Thread: Vientiane Free Tourist Double Entry Visa Run

^
Sorry, I misread it
I'll edit it out, thanks

Originally Posted by dirtydog

90 days for double entry only on tourist visas.

thank you for clarification
Anyone know when the special free period ends and are they isuing everywhere
eg Brisbane by post or Penang Kota Bharu etc or only embassies?

Jaysus Noods, what's a man of your stature and means doing overnight busing then guesthousing it??

If sitting around is getting tedious I highly recommend renting out a honda wave or something (a copy of yer passy should be ok). Much nicer way of getting around, and checking out a bit more than the town centre and probably cheaper than tuk tuks etc.

Much easier for picking up the 'girls' along T. Setthathilat too.

Enjoy the beer Lao.

Okay a summary of events and costs.

Caught the VIP bus from Bangkok to Nongkhai on wednesday night at a cost of Less than B500 (huge seats, prety much like business seat on a long haul flight with 3 setting massage etc).

Tuk-tuk to friendship bridge - B50

Visa for Laos - 35USD

Tuk-tuk from border to Thai Embassy in Vientiane - B50 (thats the price for locals and Thai people, speak good Thai and be confident of the price and you will get it too) or you can just get ripped off and pay B200 like it says on the sign.

And that was that, I was in the Embassy at 8.40am thursday morning filling out my form for a double entry TR Visa, I could have got there well befor they opened at 8.30 if I had wished but breakfast had been calling.


Visa fee for double entry tourist visa - B0.00, yep the visa fee was zero, so that was that, and off I went to the town centre with instructions to return the following day after 1pm to collect my passport.

Tuk-tuk in to town from Embassy to my guest house - 8,000 Kip (less than 1USD)

I stayed at the Vayakorn House 091 Norkeo Kuman Street Vientiane, Tel (00856-21) 241 911 email vayakone[at]laotel.com

This place was recomended in another thread by that guy with the helicopter in his AV, Memock or something?

Anyway, very very clean place, nice wooden floors throughout, hot shower, AC, Sat TV, free in room guest WIFI, friendly and helpful but not slimey staff, fully stocked fridge of beer downstairs.

Room was rather small but extremly clean, bed was very comfortable and the sheets were fresh, clean and had a very nice smell to them.

Great location, 2 - 3 mins stroll to the fountain area.

I paid 17 USD for the room, on a one to ten rating I would probably give it a 8/10 with the only real letdown being size of room.

I will stay there again the next time I visit.

Time for a sleep and then of out to get some food, went to a restaurant called 'India restaurant' across from Lao Plaza Hotel just around the corner from the fountain, now this is more your upscale place and not for the cheap-skates, don't be suprised to find your bill per person reaching the dizzying hights of 10 - 11 USD.

I had a very good Chicken Tikka Massala, just like a British Indian Curry, infact is was not very good, it was excellent, I had it served with Jasmin rice, nan bread, japati (sp) vegetable raita and some Vegetable Samosas, the total bill was 11 USD.

The following day I had breakfast at the Scandanavian bakery and sat around using the WIFI there before heading off to the Thai embassy, Scando Bakery is located beside the fountain, open from 7am - 7pm and serves some great fresh breads and pastries recomended for an early morning breakfast or mid afternoon bite to eat, they also serve an excellent Laos coffee at less than 1 USD.

Here is a map of WIFI coverage in downtown Vientiane.

This map shows coverage by a company called Cyberia.




After a few more Laos coffees it was time to catch a tuk-tuk back to the embassy to collect my passport, the short journey cost 10,000 kip this time, which was a little harsh in my opinion though the sign says it should be 40,000 Kip

A 30 min wait for my passport in the embassy and it was returned with a DOUBLE ENTRY TOURIST VISA, this visa was issued free of charge and is good to last me six months in Thailand with doing a quick border run to Cambodia in the middle, for those that don't understand, heres how it works.

Number of entries is 2, you get 60 days on each entry, you can extend each entry by a further 30 days at an imigration office.

Yesterday entered in to Thailand and recieved 60 days, when the 60 days is due to expire I will go to Imigration in Bangkok and extend for 30 days, this will cost me B1,900 but save me a visa run, Now you have to be careful, check the date your Visa is valid for and leave before that date 'ENTER BEFORE DATE', not the new date you have been given by imigration, this will ensure you get another 60 days on your re-entry in to Thailand and then you can extend this again for 30 days the same way as before.

So B50 tuk-tuk back to the border, B10 over the bridge and away in to Thailand, I met a couple of Brits at the border who live in Udon Thani, they gave me a lift there and I stopped around for drinks in Jo-Jo's or something, caught a VIP with all the trimmings back to Bangkok at 8.30pm friday for a cost of B412 and got home this morning at 4am.

Not a bad trip at all.

B500 to Nong Khai
B50 to border
Loas Visa B1300
Bus B10
Tuk-Tuk to embassy B50
Thai TR x 2 Fee ZERO
Tuk-tuk to guest house B30
Guest House B600
Tuk-tuk Back to embassy B40
Tuk-tuk to border B50
Bus over bridge B10
Bus from Udon after being given free lift there B412

Total for all Transport, Visa and Shelter B3052.

Tuk-tuk from border to Thai Embassy in Vientiane - B50 (thats the price for locals and Thai people, speak good Thai and be confident of the price and you will get it too) or you can just get ripped off and pay B200 like it says on the sign.

I duuno how you do that every time I have tried the negotiation they just gone away in disgust.
Superb report tho, well written and informative, I will try the guest house next month.

Originally Posted by peterpan

I duuno how you do that every time I have tried the negotiation they just gone away in disgust. Superb report tho, well written and informative, I will try the guest house next month.

Sorry, I should have explained, you have to get another 2 people to join in the trip to downtown, you can either catch the people yourself or wait for someone to come or jump in the back of a tuk-tuk that already has people in. They are not private just because someone has said they will pay B200 or whatever does not stop you getting in and paying B50 for the same trip.

Hope thats clearer.

Much clearer, I was thinking 'bollox' because I have never had that price but yes you can get that if you wait under the tree's for a small group and jump in together.
Every so often you meet a good group and end up having a great night out on the visa run.
Great report, very detailed. cheers

Originally Posted by English Noodles

Okay a summary of events and costs.

Caught the VIP bus from Bangkok to Nongkhai on wednesday night at a cost of Less than B500 (huge seats, prety much like business seat on a long haul flight with 3 setting massage etc).

Tuk-tuk to friendship bridge - B50

Visa for Laos - 35USD

Tuk-tuk from border to Thai Embassy in Vientiane - B50 (thats the price for locals and Thai people, speak good Thai and be confident of the price and you will get it too) or you can just get ripped off and pay B200 like it says on the sign.



And that was that, I was in the Embassy at 8.40am thursday morning filling out my form for a double entry TR Visa, I could have got there well befor they opened at 8.30 if I had wished but breakfast had been calling.


Visa fee for double entry tourist visa - B0.00, yep the visa fee was zero, so that was that, and off I went to the town centre with instructions to return the following day after 1pm to collect my passport.

Tuk-tuk in to town from Embassy to my guest house - 8,000 Kip (less than 1USD)

I stayed at the Vayakorn House 091 Norkeo Kuman Street Vientiane, Tel (00856-21) 241 911 email vayakone[at]laotel.com

This place was recomended in another thread by that guy with the helicopter in his AV, Memock or something?

Anyway, very very clean place, nice wooden floors throughout, hot shower, AC, Sat TV, free in room guest WIFI, friendly and helpful but not slimey staff, fully stocked fridge of beer downstairs.

Room was rather small but extremly clean, bed was very comfortable and the sheets were fresh, clean and had a very nice smell to them.

Great location, 2 - 3 mins stroll to the fountain area.

I paid 17 USD for the room, on a one to ten rating I would probably give it a 8/10 with the only real letdown being size of room.

I will stay there again the next time I visit.

Time for a sleep and then of out to get some food, went to a restaurant called 'India restaurant' across from Lao Plaza Hotel just around the corner from the fountain, now this is more your upscale place and not for the cheap-skates, don't be suprised to find your bill per person reaching the dizzying hights of 10 - 11 USD.

I had a very good Chicken Tikka Massala, just like a British Indian Curry, infact is was not very good, it was excellent, I had it served with Jasmin rice, nan bread, japati (sp) vegetable raita and some Vegetable Samosas, the total bill was 11 USD.

The following day I had breakfast at the Scandanavian bakery and sat around using the WIFI there before heading off to the Thai embassy, Scando Bakery is located beside the fountain, open from 7am - 7pm and serves some great fresh breads and pastries recomended for an early morning breakfast or mid afternoon bite to eat, they also serve an excellent Laos coffee at less than 1 USD.

Here is a map of WIFI coverage in downtown Vientiane.

This map shows coverage by a company called Cyberia.




After a few more Laos coffees it was time to catch a tuk-tuk back to the embassy to collect my passport, the short journey cost 10,000 kip this time, which was a little harsh in my opinion though the sign says it should be 40,000 Kip

A 30 min wait for my passport in the embassy and it was returned with a DOUBLE ENTRY TOURIST VISA, this visa was issued free of charge and is good to last me six months in Thailand with doing a quick border run to Cambodia in the middle, for those that don't understand, heres how it works.

Number of entries is 2, you get 60 days on each entry, you can extend each entry by a further 30 days at an imigration office.

Yesterday entered in to Thailand and recieved 60 days, when the 60 days is due to expire I will go to Imigration in Bangkok and extend for 30 days, this will cost me B1,900 but save me a visa run, Now you have to be careful, check the date your Visa is valid for and leave before that date 'ENTER BEFORE DATE', not the new date you have been given by imigration, this will ensure you get another 60 days on your re-entry in to Thailand and then you can extend this again for 30 days the same way as before.

So B50 tuk-tuk back to the border, B10 over the bridge and away in to Thailand, I met a couple of Brits at the border who live in Udon Thani, they gave me a lift there and I stopped around for drinks in Jo-Jo's or something, caught a VIP with all the trimmings back to Bangkok at 8.30pm friday for a cost of B412 and got home this morning at 4am.

Not a bad trip at all.

B500 to Nong Khai
B50 to border
Loas Visa B1300
Bus B10
Tuk-Tuk to embassy B50
Thai TR x 2 Fee ZERO
Tuk-tuk to guest house B30
Guest House B600
Tuk-tuk Back to embassy B40
Tuk-tuk to border B50
Bus over bridge B10
Bus from Udon after being given free lift there B412

Total for all Transport, Visa and Shelter B3052.

ok im set on the tourist x 2.....is this being given all over he world..im in new zealand but no info on freebies here.....also i have a few questions..

1. do u have to get the 30 day extension or can u just go out again and come back to get the other 60 days

2. when u say leave before the date and enter before the date...do u still get the extra 60 days contimuing from when the 1st 60 days finish or is it on the re entry date ...because im coming for 4 full months so i may need to calculate this into my dates ...........i actually thought that it was only single entries that were being given

^ So on that visa, Noods, it says Enter before 18 Jun 2009. On the second one, what does it say about entry?

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Edit: Or is it just one visa with 2 entries? In which case, do you need to enter the second time also before 18 June?

Originally Posted by benbaaa

Edit: Or is it just one visa with 2 entries? In which case, do you need to enter the second time also before 18 June?

Correct, it is one visa with 2 entries, so after the first 60 days I will go to imigration in Bangkok and extend for 30 days but make sure I leave and re-enter on or before 18th of June to get another 60 days on entry which can be extended again for another 30 days.

Thus giving me close enough to 6 months from this visa with a same day walk over border run to Cambodia in the middle.

^ Gotcha. Thanks for the info, anyway. Never know when it might come in handy.