By bus or minivan it takes 2 hours to travel from Nong Khai to Vientiane. Some of the transfer services start with taking the train from Nong Khai over the border and then meeting passengers at the train station in Laos for the second part of the journey by road to Vientiane. There are no direct rail links between Nong Khai and Vientiane.
Bus Timetable from Nong Khai to Vientiane
Click on the ‘Nong Khai – Vientiane’ link in the timetable below for more information and to buy tickets.
Nong Khai - Vientiane ฿ 350 2h | |
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Nong Khai - Vientiane ฿ 330–380 2h – 2h 15m | |
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Bus Stop in Nong Khai
Bus services to Vientiane depart from Nong Khai Railway Station.
Arrival in Vientiane
Bus services from Nong Khai arrive in Vientiane at various location in the city including the Embassy of Thailand, 316 Rue Bourichane, Vientiane, Laos.
About Vientiane
Vientiane is the capital city of Laos, located on the Mekong River very near to Thailand. Vientiane is the only sizeable town in largely rural Laos and other than Luang Prabang it has the highest concentration of places to visit anywhere in the country. Vientiane is a very compact city and most of the major attractions are located within a kilometre of the Quai Fa Ngum Road, which is the riverside road where most foreign visitors to the city choose to stay. The city’s major landmark is the Patuxai Monument which resembles the Arc de Triomphe and was constructed to commemorate those who died in the struggle for independence from France. The Patuxai Monument is at one end of a long wide boulevard which leads to the Presidential Palace, past the impressive Wat Si Sa Ket, also known as Sisaket Museum.

The one major attraction in Vientiane which is located in a different part of the city is Wat Pha That Luang, which is located 4.7 km from the Quai Fa Ngum Road. Wat Pha That Luang is the most important temple in Laos and was constructed in its current form in the 1560s. Some people believe that a temple of some description was constructed on the same site during the lifetime of King Ashoka, the first Buddhist Emperor of India who reigned from around 268 to 232 BCE, to house the pelvic bone of the Buddha, which is the reason why the site is so important to Laos Buddhists, but not Thai Buddhists who destroyed the temple in 1828. It got rebuilt in 1930, and partially destroyed again in 1941 by the Thai Air Force, and rebuilt again.