Trains from Vientiane to Nong Khai

Travel by train is the most relaxed way to get from Vientiane in Laos to Nong Khai in Thailand as you avoid the crowds and the long queues wat the road border at the Thai-Lao Friendship. The nearest train station to Vientiane is currently Thanaleng Train Station, which is 30 minutes by road from Vientiane. From Thanaleng Train Station its a 15 minute train journey to Nong Khai Railway Station in Thailand.

Trains Times to Nong Khai

There are 2 direct train services a day from Thanaleng Train Station to Nong Khai.

• Please note: The services shaded in grey are not currently operating.

• The only seat type available on the Thanaleng to Nong Khai Train Service is a 3rd Class Fan Seat which costs 20 THB per person.
• Train #918 departing from Thanaleng Train Station at 17:30 arrives in plenty of time for passengers to clear immigration and board Train #26 from Nong Khai to Bangkok departing from Nong Khai at 19:10. Train #26 is the only train service from Nong Khai to Bangkok which has sleeper berths.

Buy Tickets to Nong Khai

Use the Search Box below to buy train tickets from Vientiane to Nong Khai:

Joint tickets, including both the cost of transfer by road from Vientiane to Thanaleng Train Station as well as the train ticket from Thanaleng to Nong Khai, are available to book online. To book onward train services from Nong Khai to Bangkok change the origin of travel in the Search Box to ‘Nong Khai’ and the destination to ‘Bangkok’ and click on the button to ‘Find Tickets’.

Location of Thanaleng Train Station

• Thanaleng Train Station is located in Dongphosy in Laos, which is 16.5 km from the Paxutay Monument in Vientiane City Centre.

Location of Nong Khai Train Station

• Trains services from Thanaleng Train Station in Laos terminate at Nong Khai Railway Station which is located in Thailand 3.5 km from the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge across the Mekong River.

About Train Travel to Nong Khai

Before you board the train to Nong Khai you need to get an exit stamp from Laos in your passport. If you fail to get an exit stamp you will not be allowed into Thailand. Passport control at Thanaleng Train Station is inside the main station building, and the counter you need is directly opposite the train ticket counter. After you get your ticket go to the immigration counter and get your exit stamp and then you are ready to board the train to Nong Khai.

There is no allocated seating for train services from Laos to Nong Khai. Simply find an empty seat, sit back, and wait for the train to depart. The train has toilets if you need them.

The journey from Thanaleng Train Station to Nong Khai takes slightly under 15 minutes. The highlight of this short trip is crossing over the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge. From the train you get excellent views of the Mekong River as you cross over the bridge. You need to exit the train at the first stop, which is Nong Khai Train Station, as the train goes no further from there. After leaving the train you will be directed to the immigration post which is located inside Nong Khai Train Station.

Trains from Laos arrive at their own dedicated train platform at Nong Khai Train Station separated by barriers from the other platforms. After clearing immigration you need to go into the station and across the ticket hall to get to another train south towards Udon Thani, Ayutthaya and Bangkok.

How useful was this page?