Yesterday I took the bus from Savannakhet (Laos) to Hue (Vietnam) – a 7 hour journey that takes you east across Laos, over the Vietnamse/Laos borader and down into Hue.
Any travel exceeding 4 hours really gets on my tits, but seeing as I’m heading down to HCMC, there are not a lot of other options available.
The bus departs Savannakhet at 10am – a good start. We had plenty of time to check out of our hotel, change some kip into dollars and make our way over to Savannakhet’s bus station. The fee is 90,000 kip from Savannakhet to Dong Ha and 120,000 kip from Savannakhet to Hue.
It pays to be cheeky
As I gave the bus attendant our ticket, I noticed that there were only 16 passengers on the list as he crossed of our names and allocated seat numbers. As I boarded the bus, I headed straight for the back row of seats. Sitting there with my head down praying the attendant would let us get away with it, I began sorting out a $10 note for a “tip” just in case he did have a problem. Luckily he didn’t, so as all the other passengers began to take advantage of the additional seats avaible while I laid down across 5 seats with my head firmly placed on my missus lap. This wasn’t going to be as bad as I first thought.
Around 1pm we stopped off at a restaurant that had some interesting foods layed out which you could pick and chose. After lunch, everyone started to huddle around the huge jars of whiskey that had weird looking animals and reptiles in them, like these jars with Gecko’s inside them:
A few hours later we arrived at the Lao immigration – which was very straight forward. A couple of minutes later we arrived at the Vietnamise immigration and were directed through to a small open building with a huge sign that read “QUARETINE”
The lady in front of me sat down and the official with a mask over his face put a small device on her temple which bleeped, which I later found down was a thermometer. She pulled a face like she was in pain, and as no one at this time knew what the device was, I could feel my heart beating faster thinking shit – I have to go through pain in order to get into the country. Of course, we all found out later she was playing a sick joke.
After passing quarantine and passport control, we were back on the bus going up and down lush mountains making our way east over Vietnam, and down into Hue.
All in all, Savannakhet to Hue by bus journey wasn’t as bad as I had expected.
Mr Loung Thongvan,
I read your “reportage”about your travel from Savannakhet to Hué,former capital Of Empero Gialông,
It is very luky to ba able to travel aroud the Laos.
I thank you very muche for this information.
I don’t know that facilities visas ares”really”set up.
I shall invite my sons and daugter to visit our contry.
I think many progress had made for encourage “tourism”between partners of ASEAN countries.
Vongkasem Smane,Former Professor of lawn,at IRDA,Vientiane,Laos
i have been travel this way with local bus. (Apr 09)
it was as bad as i expect. haha
i spent 90,000 kip for night bus starting from 11pm
and arrived at Hue on noon next day.
(actually, bus was going to Da Nang,we have to get off somewhere close to Hue and took 15 mins minibus to Hue.)
there was a very few tourists on bus, they are Thais and Laos.
the bus was non-air con with super bad condition and we had to sit with many foods and goods on bus.
but arrived at Lao-vietnam frontier on 1am.
all vietnamese locals went to somewhere for sleep. But me and other thai tourists had to sleep on absolutely dark steet with a bit cold until 7am. T T
if anyone want to travel this way, you better go with daytime tourist bus.
the price is almost the same but you dont have to sit along with some smelly things on bus
great post – what bus was this? all i keep finding is info for the night bus and this gal has no desire to spend the night sleeping on the street! detail would be fantastic. Thx
Hi Erin…. Simply go to the Main Bus station in Savan (there’s only one) before 9am and ask at the ticket office. There is a huge sign on the window with prices. Alternatively, if you have time, go the day before so you get your barrings.