Travel to Laos: Questions and answers about traveling to Laos

1. I am soon going to travel up to Luang Prabang and from there I would like to travel by land to Hanoi. What is the best way to do this ? If possible I would like to avoid going back to Vientiane.

Answer: The best way to do this overland is going to Hanoi from Vientiane but since you want to avoid Vientiane you can go via XiengKhouang Province.


2. We are thinking of staying in Vientiane for 3 days at the Lao Orchid Hotel or the Le Calao Hotel. Which would you recommend?Also like to stay 5 days in Luang Prabang at the Le Calao Hotel or something similar but must have pool, any recommendations? Also could you please send me some information on tours and things to see and do in both places?

Answer: I would recommend Lao Orchid Hotel, it’s a good hotel, you can check review on internet, many people thinks the same as me. For Luang Prabang I would recommend grand hotel. You can check information on tours and things to see and do following these links:
http://travellaoandisaan.blogspot.com/2009/06/laos-tours.html
http://travellaoandisaan.blogspot.com/2009/06/laos-tours-luang-prabang-itinerary.html

3. I am visiting laos for 6 days starting next week. i am wondering whether i can rent a car with an English speaking driver for 3-4 days. How much will that cost? i would like to travel to LP and Van Vieng and whatever places in between.

Answer: You can rent a car with a driver, about the price, it depends on where you want to go. The price for city tour is USD 35 per day but if you traveling to Vangvieng and Luang prabang is quite expensive, they would charge USD 120- USD 150 per day.

4. I will be travelling to Laos from Siem Reap.How to get to Vientiane from Siem Reap? Bus or train? Plan to spend one night at Vientiane and how to travel
to Vang Vieng? Heading to famous Luang Prabang for 2 nights..How to go to Hanoi after Luang Prabang?

Answer: there’s no train from Siem Reap to Vientiane, you can either fly or take bus, taking a flight would be the most convenient, it would take you a very long drive if you choose to go by bus. From Vientiane you can take bus to Vangvieng, it takes about 3-4 hours. There’s direct flight from Luang Prabang to Hanoi.

5. I will be traveling with intrepid travel through Laos to Vietnam. The trip plans for us to travel overland from Vientiane to Hanoi through Lak Sao. I was wondering if this is an interesting route. Since the trip will be hours and hours in a minivan I am thinking maybe it would be preferable to fly from Vientiane to Hanoi. What do you think?

Answer: Yes, flying is the best option.

6. am going to Laos in August. My plan is to first stop in Vientiane and then goes to Luang Prabang. In Luang Prabang, I plan to take my Visa to Vietnam and then head to Hanoi.Could you please advise me on the possibilities for going from Luang Prabang to Hanoi? Bus and Airplane?

Answer: There’s direct flight from Luang Prabang to Hanoi, if you want to go over land you can go back to read question 1, I already answered it there.

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If you have questions about Laos please post your questions here or send me email at traveltolaos@gmail.com. I would be willing to answer to all questions.