Trains from Vientiane to Udon Thani

By train the journey from Vientiane to Udon Thani is scheduled to take from 2 to 3 hours depending upon which train you take.

Train Times from Vientiane to Udon Thani

There is currently only 1 direct train service per day from Vientiane to Udon Thani.

• Fastest Train: The fastest train from Vientiane to Udon Thani is Train #134 (departing at 18:25) which is scheduled to complete the journey in 2 hours 32 minutes.

Buy Tickets from Vientiane to Udon Thani

Use the Search Box below to buy your train tickets from Vientiane to Udon Thani.

Location of Vientiane Railway Station

Trains from Vientiane to Udon Thani depart from Khamsavath Train Station, which is located 20 minutes by road to the east of Vientiane City Centre.

Location of Udon Thani Railway Station

Read more about Udon Thani Railway Station.

About Travel to Udon Thani

Udon Thani is the first major city you reach in Thailand travelling south from Vientiane on the northern branch of Thailand’s North Eastern Railway Station. With a population of around 130,000, Udon Thani is a much larger town than Nong Khai, which has less than 50,000 permanent residents. There are also many more onward travel connections from Udon Thani than there are from Nong Khai.

Onward Travel from Udon Thani

As well as a major train station, and two long distance bus stations, Udon Thani also has a large regional airport. There are currently three destinations you can fly to from Udon Thani International Airport:

• Bangkok (both Don Mueang International Airport and Suvarnabhumi Airport)
• Chiang Mai
• Hat Yai

If you are planning to travel onward from Vientiane to either Chiang Mai, or the lower south of Thailand via Hat Yai, then alighting from the train at Udon Thani to switch to air travel is a much faster option than travelling all the way to Bangkok to join a connecting service.

Staying in Udon Thani

Udon Thani has a really good range of hotels, as well as restaurants, bars, markets and other retail outlets. There are several different parts of the city where visitors can stay. Most foreign visitors to Udon Thani, however, choose to stay in an area close to the railway station on either the Prajak Sillapkom Road or the Samphan Thamit Alley.

The Samphan Thamit Alley in particular has several hotels, such as The Pannarai Hotel and the Top Hostel Udonthani, which offer good rooms at affordable prices and the staff understand English. There are also several good restaurants serving European food in that area like the Irish Clock on the Samphan Thamit Alley and the Good Corner Restaurant on the Prajak Sillapkom Road.

Places to Visit in Udon Thani

Udon Thani City itself has no major tourist attractions. The focal points of the city are about 2 km to the west of the railway station. In particular the city’s main public park, Nong Prajak Park, and Udon Thani’s largest temple, Wat Pothisomphon.

The most interesting places to visit in Udon Thani Province are at least 50 km from the city centre and visitors will need to hire a car, a taxi or struggle with working out how to get there by local bus services in order to visit them. Among the most popular of these out of town visitor attractions are:

• Ban Chiang National Museum: Located 50 km to the east of Udon Thani City, Ban Chiang National Museum exhibits local archaeological finds relating to a 2,000 to 3,000 year old settlement. These finds are highly significant as they changed our understanding of how technologies related to pottery and metalwork developed in South East Asia.
• Wat Kham Chanot: Wat Kham Chanot is a popular temple located 88 km to the north east of Udon Thani City. According to legend two mythical naga live in the forest and lake by the temple.
• Phu Phrabat National Park: Phu Phrabat National Park, located 60 km by road to the north west from Udon Thani City, contains some spectacular stone escapements and ancient cave paintings.

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