Riding the train from Bangkok to Vientiane
This is a review of the new international train from Thailand to Laos and the bus connections along the way.
In this newsletter, I'll provide a complete summary of my train trip from Bangkok to Vientiane and back. In the next newsletter, I'll share my journey to Luang Prabang. I'll include details about ticket costs, required visas, travel times, local transportation at the destinations, and the different transportation options available along the way.
But first, here are the steps that I took from Bangkok to Luang Prabang via Vientiane by train and then back.
Rapid No. 133 from Bangkok to Vientiane. This is an overnight sleeper train that took 11 hours and 40 minutes. This included passing through immigration in Nong Khai. My upper berth sleeper cost me 784 baht.
From Vientiane (Khamasavath) Station, I took a 30 minute shuttle bus to the Thai-China railway station. This cost 30,000 kip. I paid 50 baht instead.
C82 train from Vientiane Station to Luang Prabang Station. This took two hours. I went in 1st Class. This cost me 522,000 kip.
From Luang Prabang Station, there are shared min-vans that will take you to your hotel in town. The journey took 25 minutes. This is a fixed 40,000 kip per person.
Getting to the station from Luang Prabang town: As it was raining, I asked my hotel to book a private driver for me. This cost 265,000 kip, and the journey took about 30 minutes.
C91 train from Luang Prabang Station to Vientiane Station: I opted for Business Class, which cost 975,000 kip. The journey took just over two hours.
From Vientiane Laos-China Station: I took a bus to the Morning Market Bus Terminal. This took 35 minutes and cost 25,000 kip.
Bus No. 12 from the Morning Market Bus Terminal to Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station: This took 30 minutes and cost 20,000 kip or 30 baht.
Rapid No. 134 train from Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station to Krung Thep Aphiwat Station in Bangkok: I booked a lower berth, which cost 874 baht. The journey back took 13 hours and 5 minutes, including 90 minutes in Nong Khai to pass through immigration and grab something to eat.
This newsletter will describe the first section of the journey between Bangkok and Vientiane. Make sure to click subscribe now if you want to find out about the next step to Luang Prabang by train.
Now for a more thorough summary of my trip, including different options you can take along the way and a few things I would do differently if I had the chance to do it again.
RAPID INTERNATIONAL NO. 133: BANGKOK TO VIENTIANE
The State Railway of Thailand (SRT) launched their latest international train service on July 19, 2024. On that day, the destination station of the Rapid No. 133 train was changed from Nong Khai Station to Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station. Previously, passengers had to transfer to a shuttle train to cross the border to Thanaleng Station, about 3 km inside Laos. Now, the line has been extended by another 7.5 km, taking you all the way to the new Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station on the outskirts of the city.
Rapid No. 133 departs from Bangkok at 9:25 p.m., reaching Khon Kaen at 5:19 a.m., Udon Thani at 7:07 a.m., and Nong Khai at 7:55 a.m. This is where you will disembark to pass through Thai immigration on the platform.
THE TRAIN CONSIST
The original Rapid No. 133 train had only 2nd and 3rd Class carriages with seating and fans. Now, it includes two red JR-West sleeper carriages with air conditioning, one red JR-West seated carriage with air conditioning, and two 3rd Class carriages with blue seats. Only these five carriages will cross the border. When booking, look for these more comfortable options.
The beds are long enough for a tall person, with the top one being slightly wider due to the lack of a padded backrest against the wall. I slept well but I recommend taking an eye mask, as the lights stay on all night. It was also chilly, so bringing a jacket is advisable. If you booked a seat in the 2nd Class carriage, it is very cold there too but they give you a blanket. 3rd Class is obviously hot as there’s only fans and open windows. During long weekends, they oversell tickets in 3rd Class and it can be very crowded with some people having to stand up all the way.
TRAIN TICKETS
Ticket options start at 281 baht for 3rd Class seats with a fan. For air conditioning, the cheapest ticket is 574 baht for 2nd Class seats. In my opinion, the best option is the sleeper carriage: 784 baht for the upper berth and 874 baht for the lower berth.
Tickets can be bought up to 180 days in advance at your local station or online on the official D-Ticket website. For those of you having difficulty accessing the official site, agency sites such as 12Go is a good alternative.
THAI IMMIGRATION AT NONG KHAI STATION
On arrival in Nong Khai, you can leave your bags on the train. The train remains here for 40 minutes, which is plenty of time to pass through immigration. It takes less than 60 seconds per person, and on the first day, all 309 passengers were easily processed within the 40 minutes. If you want to buy some food in the snack shop, you should do so quickly before passing through immigration.
A special note for residents of Thailand: You cannot get a re-entry permit here, so you should obtain one in advance. Tourists do not need to worry about this.
While you are going through immigration, the train will be split in half, and the locomotive will be changed from a QSY to an Alsthom. Only five carriages will cross into Laos. After immigration, passengers are held in a waiting area. When you reboard, return to your assigned seat. If you are joining the train at Nong Khai, check the carriage and seat number on your ticket.
FIRST CLASS OPTIONS
Many people have asked if there are 1st Class cabins available on this international train. Unfortunately, there are not, but there is a workaround. You can catch Special Express No. 25 to Nong Khai, which is a more modern CNR sleeper train with a 1st Class carriage that has 12 cabins. This train arrives in Nong Khai at 6:45 a.m., just over an hour before the international train arrives. So you can switch trains here. However, seats in 1st Class run out quickly, so make sure to book in advance.
CROSSING THE BORDER
As mentioned earlier, the train remains at Nong Khai station for 40 minutes, then departs at 8:35 a.m. Shortly after the station, the train crosses the Friendship Bridge. About halfway across, you'll see the flags change from Thai to Laos. The bridge offers great views of the Mekong River from both sides of the train.
The first stop after the bridge is Thanaleng Station in Laos, which was the former terminal station. Do not get off here, as there is no longer any immigration processing. At this station, the Thai drivers switch with the Laos drivers, and Laos railway officials board the train. The train then continues for another 7.5 kilometers to the new Vientiane (Kamsavath) Station.
LAOS IMMIGRATION AT VIENTIANE (KHAMSAVATH) STATION
On arrival at Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station, you need to pass through immigration. If you bought your train ticket in Nong Khai, you can ask for the arrival/departure card for Laos. Filling this out on the train will save you a lot of time. Otherwise, you can pick one up on arrival. Make sure to bring your own pen.
Immigration is located between the platform and the waiting area. There are three channels: Diplomats and Officials, Passports, and ASEAN Passports. If, like me, you don't get a free visa exemption stamp, you will need to apply for a Visa on Arrival. The office for this is on the right-hand side. Here, you will be given another form to fill out, and you will need a passport photo. Fortunately, I had a few spare ones in my wallet. You will also need $40 in crisp notes or 1,700 baht in cash. There weren't many people in front of me, so I was quickly processed.
I thought I would have to join the end of the long queues to pass through immigration, but they had already stamped me in. So, in the end, I passed through immigration much faster than many Thais who were getting a free stamp.
Please note, this station is not one of the border crossings that accepts e-visas. If you have an e-visa, you have two options: either return to Thailand on the same train and then cross on the Friendship Bridge, or pay for a Visa on Arrival.
THE STATION AND FACILITIES
Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station is massive but it is very much underutilised. You have the usual toilets and ticket office but not a lot else. However, there was a coffee shop that looked permanent and also someone had set up a table selling soft drinks and beers. There is also an office here selling tickets for the Laos-China railway. But you can only pay in local currency and by a bank transfer. So I don’t think foreigners can buy tickets here.
There’s no ATM machines or formal currency exchange here, but they had set up a couple of the ticket windows to do currency exchange. I already had enough left over from previous trips, but from what I understood, they were limiting exchange to 2,000 baht per person. This might of course change in the future as I was there on the first day. There were also a couple of stalls set up selling local SIM cards. Prices started at around 100 baht for 3 days.
When I travel across land borders, I never know if I can get a SIM or not. As I am always posting live on social media, being connected is very important to me. So, I buy an e-SIM from Nomad. I got a multi-country SIM as I will be going to Cambodia soon. I also find it useful to have a second SIM in Thailand sometimes as coverage is better than my own one. If you use my code RICH95MZ you get 25% of your first purchase and get 25% of my next purchase. Thank you!
LOCAL TRANSPORT
Now the important part of what to do next after you have arrived at the railway station in Laos. Particularly one which is in the middle of nowhere like this one. Well, the good new is that you are spoilt for choice. As well as a shuttle bus to the city center and the high speed railway station, you can also take a taxi, Tuk Tuk or a songtaew. You can also charter a minivan to go anywhere you like.
One convenient option is the white electric bus to the Central Bus Station (also known as the Morning Market). The fare is 20,000 kip or 30 baht. Your train is scheduled to arrive at 9:05 a.m., and so you can catch the 9:30 a.m. or 9:40 a.m. bus. The journey takes 30 minutes.
Another option is the bus to the Laos-China Station, which leaves at 11:30 a.m. and also takes 30 minutes. The fare for this bus is 30,000 kip or 50 baht. Since you have to wait two hours for this bus, I suggest taking the earlier bus to the Morning Market to get something to eat. From there, you can take another bus from the bus terminal to the Laos-China Station. I did this when I caught the C82 train that departed at 1:30 p.m., and I had plenty of time.
RAPID INTERNATIONAL NO. 134: VIENTIANE TO BANGKOK
I will finish this newsletter with a brief description of the return journey and provide some useful tips for the trip. As mentioned before, I did a side trip to Luang Prabang, which I will cover in another newsletter. On my return, I caught a bus to the morning market for 25,000 kip. I then had an hour or so to explore before catching Bus No. 12 to Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station. This cost me 20,000 kip, or you can pay 30 baht. My bus left at 5:00 p.m. and arrived at the railway station 30 minutes later. My train was due to leave at 6:25 p.m., so I had plenty of time.
For the outward journey, immigration took a bit longer. However, I don’t think they will leave without you if you are still in the immigration queue. There was no bag check in Laos on both arrival and departure. But that of course change in the future. We departed a few minutes late as we waited for someone to finish in immigration.
It should be noted that the coffee shop I mentioned earlier was closed, and there was literally nowhere to buy food or drinks. There was also nowhere to change your money back into Thai baht. I kept my remaining money for my next trip. Someone I met who wasn’t coming back again was forced to exchange with the Tuk Tuk drivers, who gave him a very bad rate. So, change your money at the morning market before you leave Laos.
As before, the train took 30 minutes to reach Nong Khai on the other side of the border. We stopped briefly at Thanaleng Station to switch drivers and then crossed the Friendship Bridge over the Mekong River. The sun was just setting, and it was really picturesque. Our arrival in Nong Khai was a bit chaotic. I strongly advise you to walk to the front of the train after it passes over the bridge. When the train stops in Nong Khai, you will be nearer the immigration counters. There were 219 people on our train, so you can imagine the long lines. It's best to be as near to the front as possible. While we were in the queue, someone shouted, “Don’t forget to take your bags with you!” Some had to go back. It was very chaotic as it was the first day. Hopefully, it will be better when you go.
When we went to Vientiane, we only had 40 minutes in Nong Khai. However, this time we had an hour and twenty minutes. As before, if you want 1st Class, you can switch to Special Express No. 26, which departs at 7:40 p.m. nearly an hour after you arrive. These 1st Class cabins sell out fast, so it's best to book in advance. There are only 12 of them. In fact, 2nd Class can sell out too, as I had originally planned to come back on this train, but it was fully booked.
Immigration took me about twenty minutes, so I had about an hour. There is a mini-mart and coffee shop on the platform. You can even take a shower for 10 baht, though it is only cold water. You need to have your own towel and toiletries. As I was hungry, I went to one of the food vendors across the road from the station. There are several here that do made-to-order meals. You can also buy a cold beer here too. I decided to eat there with some friends, but you can also do takeaway.
Then we got back on the train and continued our journey all the way back to Bangkok. The train arrived there at 7:30 a.m. There is no dining car on this train, so if you think you will get hungry or thirsty, it is best to buy some snacks at Nong Khai Station.
CONCLUSION
It was a good trip for me as it was only one train all the way from Bangkok to Vientiane. I spent most of the trip sleeping, so it went very quickly. I only had to get off for Thai Immigration at Nong Khai Station and Laos Immigration at Vientiane (Khamsavath) Station. There was also local transportation in Laos waiting to take us to either the town or the Laos-China station.
The train itself was good too. Just make sure you book early so you can get one of the sleeper carriages. The lower berth is better, though the upper berth is slightly wider. They only have second class, but everyone gets privacy curtains and clean sheets. There are also plug sockets for each berth, so I had no problem charging my devices. Make sure you take a jacket as it can get quite cold. Also, take some snacks as food vendors didn’t come to this end of the train; they stayed in 3rd Class.
I would definitely do this every time I want to go to Laos.
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Thanks and I will see you in the next newsletter which is coming very soon!
Richard Barrow
A good read, thanks Richard. Your "Make sure to bring your own pen" reminds me of the advice in 'Hitchiker's Guide To The Galaxy' about bringing a towel. I am old-school enough to always carry a pen as well as a notepad and am surprised how many younger people don't think to carry one. I have had many "can I borrow your pen?" times in my travels.