12-Days Laos & China 2025 Day 3 : Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang

Thursday, January 29, 2026

12-Days Laos & China 2025 Day 3 : Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang

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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures

Laos & China 2025

Day 3 : Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang

Laos-China 2025 Day 3: 6th December (Saturday)

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Laos & China.

Day 3 - Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang:

Vang Vieng (Pool Party Hotel)>songthaew>Vang Vieng Railway Station>Laos-China HSR>Luang Prabang Railway Station>van>Luang Prabang>Downtown Hostel>walk>Mekong Riverview>Wat Phonxay>Luang Prabang Night Market>Downtown Hostel.

This is page 3 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D2: Vang Vieng | Go to Other Days | D4: Luang Prabang 02 >

Route recommendations, here are some tips on travelling to and around Laos:

1. Traffic Directions!

Traffic in Laos, is left-hand drive and vehicles drive on the right side of the road. So do bear this in mind when crossing the road OR when sitting at the front passenger seat. I made this mistake several times and boarded the car at the driver's side with the driver giving me a surprised look 😂.

2. Getting to Laos.

We flew AirAsia from KLIA Terminal 2 to Vientiane's Wattay International Airport; buying tickets earlier to get cheaper fares. Considering the potential difficulties with luggage storage during the later train journey in Laos, we also packed light (20kg checked-in luggage for two people). Together with carry-on luggage, we each had 17kg per person. Fare was MYR407 per pax.

3. Getting from town to town in Laos.
For Laos, getting between towns can be by hired vans, express bus or the Laos-China train. One can buy the bus tickets at the Vientiane Northern Bus Terminal (which is about half an hour away from town) directly from the counter. To book the Laos-China HSR Train tickets, it is recommended to use the LCR App, the official app of the railway. Note that tickets can only be booked three days before the travel date. There is no necessity to book with a Laos, Thai, or China mobile phone number; one can use a personal e-mail address. There are several online sites selling the train ticket, but these are ticketing agents and could be charging higher prices or even overselling.

We booked our train tickets from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna through the LCR App. For the Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna leg, electronic train tickets need to be changed to physical paper tickets at the Luang Prabang Train Station (at a counter of the ticketing office, so arrive earlier to do this).
Three days before our train journey, Anneh managed to purchase the Laos-China HSR Train tickets online for the for Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang leg. QR codes were issued for us to scan for entry into the train. Tickets were sold out fast, but she managed to get first-class tickets (at Kip258,000/USD10/RM51 per pax) . These cost slightly more than the second-class ones, which we had planned to buy. Luggage racks for big bags are limited, so best to use cabin-sized bags, which can be put on the overhead racks.

4. Getting around towns and cities in Laos.
In Laos, for short distances, one can use tuk-tuks or songthaews, which can be found at most street corners. Our regular songthaews driver in Vang Vieng was a Mr. Ser (WhatsApp: +856-2076-812-586), who took us around the town and also sent us to the Vang Vieng Railway Station the next day.
For longer distances to the outskirts, install InDrive or LOCA. For InDrive, one can negotiate to an agreeable price, but it may be difficult to hail a ride from the outskirts (as we experienced). LOCA seems to be a better bet, but as you must be able to receive the SMS verification code, it's highly recommended to get a local Laos SIM card upon arrival for reliable service and to easily receive that SMS. Pay for LOCA rides with Cash, Credit/Debit Card (Visa/Mastercard). Or with LOCA PAY, with automatic deductions for card payments after binding your card in the app. While card payments are convenient and offer instant e-receipts, a small fee (around 4% + 6,000 LAK) may apply, making cash payment preferred.

Note: Touch 'n Go e-Wallet doesn't seem to work in Laos. It works well in China and Thailand.

5. Immigration & Customs Requirements

For Laos, Malaysians are allowed to enter Laos without a visa for a maximum stay of 30 days per visit.
Click here for who can apply for the Lao eVisa and eVisa application form. This visa allows for a stay of up to 30 days and can be extended once. Alternatively, travelers can apply for a tourist visa at a Lao embassy or consulate before arrival, permitting a stay of up to 60 days with the option of an extension.
Click here for Laos e-Arrival Card & e-Departure Card submission. OR one can fill in paper forms, which are available at the airport, train stations, or during the flight.

6. Places & Things of Interests

There were many scenic places, interesting attractions, but one should not miss the following (Note: click on the GPS coordinates below for a directional map to the respective places):
a. Luang Prabang Old Quarter (UNESCO Heritage Listing) (GPS: 19.88328, 102.13871).
b. Wat Xieng Thong (ວັດຊຽງທອງ) (GPS: 19.8972, 102.14368).
c. Mekong River Viewpoint at Lamache Restaurant (GPS: 19.89091, 102.13254).
d. Mekong River Viewpoint at Mukdong Restaurant (ຮ້ານມັກດອງ) (GPS: 19.89028, 102.13195).

e. Wat Phonxay Xayana Songkham (GPS: 19.89040, 102.13297).
f. Luang Prabang Night Market (ຕະຫຼາດກາງຄືນຫຼວງພະບາງ) (GPS: 19.89044, 102.13517).

g. Phou Si Hill (ພະທາດພູສີ) (GPS: 19.89032, 102.13700).
h. Minipost Money Exchange (GPS: 19.88887, 102.13315), centrally located near the night market.

j. Laos Indigo Blue fabric and clothes; there are several boutiques in Luang Prabang selling these, try asking locals whether one can get these at nearby villages, could have an authentic experience there.

k. Laos colourful tribal fabric and clothes; these ones are from the Oma, a small ethnic community living in the hills of Phongsaly Province.

7. Food

a. Breakfast

- Inclusive breakfast (Vermicelli soup, fried rice, fried egg noodles, & sweet potato wedges) at Pool Party Hotel (GPS: 18.92728, 102.4509), Vang Vieng.

b. Lunch

Lao & Vietnamese Food at Saitara (GPS: 19.88978, 102.13152) in Luang Prabang:

1. Mok Paa - Authentic Steamed Herbs Fish wrap in banana leaf, 2. Fried Pork Ribs, 3. Fresh Vietnamese Spring Roll (Gỏi cuốn), 4. Fried mix Vegetables.

c. Late Tea Time Snacks

Khao Piak Sen (Lao Tapioca Noodle Chicken Soup) at Kao Piek Sen Hua Xiang (ເຂົ້າປຽກ ຫົວຊຽງ) (GPS: 19.88832, 102.13238) in Luang Prabang.

d. Dinner

Western Fare at Joma Bakery Café Hua Xieng (GPS: 19.88854, 102.13270) in Luang Prabang:

1. Apple Pie, 2. Tuna Melt, and 3. Ham & Edam Cheese Baguette.

8. Accommodations

First of two nights in Luang Prabang at the Downtown Hostel (GPS: 19.88823, 102.13142) at USD100 (MYR409) for two 2-pax rooms for two nights booked via Trip.com (Breakfast included); i.e. MYR102 per room per night.

9. Communicating with Each Other

When travelling in a group, it's important to be able to communicate with each other, especially if one gets lost from the rest.
In Laos, several telco companies have kiosks at the arrival hall of the Wattay International Airport. From the Unitel kiosk, we bought Unitel 5-G Physical Sim Cards and got the 5-Day 20GB card for 80,000 Kips (USD3.70 / RM15). Buy the Lao SIM cards at the airport, as in the city, it could be more expensive and harder to find.

10. Communicating with Locals

Except for those in the travel industry, in Laos, most locals speak Lao. As Laos was a former French protectorate, many older locals and tourist guides speak French.

To get by, it will be good to speak some rudimentary Lao.

10. Weather

The average day temperature in Vang Vieng was 31°C. The average day and night temperatures in Luang Prabang were 28°C and 14°C. A few weeks before leaving on the trip, we had checked the weather forecasts, and the average day and night temperatures in Luang Prabang were 24°C and 14°C. A warm front from the south had warmed up the weather.
Useful weather forecast sites for Laos is AccuWeather. For more detailed weather, including cloud cover and wind speed, use Weatherspark and Ventusky.

11. Navigation

Geo-tagging of places of interest was via FaceBook or Google Maps.

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PRELUDE

On a 4-Wheel buggy with hot-air balloons & a motor-paraglider in the background.

Yesterday, we spent a full day in Vang Vieng, discovering that it was the adventure capital of Laos. Although we did not get to ride on one of those beautiful hot-air balloons over the scenic mountain and paddy scenery, we did enjoy ourselves thoroughly.

Today, we hopped on an LCR (Laos-China Railway) High-Speed Train to head for Luang Prabang to spend a couple of nights. It's been ten years since my last visit to this UNESCO Heritage City during a 2016 Cycling Tour in Laos; I wonder how the place has changed. Will it still be that rustic, serene, and charming place?

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DAY 3: VANG VIENG TO LUANG PRABANG

Small Group (Non-cycling) Tour of Laos & China.

Day 3 - Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang:

(Zoom into Luang Prabang for more details)

(Click here for the Laos-China Day 3: Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang Route Map)

Most of the posts below are linked to my Facebook postings during the trip and are embedded here with some comments. (NOTE: Click on respective posts to link to the FB post to read more details. If you can't see the posts, please log out of your Facebook first. FB has recently changed its approach, and as such, all relevant links have now been inserted in the comments.)

To start the day, a simple, inclusive breakfast at the Pool Party Hotel before leaving Vang Vieng:
Vermicelli soup, fried rice, fried egg noodles, sunny-side ups & sweet potato wedges.

9:00am - Our Songthaew driver, Mr. Ser, had arrived on time and was patiently waiting for us.

His songthaew was quite big and more than comfortable for us and our luggage. With further ado, we boarded songthaew to head for the Vang Vieng Train Station. We will be taking the 10:45am Laos-China HSR Train to Luang Prabang.

The station is just four kilometres away, located at the outskirts of Vang Vieng. We sat back as the songthaew meandered through the rustic roads.
To avoid paying for high parking charges, most drivers drop passengers at an alternate "outside" drop-off point without entering the airport driveway /parking proper. From there, it was a short walk to the station proper.

Arrived at Vang Vieng Train Station to catch Laos-China HSR Train C92 to Luang Prabang. The C-prefix indicates that it is a high-speed train. The station is a relatively new building with a nice ceiling.

There is a need to go through a security check. After that, there is no need to show a printed ticket for entry. Just show the issued QR code to be scanned to enter the train platform.

Passengers filling Laos Departure Forms. One can fill out and submit this form online, but we decided to fill a physical form.

China arrival forms were also filled in physically for those heading to China. We will fill ours later, when given these forms on the train from Luang Prabang to Xishuangbanna. There is an online China Arrival Form, but at that point of time, there seems to be some bug in the system.

1040am: Laos-China HSR Train C92 arriving at Vang Vieng Railway Station. It will take us an hour and five minutes ride to the Luang Prabang Railway Station.

10:55am On board Laos-China HSR Train C92, our first-class coach seats two by two pax per row. There is not much space for big luggage at the luggage racks, which is why we're bringing along cabin-sized luggage to put on the overhead racks.

Green hills scenery along the way, near Pha Tang.

11:15am Approaching Phahom, some terraced paddies are seen on hillside.

As Laos is a hilly country, the train route goes through many tunnels

11:50am - Arrived at the Luang Prabang Railway Station. Taking our icon-style photo with the train before exiting the platform.

Outside the station, there’s a mad rush for vans to go to town as the station is quite a distance from the town (13km 45 mins). We didn't prebook, so we joined the rush, but it's possible to get one as the van drivers will canvas for passenger to fill up their vans before leaving.

After the mad rush, just outside the station, a nice, calming scenery.

1:00pm - The van dropped us at the main road, and we took a short walk to Downtown Hostel, our stay for two nights in Luang Prabang. It's still early, and our rooms are not ready yet.

So we dropped our luggage and headed out for lunch at Saitara, a restaurant with as good view of the Mekong River.

On the table: 1. Mok Paa - Authentic Steamed Herbs Fish wrap in banana leaf, 2. Fried Pork Ribs, 3. Fresh Vietnamese Spring Roll (Gỏi cuốn), and 4. Fried mix Vegetables.

Nearby was the Mekong Moon Inn, the place I stayed in during a 2016 Cycling Tour in Laos. Rate is at 400,000 kips (MYR73) per room per night now. I had good memories of my stay there, as it was a local, warm, family-run place.

4:00pm - Checked into Downtown Hostel, it's a cosy place with a large lounge/dining area where patrons can mingle or play pool. They also provide laundry services at a reasonable price (20,000kps per kg). It has strict rules of no footwear when entering the bedroom section.

Since we had just a light breakfast, we scooted out to have a snack of the famous Khao Piak Sen (Lao Tapioca Noodle Chicken Soup) at Kao Piek Sen Hua Xiang stall. It was very tasty compared to the ones we had in Delicious Noodles, Vientiane, a few days earlier.

A warm sunset at the Mekong and Nam Khan River confluence, viewed from Lamache Restaurant.

More sunset views, from Mukdong Restaurant. The long river cruise boats are still there, but operations seem to have been taken over by Chinese operators. They are quite competitive and are overzealous in getting patrons.

At the Wat Phonxay Xayana Songkham. There are many wats (temples) in Luang Prabang, this one is less visited, but it still has beautiful architecture with intricate craftsmanship. In fact, we like the less-visited temples as they are not so crowded and thus still retain their serene atmosphere. Also, entry to many of these is free.

At the Luang Prabang Night Market. This was more interesting than the Vientiane Night Market as it is still a street market with stalls selling mostly locally-made things. One can find many local handicrafts, souvenirs, Lao gold and silver accessories and trinkets, handbags, purses, cloth & clothes, etc.
There are many things to buy, and should one run out of Lao Kips, there is the Minipost Money Exchange just around the corner!

It's pretty hard to find the renowned Laos Indigo Blue fabric and clothes. We saw some at the night market, but they were not of that rich blue tone. Shown here together with some colourful tribal clothes; authentic ones are made by the Oma, a small ethnic community living in the hills of Phongsaly Province.

Ended the day with a very satisfactory Western pastry dinner (Apple Pie, Tuna Melt, and Ham & Edam Cheese Baguette) at Joma Bakery Café (Hua Xieng Outlet).

ຝັນດີ ແລະ ຝັນຫວານ.

(That's "fandi lae fan van" in Lao,

meaning "Goodnight and sweet dreams.")

(For more photos of Day 3, Click Here)

This is page 3 of a 12-page blog. Click Here To Go To Title Page.

< D2: Vang Vieng | Go to Other Days | D4: Luang Prabang 02 >

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