Depending upon which trains you take, by rail the overland journey from Luang Prabang to Udon Thani takes from 6 to 10 hours. Passengers need to change trains once during the journey, however, travelling by train is still several hours faster than travelling by bus.
Train 1: Luang Prabang to Vientiane
The first part of the journey by train from Luang Prabang to Udon Thani is to take one of the six daily train services from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.
- Buy tickets from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.
| Train | Luang Prabang | Vientiane | Service |
| C97 | 10:31 | 12:38 | Fast |
| C91 | 12:12 | 14:56 | Fast |
| D87 | 14:58 | 16:44 | International |
| K11 | 17:11 | 20:04 | Ordinary |
| C83 | 18:40 | 20:44 | Fast |
| C81 | 19:22 | 21:08 | Fast |
Stage 2: Vientiane to Udon Thani
The second stage of the journey by train from Luang Prabang to Udon Thani is to take the once a day train service from Vientiane to Udon Thani.
- Buy tickets from Vientiane to Udon Thani.
| Train | Vientiane | Udon Thani | Service |
| 134 | 18:25 | 20:57 | Rapid |
Location of Luang Prabang Train Station
Luang Prabang Train Station is located 12 km by road to the east of Luang Prabang city centre.
Location of Vientiane Laos – China Railway Station
Laos-China Railway Station is located 16 km by road to the north of Khamsavath Railway Station.
Location of Khamsavath Vientiane Train Station
Khamsavath Railway Station is located 8 km by road to the east of Vientiane city centre.
Udon Thani Train Station
Read more about Udon Thani Train Station.
About Train Travel to Udon Thani
Following the completion of a high speed railway line which runs north to south across Laos, Thai train services on the North Eastern Railway Line have been extended from Nong Khai in Northern Thailand all the way to Vientiane in Laos. Despite the need to change trains during the journey, this new rail connection offers travellers a new and much more comfortable option for overland travel between Luang Prabang and Udon Thani.
Journey Times
During the journey from Luang Prabang to Udon Thani the actual time spent travelling in a train is very fairly short, 4 hours 18 minutes to 5 hours 25 minutes, depending upon which train you take. The second stage of the journey, from Laos into Thailand, generally takes slightly longer than the first stage of the journey:
- Luang Prabang to Vientiane: 1 hour 46 minutes to 2 hours 53 minutes
- Vientiane to Udon Thani: 2 hours 32 minutes
The overall journey time is a lot longer, however, because of the connection times between the first and second train, and also the need to travel between two train stations in Vientiane.
Main platform at Udon Thani Railway StationChanging Trains in Vientiane
Trains from Luang Prabang to Vientiane terminate at Laos-China Railway Station. Trains from Vientiane to Udon Thani depart from a different train station, Khamsavath Railway Station, which is located 16 km by road to the south of Laos-China Railway Station.
There are two ways to travel by public transport from Laos-China Railway Station to Khamsavath Railway Station:
- Public Bus: The bus service is called Route 12 (Outbound). These services depart every day from Laos-China Railway Station at 09:00, 12:50, 15:20 and 16:50, and the journey is scheduled to take 30 minutes.
- Private Tuk-Tuk: Large local style tuk-tuks with a capacity to carry 5 passengers wait outside Laos-China Railway Station. Fares are not fixed, however, the typical fare for the journey from Laos-China Railway Station to Khamsavath Railway Station is 250,000 LAK which you may be able to share with other passengers travelling to the same destination.
Passport Control
Passengers travelling by train from Luang Prabang to Udon Thani need to pass through two sets of immigration checks, one to exit Laos and another enter into Thailand.
The first passport check you need to complete is at Khamsavath Railway Station before you board the train to Thailand.
The second passport check is at Nong Khai Railway Station. The train journey from Vientiane to Nong Khai in Thailand takes only 30 minutes. The train then stops at Nong Khai for 1 hour 20 minutes to give all passengers the time to visit the immigration desk inside Nong Khai Train Station before continuing the journey onward to Udon Thani at 20:15.
Arrival in Udon Thani
Passengers are then scheduled to arrive in Udon Thani 42 minutes after departing from Nong Khai.
Udon Thani Train Station is conveniently located in the city centre in an area which has a cluster of hotels, restaurants, and bars, specialising in catering to holidaymakers, particularly foreign visitors. The two main areas where the tourist friendly hotels, bars, and restaurants are located are the Prajak Sillapkom Road and the Samphan Thamit Alley.
The Prajak Sillapkom Road is the main road which faces the front entrance to Udon Thani Train Station. This road is the location of Udon Thani’s busiest night markets, along with some popular restaurants, such as The Good Corner Restaurant, and busy hotels, such as the UD Capital Unique Hotel.
The turning to the southern end of the Samphan Thamit Alley is located on the right hand side of the Prajak Sillapkom Road 400 metres walking distance from Udon Thani Train Station. The Samphan Thamit Alley also has a cluster of popular bars and restaurants, such as the Irish Clock, along with about 10 hotels including the reasonably priced Top Hostel Udonthani, where rooms have balconies and satellite TV and cost around 500 THB a night.