Thailand's northern neighbor, Laos, is a mountainous and landlocked country, which attracts visitors with its laid-back lifestyle and beautiful landscapes. As flights from Thailand to Laos can be pricey, many tourists opt for the overland Thailand-Laos border crossing via the First Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge from Nong Khai to Vientiane.
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Thailand-Laos Border Crossing
There are few options for traveling from Bangkok to Nong Khai, the town where the First Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge and Thailand-Laos border crossing are located. You can choose one of the following:
Fly from Bangkok to Udon Thani Airport and then take a bus from there to Nong Khai.
Take a train from Bangkok to Nong Khai on the northeastern line.
Take an overnight bus from Bangkok to Nong Khai.
Taking an overnight bus is a convenient enough and budget-friendly option if you wish to be at the border as early as possible, so we opted for it. More information about taking a bus from Bangkok to Nong Khai can be found here: Bangkok to Nong Khai by Bus.
Nong Khai Bus Station to Nong Khai Border Crossing
After spending all night on the bus, we arrived at Nong Khai bus station in the early morning. It didn’t take long, and we were offered a lift to the Nong Khai border crossing by some tuk-tuk driver. It took just about 10 minutes to get to the border from the bus station, and it cost 100 THB for two of us.
According to the published price list, a tuk-tuk ride from Nong Khai Bus Station to Friendship Bridge should cost 80 THB for 1 person and 50 THB per person for 2+ travelers.
If you will be arriving in Nong Khai by train, a tuk-tuk ride from Nong Khai Train Station to Friendship Bridge should cost around 30-50 THB.
However, expect tuk-tuk drivers to want to charge you more for such a trip.
Nong Khai Border Crossing - Thailand Side
The First Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge is open for Thailand-Laos border crossing every day from 06:00 until 22:00.
On Thailand's side, at the Nong Khai border crossing, everything is easy (if you are not overstaying your visa, for sure), as you just walk to the Thai immigration checkpoint, show your travel documents with a completed Thailand arrival/departure card (if you've received one on arrival), and get stamped out.
If you will be applying for a Laos visa on arrival, you will need a passport photo to enter Laos. In case you don't have one, passport photos can be taken for 100 THB (8 pieces) on the Thai side before crossing the border.
As no one is allowed to cross the Friendship Bridge by foot, there’s a bus service provided on the bridge. A ticket for the bus can be bought from the counter, which can be found just after leaving Thai immigration.
The current Friendship Bridge bus fare is 30 THB.
The bus crossing the bridge departs frequently, so we had to wait just a few minutes until being tightly packed in a crowded bus. It takes only a few minutes to cover the distance of 1.17 km between the two immigration checkpoints.
On the way, you can enjoy some views of the Mekong River, which in this area serves as the Thailand-Laos border.
If you will be taking the bus from Thailand all the way to Vientiane, after completing immigration, you can wait outside and board your bus. You don't actually need to buy a new bus ticket.
Thanaleng Border Crossing - Laos Side
The process on the Laos side depends on your visa situation, if you need to apply for a Laos visa on arrival or not.
Passport holders of the following countries don't need to apply for a visa on arrival as they can enter Laos without a visa for 14 to 30 days:
- 30 Days - Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam
- 15 Days - Japan, Luxembourg, and Switzerland
- 14 Days - Brunei, and Myanmar
In case you have received a Lao visa from the embassy or got your eVisa online, you also don't need to apply for a visa on arrival.
Travelers who don't need to apply for a Laos Visa on Arrival only need to fill out and submit the Laos arrival & departure card at the immigration counter.
Laos Visa on Arrival
Once the bus stops at Laos Immigration, head to the Visa on Arrival office (it’s clearly marked). Ask for the visa on arrival application form and arrival & departure card there and fill them in.
Give the completed Visa on Arrival form, 1 passport photo, passport, and money to the same window where you picked up the forms, and wait around the corner.
Laos Visa on Arrival fees vary depending on the nationality and the time of arrival.
Visa on Arrival price ranges from 30 USD to 45 USD. Most of the countries need to pay 40 USD. Visa on Arrival is actually 10 USD cheaper than getting an e-visa in advance.
An extra 1 USD is charged if your visa is processed out of the official working time. You will need to pay more Monday to Friday from 06:00 to 08:00 and from 16:00 to 22:00, as well as anytime on Saturday, Sunday, and public holidays.
The fee for the visa should be paid in USD, as it’s the cheapest option. Only new, current banknotes should be used, as US dollar bills must not show any tears or signs of wear to be accepted.
If possible, you should avoid paying in Thai currency, as the exchange rate used at Lao immigration is far from good. Lately they are charging most of the travelers 1,700 THB for the visa, which is significantly more than the rate in USD. When paying in US dollars, you can save about 5-10 USD compared to the fee paid in Thai baht.
There are ATMs available on site for you to withdraw Lao kips. However, it will still be more expensive than paying in US dollars, as they will charge you 2 USD extra for paying in LAK.
Your name will be called, or a passport photo will be waved around to get the passport back.
After this you proceed to the immigration counters and get your entry stamp there as your Thailand-Laos border crossing at this point is completed.
Bus from Laos Border to Vientiane City
The Friendship Bridge is about 20 km away from Vientiane, and there are many options to get there.
The cheapest option to get into the city from the Thailand-Laos border is to take the green and white air-conditioned bus #14. When you pass the last passport control, just walk through the taxi/tuk-tuk touts to a bus stop across the road and wait for the bus there.
The bus fare is 40 THB (cheaper if you pay in Lao Kip, as it costs 18,000 LAK).
The bus is running to the city roughly every 30 minutes, and it takes about 30 minutes to reach Vientiane’s central bus station (Talat Sao or Morning Market). At this bus station, you can transfer to one of many other Vientiane bus routes.
It is possible to take a tuk-tuk, taxi, or limousine, but obviously the price is higher.
Tips
You can also book transportation all the way from Bangkok to Vientiane instead of transferring by yourself. In such a case, the Thailand-Laos border crossing will be made at the same place, but you won't need to find any other transportation. Bus tickets for traveling between Thai and Lao capitals can be booked here: Transportation from Bangkok to Vientiane.
If you don't want to waste your time on a bus or train, just book a flight from Bangkok to Vientiane. After taking a flight, to get from Wattay International Airport (VTE) to Vientiane, you can use either shared transfer or private transfer.
To compare different transportation options for traveling from Thailand to Laos, use this search form.
