Vientiane is many travellers’ first experience of Laos. It has accommodation to suit every budget. These are the best hostels in Vientiane.
Our Laos adventure began in its capital city, Vientiane. We arrived after crossing the friendship bridge border from Nong Khai.
On arrival, Vientiane seemed like many other South East Asian cities. We stepped off a bus and were immediately surrounded by tuKtuk drivers eager for our business. We could already see the street food vendors all over the bus station selling grilled meats, bananas and noodle soup. Everywhere was BUSY!
There were some noticeable differences though. First of all, we were immediately approached by young children, plastic bowl in hand, asking for money. This was not something we had seen in Thailand.
Secondly, baguettes are VERY popular in Vientiane. In the bus station, there are numerous stalls selling big, crispy baguettes filled with meat and salad.
The third surprise was that something was missing. Something wasn’t quite right. There was no 7-Eleven!!! 7-Eleven is not a thing in Laos like it is in Thailand where there is one on every corner!
Where To Stay In Vientiane
CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL ACCOMMODATION IN VIENTIANE!
These are some of the best budget hostels in Vientiane, according to user reviews. These are affiliate links to the Agoda web site. I found Agoda to be much better than booking.com in Southeast Asia. I receive a small amount for any bookings made through these links at no extra cost to you.
- Intouch Guest House
- Niny Backpacker Hotel
- Backpackers Garden Hostel
- Khow Hoom
- Central Vienna Hostel
- TT Hostel
- Dream Home Hostel
- Green Box Capsule Hostel & Hotel
Mixok Inn Vientiane
The prices of rooms in Vientiane should have given us early warning that Laos was more expensive than Thailand. The Mixok Inn (map) was over our usual preferred budget but was central and had decent reviews, compared to others in this price range.
The rooms are above a restaurant. and are very basic. You can request them to be cleaned and towels changed as often as you like. This suited me perfectly. I don’t need hostels to change my bedding and towels every day. Similarly, I don’t like hostels to not change them at all if I’m staying for more than a few days. At Mixok, you can leave a sign on your door to request your room be cleaned or undisturbed. This is the best system, I reckon.
Basic, but clean. Did the job.
Shower for small person?
We had a decent stay at the Mixok but there were three points I feel I should pre-warn you about.
- Wifi: the wifi was simply shocking. It was non-existent at times. It worked better in the communal area, but don’t plan on doing much downloading/streaming/messenger whilst here. I had a good day of blogging but most times I couldn’t even use the internet.
- Opening hours: this nearly caught us out on the first night. The place actually shuts down at 11.30! Nobody told us this and we returned on the first night at around half past midnight to find a locked, dark hotel! It was only us banging on the window that alerted the staff to come and let us in. I’m sorry but a hotel that has a curfew is ridiculous, especially one before midnight!
- Don’t book a minibus with them: I know they are only acting as a third party, but I asked repeatedly if the bus we had booked to take us to Vang Vieng was spacious and that we wouldn’t be crammed into a small van. They assured we would not be crammed into a small van. As it turned out, we were crammed into a small van.
Those are the negatives but, despite all that, we had a decent enough stay here. It is cheap, clean and centrally locate.
Click here to book a stay at Mixok Inn.
THINGS TO DO IN VIENTIANE
