Taking the bus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng – Budget Travel In Laos

If you are taking the bus from Vientiane to Vang Vieng, read on to discover how you can save money and make the journey more comfortable.

When you are walking around the streets of Vientiane close to the Mekong River, you will see many hostels and guesthouses advertising transfers to just about every likely destination from this capital city.

They vary slightly in price so it is best to shop around. However, do not be mistaken for thinking paying more means you will get a more comfortable bus! We could have paid less but bought from our guesthouse in the incorrect assumption that they would be less likely to put us on a horror-van.

How To Get From Vientiane To Vang Vieng

There are two types of bus to Vang Vieng from Vientiane: an ordinary bus or a ‘VIP’ minivan. We took the VIP option. We asked the reception of our hotel twice if the van would be comfortable and we wouldn’t be crammed in. Both times, he told us not to worry.

On the morning of departure, we were surprised when a songthauw pulled up outside our hotel. Surely, this was not going to be taking us all the way to Vang Vieng?

The songthauw then proceeded to pick more people up from various points across the city. It started to get really full, which at least reassured us that this would only be a short journey to the ACTUAL minivan.

We figured that would be the last pickup. We were wrong.

Once the van could no longer fit anyone else in, it was a very short journey to where our minivan was stationed.

The Actual Minivan To Vang Vieng

When I booked the minivan, I had a picture in my head of what I imagined it would look like. It was something like this:

Imagine my disappointment then, when I stepped from the songthauw and saw this:

All the backpacks were tied to the roof and we were crammed into the van. Even the aisle for people to get on the van was filled with extra seats that were pulled down from the adjacent seat. These were the most uncomfortable and one of them was slightly broken, meaning that whoever sat here would have to endure being sat at an angle for the whole journey. Poor them. Guess who got that seat?  🙁

How Far Is It From Vientiane To Vang Vieng

Vang Vieng is just over 130 km from Vientiane. The journey took about 4 and a half hours including a 20 minute break for a rest.

Don’t be fooled into thinking VIP minivan means you will be travelling in comfort. All it means is the van you will be travelling in a van that is a bit less rubbish than the non-VIP van. You will have to endure a cramped journey to get to Vang Vieng. But the reward when you get out of the van makes it more than worthwhile.

For more information, visit https://howdoigo.asia/vientiane-to-vang-vieng-bus-or-van/