable buses are not an option if you plan to obtain a Lao visa on arrival at the bridge as the bus won't wait long enough.

Lao Visa On Arrival & Visa Fees

Unless you have used the service of a "visa office" in Nongkhai to arrange your Lao visa in advance - as usually suggested by tuktuk drivers -, a Lao visa-on-arrival can be obtained easily at the Lao border post at Friendship bridge. Just fill the application form - available from the immigration officer
at the right counter behind the dark glass front of the immigration building, and submit the form and pay the visa fee at the left counter. After several minutes your visa - a one-page sticker or stamp - will be issued.
Before receiving your "entry stamp" at the immigration booth for "Foreign Passports" please fill your arrival/departure card.

The Lao visa-on-arrival fee for visitors from most foreign countries is US$30. Payment in Baht is accepted, too, but slightly more costly than payment in US dollars. For example, when paying your visa fee in Thai Baht, you'd get charged 1300 Baht instead of US$30 (~1000 Baht). Therefore exchanging a few Thai Baht to US dollars in advance, saves you a couple of hundred Baht which easily pay for your transfer to Vientiane. (There is a money exchange booth just around the corner from the visa-on-arrival counter, too.)
From 6 to 8 a.m. and after 4 p.m., applicants get charged an "overtime fee" of either 40 Baht or US$1. In addition, an "entry fee" (10 Baht) may be charged.
Visa-on-arrival fees for international visitors are as follows.

United Kingdom, USA	US$ 35
Austria, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey	US$ 35
Canada	US$ 42
China, Cuba, Vietnam	US$ 20
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka	US$ 40
Other countries	US$ 30

From Friendship Bridge To Vientiane City

Basically there are three option for getting to Vientiane City - approximately
20 km from Friendship bridge: taxi or minibus, tuktuk and public bus. Right after crossing the border officially, you'll bump into dozens of tuktuk and taxi drivers, all offering their services at what you might find stunningly high fares. Rip-off?! Not necessarily. As fuel prices in Laos are higher than in Thailand, means of transportation here are relatively expensive when compared to the Kingdom. If you want to reduce your transfer costs, ask other "visa-runners" (of whom many head straight to the Thai consulate) whether they want to join your tuktuk or taxi ride and share the cost.
If you plan to stay in Vientiane for only one night and you wish to obtain your new visa for Thailand on the next day, pleae note that you will have to apply for your visa at the Thai consulate before 12 pm. If so - and it should be past 9 a.m. already -, it is recommended to drive directly to the consulate before looking for a room. All tuktuk and taxi drivers, used to the daily flood of visa-
runners, understand the English words "Thai embassy". Many of them will offer to wait for you in front of the consulate to take you to a hotel room or guesthouse afterwards.

Tuktuks, the most traditional and least comfortable means of transportation, are available from roughly 150 Baht up. As there are no fixed rates, the price will basically depend on what you are willing to pay for the approximately 30 to 40-minutes ride to Vientiane and driver's readiness to accept your offer. If you should manage to find a tuktuk driver who promises to charge you just a fraction, you can be sure you won't be his only passenger but he will pick up and drop off other (Lao) passengers all along the way - which may extremely retard your arrival at the embassy (or your hotel room).
Unless you travel with a group of friends anyway, it can significantly reduce your costs of transport if you share the tuktuk with other travellers.

Taxis are available from roughly 200 Baht up. Even though most taxis are retired models from Bangkok whose heydays may date back to the 1970s and air-conditioning, if installed, often doesn't work properly, these "vintage" taxis are still a fairly comfortable, relatively fast and cheap alternative to slow and noisy tuktuks, especially when sharing the costs of transport with other travellers.
Air-conditioned minibuses are available at roughly 300 Baht and are definitely the most comfortable means of transport to Vientiane, especially when you're travelling with a group of friends and you can share the costs. Unfortunately, though, there aren't many minibuses available yet.
A taxi or minibus ride to Vientiane should not take longer than 30 minutes.

Public bus service (tiny, overcrowded "microbuses" without air-conditioning and relatively slow) from the border to Vientiane's "Morning market" (Talaat sao) bus terminal is available from a bus stop on the main road, behind the car park at Friendship bridge. As signage is nonexistent, however, you may be in for a lengthy wait. I have used this local bus only once, back in 2001 when the fare was just 10 Baht and for the sake of an "adventure". The bus fare may be 20 Baht now (?) but I'm sure the bus ride is still as much of an "adventure" as it was during my first visit to Vientiane. Unless you are really on a budget, I'd recommend you to stick to taxis or minibuses: slightly more expensive but dfinitely worth it. In addition (in case you're heading straight to the Thai consulate) you would still need a Tuktuk to get there from Morning market.

The railway link between Nongkhai and Thanaleng station near Friendship bridge is expected to open for public service in August 2008. Reportedly a plan to extend the line from Thanaleng station to Vientiane city is underway. If so, it should be possible to take a train straight from Bangkok to Vientiane sometime in the future - possibly provided you have obtained your Lao visa in advance? Whatever, expect several years to pass by before this project will be completed.

Basic Guide To Vientiane: Things To Do And See

The communist Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), established in 1975, is one of the poorest nations in Southeast Asia. However, in the capital Vientiane you will probably notice as little of this poverty as of the Lao PDR's official doctrine. Surprisingly not more police and military than in Thailand are present in Vientiane.
The official language is Lao, a tonal language closely related to Thailand's Northeastern Isaan dialect. In spite of minor differences in pronunciation and vocabulary, most Lao people, especially in Vientiane, understand Thai fairly well.
The local currency is the Lao kip (LAK) which is inconvertable outside Laos and comes in notes of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000, 20,000 and 50,000 kip. Coins are not in use. In Vientiane and areas near the border Thai Baht and US dollars are readily accepted, so unless you feel the urge to feel like
a "millionaire" for a while (in Laos you can be one for less than US$ 1200!), there's no real need to exchange to Lao kip.
The exchange rate is about 9000 kip to the US Dollar and 13,000 to the Euro. For one Thai Baht you shouldl get around 260 Lao kip (July 2008). For up-to-
date exchange rates please visit the website of Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao.
ATMs can be found throughout Vientiane; depending on the bank operating the ATM, not all accept international credit cards, though. In addition, many run out of money sometimes as their stock of Lao kip gets exhausted in the course of the day. Compared to Thailand, transaction fees are expensive, so using Lao ATMs on a regular basis can definitely not be recommended. The same restrictions as for international cards apply to Thai ATM (debit) cards, so look out for ATMs with international card logos if you should really need one.
International phone calls can be made from one of the numerous internet cafés found along Thanon Setthathirat (2nd Road, so-to-say). Thai mobile phones with Thai sim cards can be used throughout the city. As prices for roaming are relatively high, though, it's recommended to switch your phone off after crossing Friendship bridge. You can receive the Thai signal right on the Mekhong riverside and make phone calls to Thailand at Thai rates.

Vientiane, the capital of Laos since the 19th century and the times of French colonialism - a position it kept after its independence from France (1953) and after the communists took over during the 1975 revolution - is the largest city in the Lao PDR, with an estimated population of only 200,000.
Compared to the hectic, bustling streetlife of Bangkok or other Southeast Asian capitals, Vientiane's deliciously relaxing atmosphere makes it feel like the small town it is. Little traffic, little people and, to tell the truth, little to do and see. After you've done some sightseeing and possibly some shopping in the Talaat Sao (Morning market), the best thing to do here is wander down to one of the riverside beer gardens, kick back with a cold Beerlao - the yummy Lao national beer, and watch the sun set over the Mekong.
Around the Nam Phou fountain, along the riverside road (Thanon Fa Ngum) and its sidestreets there are also dozens of restaurants serving anything from traditional Lao food, Thai cuisine and French-style baguettes to international cuisine on "gourmet" level at very reasonable prices. Anything available from grasshoppers to pizzas, steaks, Indian curries and tex-mex food. Dozens of unpretentious eateries and beer gardens line the Mekhong riverside. Whereas seating might not be the most comfortale, these are great places to enjoy the sunset and a cheap Beer Lao. There are also a couple of traditional massage parlours providing relaxing massage services at very reasonable prices and in clean air-conditioned surroundings. "Extra" services as you might kow them from Pattaya massage parlours are not abailable. As the name says: traditional Lao massage (including oil massage).
Getting around in Vientiane is fairly easy. As the city centre itself is small and areas of touristic significance are concentrated within a radius of a few kilometers, many destinations can be reached on foot. The ubiquitous tuk-
tuks can be chartered from nearly every street corner. As there are no fixed tuk-tuk routes, it is recommened to agree on a fare in advance to avoid bad surprises and arguments upon arrival. All tuk-tuk drivers carry a fare card for popular destinations but as these fares are a bit inflated a little negotiation is recommended. Taxis - old models retired from Bangkok - can be chartered from Friendship Bridge and Wattay airport, from near the Morning market or larger hotels. Fares are set by bargaining. Note: As fuel prices in Vientiane are relatively high, means of transportation here are rather expensive when compared to Thailand.
So what to do do, where to go and what to see in Vientiane? Well ... Apart from visiting local Buddhist temples or the Patuxay monument ("victory gate"
which a surprisingly frank English-language sign inside the monument labels a "monster of concrete") or trips into the surrounding countryside, there isn't actually so much to discover. Shopping? Vientiane is definitely not Bangkok, and apart from a few handicrafts, textile and souvenir shops in the Nam Phou fountain and Mekhong riverside areas, spoilt shopping fanatics won't find a lot of interest. Cheap Lao cigarettes, liquors and wine? Or how about a shopping spree at Talaat Sao (Morning market) opposite the main bus terminal. Talaat Sao, despite its name open only from 9 am through late afternoon, is a large collection of indoor stalls selling textiles, clothes, watches, electronics, gold, jewellery and pretty much of anything. Unlike Thailand's impressive shopping malls, the two floors of the Morning market are not air-conditioned. If you are lucky and manage to find a model that properly works - on the long run -, the best bargain here is probably a counterfeit mobile phone made in China. Top of the notch models such as Nokia N96 or N 95 are available at around 3000 Thai Baht. Imports into Thailand are illegal, of course, and the risk of buying a phone that refuses to operate after a while are included in the ridiculously low price.
But before going into further details about all those things that you could do
if you weren't here on a visa trip (but as a backpacker travelling the whole of Southeast Asia, keen on Buddhistic culture, temples or the Lao rain forest), I'd rather cut a long story short - there isn't actually so much to discover in Vientiane. When you're here for the first time, you'll probably find Vientiane worth a several-days stay, why not? If you're looking for a quiet retreat from the bustling nightlife of Pattaya and Bangkok, you'll probably find Laos quite enjoyable. In my opinion, though, to tell you the truth, the best things about
a visa run to Vientiane are 1) the Thai consulate, 2) cheap and yummy Beer Lao and 3) getting back to Thailand.

Thai Embassy Vientiane: Visa Application & Procedure

The Royal Thai embassy, located on Route Phonekheng, opens from 8.30h to 12h in the morning and from 13h to 16h in the afternoon. Except for Thai and Lao holidays, it opens daily from Monday to Friday. Visa application is from 8.30h to 12h. It takes one working day to issue the visa. You can pick
up your passport the following day after 13h. Since it's become increasingly busy at the embassy in recent years, especially on Mondays and following public holidays, it is recommended to turn up early to make sure your visa application gets approved before noon. Allegedly it is a bit quieter during the week but on Mondays you may have to queue up for up to 1½ hours. Thanks Buddha, they have a set up a tent now which minimizes the risk of getting a sunburn while waiting in queue.

The visa application process consists of two steps. First you'll have to queue
up at the open booth on the left of the embassy compound (see image above, left) to submit your passport, application form, photos, copy of your passport or whatever documents are required for the type of visa you wish to apply for. Apart from a fully filled application form, you will need two recent photographs and a copy of your passport - no further documents required for a Thai tourist visa. If you do not have the photos and passport copy with you yet, there is a photo shop with a copy machine a few hundred meters down the road. There is another copy machine in the building right of the Thai embassy.
The visa application form is available from embassy staff behind the counter or can be downloaded directly from their website. (There are dozens of Lao guys hanging about in front of the Thai embassy who offer a helping hand to do the visa paperwork for you. Their rates are low, so "up to you" whether to use their services, but I assume you shouldn't need their assistance.)
Embassy staff behind the counter will check whether your documents are complete and collect your passport.
You'll then have to walk over to the main embassy building (see image above, right), wait for embassy staff to call out your name and pay your visa fee.
The visa fees are as follows:
Tourist visa - 1000 Baht per entry (double-entry 2000 Baht)
Non-Immigrant visa - 2000 Baht per entry
One Year Non-Immigrant visa - 5000 Baht (multiple entry)
For further details please contact the Royal Thai embassy in Vientiane:
Tel. (856-21) 214 581-3, Email thaivtn@mfa.go.th
Their website also provides some useful information about office hours and official holidays as well as documents required for individual visa types. www.thaiembassy.org/vientiane

If you have had a sleepless night on a bus or train behind you - plus all the hassle at the border and the embassy - you may take a deep breath now. You've left the hardest part of your visa run behind you and may be looking forward to an icecold Beerlao! Unless a driver has been waiting for you, dozens of tuktuks are available right in front of the embassy.

Lao Nightlife, Bars & Girls?

Vientiane Bars & Clubs Vientiane Girls & Freelance Prostitutes

The good news first: Beerlao, the Lao national beer - now also available in a strong dark version which is, albeit a bit sweet on the long run, even tastier than the original "light" version - is not only cheap but also extremely tasty.
It usually comes in large bottles (0.66l). Depending on whether you drink in
a riverside food stall or an "upscale" pub or disco, prices vary from 8000 to approx. 15,000 Lao Kip. This is roughly between 30 and 60 Thai Baht, US$
1-2 or less than £1.
And here are the bad news: Vientiane is neither Pattaya nor Bangkok. In fact, nightlife in some Thai small towns - e.g. Udon Thani - is probably more exciting than the handful of entertainment venues awaiting "night owls" in the Lao capital. Nightlife in Vientiane is limited to less than half a dozen of bars, nightclubs and discos, and - except for Lao-style clubs such as "Snack Bar" between the Nam Phou fountain and the riverside road - none of these places employs professional or "bar-fine-able" hostesses as in Pattaya or Bangkok. Lao girls who want to meet foreigners ply their trade on a freelance basis and may be found all over Vientiane - in discotheques, bars or beer gardens - but do not expect girls to yell at you: "hello sexy man!" Vientiane's inofficial sex trade is lively but much more discrete than in Thailand.
Another drawback of Vientiane's nightlife is an extremely early curfew. Most places will close before midnight. Whereas some clubs and discos may stay open until past 1h, it's getting increasingly hard to find a halfway entertaining watering hole past 2 a.m.. The most notable exception at the moment is the extremely popular discotheque and outside bar at the Don Chan Palace that stays open until 4 a.m. on weekends. And unless all doors are really closed for the night, most tuk-tuk drivers should readily take you to the in-place to go for after-hour boozers. Some weird places are always open until the early morning hours: This might be a Lao-style "disco" on 30 sqm or a nightclub in the basement of a private suburban villa?
So having said there are only a handful of bars in Vientiane which generally close before midnight and don't employ professional "bar girls", doesn't mean you cannot have fun in Laos. Except for whatever discotheques might be the "flavour of the month" (which frequently changes!) and an abundance of "beer gardens" at the Mekhong river promenade, I'd recommend you to stick to one of the following three places for a cool Beer Lao, good music, a game of pool and - Buddha knows? - pleasant female company.

Khop Chai Deur Restaurant & Bar
Khop Chai Deu Bar & Restaurant, located near the Nam Phou fountain on Setthathirat Rd. and set in an old French colonial villa, features international cuisine, cool drinks and cocktails, live music, an American pool table and a very popular outdoors bar, regularly packed during the evening. Celebrating its 10th anniversary in 2008, Khop Chai Deu has been the ultimate place to go for many years and a popular meeting point for Lao locals, backpackers and expats alike. If you're looking for freelance Lao girls, Bor Pen Yang has probably outstripped Khop Chai Deu by now, but it is still a great to start a night out in Vientiane. www.khopchaideu.com
Open daily from 9h to 23.30h. Happy hours all day till 8 p.m.

Bor Pen Nyang Bar & Restaurant
Bor Pen Nyang on Thanon Fa Ngum - right at the Mekhong riverside - is a breezy fourth-floor rooftop bar & restaurant, overlooking the Mekong river and offering awesome sunset views. The 2nd floor of the Bor Pen Nyang complex features a pool and snooker hall. The huge open-air rooftop bar offers Lao and international cuisine, cool drinks, cocktails and the allegedly most extensive choice of liquors and fine whisky all over Laos. Two snooker-style pool tables and traditional Lao show performances cater for your entertainment.
Since its opening just a few years ago, Bor Pen Nyang has kind of outdone Khop Chai Deu and quickly established itself as the ultimate meeting point for travellers, locals and expats. Open until before midnight, Bor Pen Nyang attracts a large number of freelance Lao girls who typically hang about in a group of friends and party the (early) night away before moving on to Samlor Pub or a discotheque which ignores the official early curfew. If you're looking for female company, this is definitely the place to go.
www.borpennyang.com

Samlor Pub
Samlor Pub on Setthathirat Road, right opposite the temple, has long been one of only a few bars in Vientiane and was packed every evening. Now that there is more competition, the place doesn't seem to get really busy before other bars prepare to close but is open longer than its competitors, usually until 1 a.m. Samlor pub features live sports on TV, loud but - in my opinion - excellent music and an extremely worn out American pool table. It looks as
if many of Vientiane's freelance hookers hang about here for an hour or two after the other places have switched off their lights and before moving on to
a disco or party. If you haven't been lucky at Bor Pen Nyang or Khop Chai Deu but are desperate for some company, you should try your luck here.

Lao girls who want to meet foreigners ply their trade on a freelance basis and can be found all over town - in discotheques, bars, streetside cafés or - not at all! Indeed - you might need a bit of good luck sometimes to find company for the night and have to be much more persistent and proactive than in Thailand where bar girls literally drag you in and offer their services quite frankly. If the easiness of finding a sex partner in Thailand has already spoilt you, this may seem a bit strange in the beginning, but - you may be assured that all single girls you come across in one of the pick-up joints listed above are freelance prostitutes just waiting for the right chat-up line, - you might just be required to make the first step. In addition, most Lao girls speak decent English and are often more interesting and fun to talk to than most professional Thai bar girls with their silly "sexy man" and "where you from?" approach. Many Lao girls have their own motorcycles, too, and might readily invite for a joyride to a disco or offer to take you back home to your room?
For some odd reason, on certain days there's an abundance of freelance Lao girls hanging about at the relevant places whereas, on other days, there are hardly any girls around, and those who you meet might not be interested in you? Well - working on a voluntarily basis in Vientiane's inofficial sex trade,
it is basically "up to them" when they want to make a few Kip. In addition -many Lao girls have foreign boyfriends who regularly send them money from abroad whereas others frequently cross the border to Thailand and work for a few months in the bars of Udon Thani or even Bangkok. As said above, other than in the bars of Pattaya, you might need a bit of good luck?
To sum it up: You might be lucky and bump into an extremely nice Lao girl within minutes after taking seat on a bar stool or simply waste your evening in search of the nonexisting, get pissed on cheap Beerlao and stagger back to your room alone. (Though even then, on your way back home, you might still come across a "needy" Lao lady standing by the roadside, who makes your day by spending the night with you? Vientiane is simply unpredictable.)

If you happen to find a Lao girl who is ready to accompany you back to your room, expect to pay roughly the same prices for sexual services as across the border in Thailand. Since visa regulations for Lao nationals who want to visit Thailand have become a lot easier than just a decade ago, many girls have plied their trade in Thai bars and got used to more than just a couple
of drinks or a meal in return for sexual favours. Whereas most Lao girls will be happy with anything between 500 and 1000 Baht, some stunners (and there are a few!) might ask for even more. As in Thailand, it's up to you to negotiate.
Please note that, according to a "secret" Lao law, in most guesthouses you will not be allowed to entertain female Lao guests in your room - unless you are legally married. In other words: Sexual relationships between foreigners and local women are prohibited by Lao law. Penalties, if "caught in the act", may be severe, and the foreigner may be jailed or deported, on top of paying
a hefty fine. Or how about getting married quickly - just in order to "legalize" your "dirty deeds" belatedly? Police raids might not be very common - but if you take a girl to your room and she should rob you during your well-served sleep, this law makes it virtually impossible to obtain assistance from the police.
Hence most guesthouses will not allow foreigners to take freelance Lao girls back to their rooms. Hotels will categorically not allow you to enjoy company overnight. So if you can't live without "it" for a night or two, please ask at the reception - before checking in - whether female guests would be allowed or not.
Probably because of this unpleasant law, many Lao freelance girls will prefer to stay with you only "short time" rather than spend the whole night with you. Another reason, of course, is that many have regular daytime employments and have to be back at work in the morning.
As with freelance girls in Thailand, due diligence is a must when picking up freelance Lao girls - some might develop "long fingers" during your sleep, and your chances of finding the same girl again are virtually as low as zero. This applies even more to a bunch of Lao ladyboys hanging about at the riverside promenade during the late evening hours - they might rob you in the middle
of the street while chatting with you and grabbing for your private parts ...
Take care & good luck!

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