Thread: From Vientiane to Nong Khai & back

If an overseas visitor has alreadty bought a tourist visa on entry to Laos at the airport, can they then cross the Friendship Bridge from Vientiane to Nong Khai in Thailand & return to Laos in the same day using that same visa, without getting any hassles or incurring extra expense?

What airport?

I didn't think there were any international flights to Laos...apart from BKK...

All I can tell you is the other way around...having a Thai visa and wanting to extend it by crossing into Laos and back...

If you are on a normal 1 month tourist visa you can get a two week extension by doing the crossing...(you can do this a maximum of 3 times for 6 weeks extension...I think...someone will shout me down if I am wrong here....)...I have always found it easier to pay the local Thais in Nong Khai and have a 1 hour trip to the Laos duty free shop...I have done this with a one year multi-entry visa and a tourist visa without problems...may seem expensive at first but several farangs I know ended up having to stay the night in Laos because they wanted to go their own way...cost them more than it cost me...

Troy-- as I understand he is Laos with a visa. He wants to go to Thailand, then return to Laos the same day hoping no problem to use the Laos visa he left Laos with.

Your Laos visa is cancelled upon exiting Laos, so you'll have to stump up some more cash and waste another page in your passport.

Originally Posted by ignatieff

If an overseas visitor has alreadty bought a tourist visa on entry to Laos at the airport, can they then cross the Friendship Bridge from Vientiane to Nong Khai in Thailand & return to Laos in the same day using that same visa, without getting any hassles or incurring extra expense?

No. Lao visas are single-entry. Once you exit Laos, you'll need another visa to re-enter.

There is a multiple-entry Lao business visa (B2) available from embassies, but it seems you'd need extensive documentation for that one. Better just pay the extra $40 and wait for the extra 15 min at the border.

Why fly into Laos to begin with? Flying into Bangkok and taking the overnight bus to Nongkhai is probably cheaper (more hassle, but you do seem concerned about the costs).

Thank you Marmite & Crocodil for your really useful responses