Trains from Nong Khai to Luang Prabang

At the moment you need to change trains in Vientiane to complete the journey from Nong Khai in Thailand to Luang Prabang in Laos. You also need to buy two separate tickets, one for each of the two train services.

Train 1: Nong Khai to Vientiane

There are currently 2 trains a day from Nong Khai to Vientiane.

• Buy tickets from Nong Khai to Vientiane.

Train 2: Vientiane to Luang Prabang

There are currently 6 trains a day from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.

• Buy tickets from Vientiane to Luang Prabang.

Nong Khai Train Station

Read more about Nong Khai Railway Station.

Location of Khamsavath Train Station (Vientiane)

Trains from Nong Khai to Vientiane terminate at Khamsavath Train Station.

Location of Laos – China Railway Station (Vientiane)

The second train (from Vientiane to Luang Prabang) departs from Laos – China Railway Station, which is located 16.3 km by road from Khamsavath Train Station.

Location of Luang Prabang Train Station

About Train Travel to Luang Prabang

The completion of the first section of a much larger project to connect Kunming in China with Singapore by high speed train has opened up new and exciting travel options for visitors to South East Asia. It’s now possible to travel quickly and safely overland from Thailand to Luang Prabang which is one of the most interesting, and previously difficult reach, destinations in Laos.

Journey Times

By train the journey from Nong Khai to Luang Prabang is scheduled to take from 3 hours 14 minutes to 6 hours 55 minutes depending upon which connecting train you take from Vientiane for the second part of the journey. The total time spent travelling on a train, however, is much shorter:

• Nong Khai to Vientiane: 30 minutes
• Vientiane to Luang Prabang: 1 hour 46 minutes to 2 hours 42 minutes

Passport Control

Train travellers need to pass through two sets of immigration checks during the journey from Nong Khai to Luang Prabang, one in Nong Khai and another in Vientiane.

• Nong Khai: Before boarding the train in Nong Khai, travellers need to visit the immigration desk located inside Nong Khai Railway Station to complete exit procedures from Thailand. Travellers who fail to get a stamp out of Thailand in their passport, or other immigration document, will be sent back to Thailand on arrival in Vientiane.
• Vientiane: On arrival at Khamsavath Train Station travellers need to pass through one of the airport style immigration desks in order to exit the station. Travellers can apply for a Visa on Arrival at Khamsavath Train Station.

Travel between Train Stations in Vientiane

Trains from Nong Khai terminate at Khamsavath Train Station, which is 16.3 km by road from Laos – China Railway Station, from where trains to Luang Prabang depart. There are two ways to travel by public transport from Khamsavath Train Station to Laos – China Railway Station, local tuk-tuk or public bus.

• Local Tuk Tuk: Local Laos style tuk-tuks wait near the exit to the ticket hall. There are no fixed prices, however, the price which is often quoted is 250,000 LAK for the journey from Khamsavath Train Station to Laos – China Railway Station. Laos style tuk-tuks can fit in 5 passengers so it may be possible to share a tuk-tuk at the rate of 50,000 LAK a person.
• Public Bus: There is a public bus service from Khamsavath Train Station to Laos – China Railway Station. The service is called Route 12 (Outbound) and it departs from a bus stand in front of Khamsavath Train Station at 08:25, 11:45 and 14:15. The scheduled journey time is 30 minutes.

Arrival in Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang Railway Station is located 12 km to the east of Luang Prabang city centre. By local Laos style tuk-tuk the journey into the city centre typically costs 200,000 LAK, which could potentially be shared between up to 5 passengers.

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