How and where to cross the border between Laos and Vietnam
To leave Laos from the north, you go through the border post of Pang Hoc (Laos) - Tay Trang (Vietnam). A simple stop on the way on our bus from Muang Khua to Diên Biên Phu.
Entrance will be from the north. After three weeks in Laos, we go to Vietnam. At 6:30 a.m., we head to the (small) square of Muang Khua to catch the bus going to Diên Biên Phu. For 60,000 kips, we are promised a 4-hour trip with, en route, crossing the border at Pang Hoc - Tay Trang.
If you want to reach Vietnam after staying in Nong Khiaw, you must go to Muang Khua. You have two options.
Either a direct departure from Nong Khiaw by boat (one departure per day around 11 a.m., 150,000 kips per person), or a departure from Muang Ngoi (departure around 12:30 p.m., 120,000 kips per person). Starting from Muang Ngoi, the trip takes about five hours. Once in Muang Khua, you can reach Vietnam by bus.
From Nong Khiaw to Muang Khua
Come with your visa already done
Arrived on the Laos side, we return the exit card and the agent stamps our passport. By checking that we have our visa for Vietnam. Because, on the side of Tay Trang, it is complicated to make a “visa on arrival”. Even if some signs indicate that it is possible (with many papers including an authorization from the Vietnamese Ministry of Tourism), travelers have all told us that it is not. Better not to give it a shot.
Fortunately, we had planned everything with our visa done in Paris before departure. The agent adds a little, leafing through all the pages of the passport several times. After a few minutes, he stamps our passport and then lets us pass. Direction Dien Bien Phu. Stay wide awake, the landscapes are splendid on this route!
