Travel Guide and Transport Info for Vang Vieng, Laos by Hobo Maps -

Local Transport
- there are songtaew buses that have regular routes and schedules including one to Vientiane but they are not intended for use by tourists and they refused to let me take the one that originates from the public bus station. Tourists are supposed to charter tuk-tuks and songtaews for their travel around the area which is fine since there are many of them and the rates are reasonable. Many places rent bicycles and motorbikes. The town is not large with all places reachable by walking. Travel time from Vang Vieng to Vientiane is about 3.5 hours, 7 hours to Phonsavanh or Luang Prabang, 12 hours to Oudom Xai, 16 hours to Luang Namtha and 20 hours to Huay Xai.

Vang Vieng Bus Service
- the transport options for Vang Vieng are quite simple since it has no airport, is not on a navigable river and has only one highway passing thru it. Nearly everyone coming here does so by bus or minivan. There is only one public bus station located about 2.5 km north of town on Hwy. 13 at grid code GO194 on this map HERE. The schedule is shown below and you can buy your ticket the day before but the ticket window closes about 15:30. This public bus station info is probably more up-to-date and more reliable then the travel agent schedule info shown below it on this web page.

Travel Time Delays
- the recent very wet rainy season that caused the floods in Bangkok also hit the road system in Laos and has left Highway 13 between Vientiane and Luang Prabang in poor condition. Our bus trip from Vang Vieng to Vientiane on Dec. 7th took almost 5 hours instead of the 3.5 hours it normally takes because much of the asphalt is gone and the remaining asphalt is riddled with potholes. Cycling this part of Hwy. 13 should be avoided due to the dust and rough roads. Even if they start a massive repair project, the construction work itself will continue the delays and make cycling miserable for the forseeable future. Travel time by bus between Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng also takes about 1 hour longer than normal.

Public Bus Station Schedule as of December 2011 below:

The Vang Vieng tourism industry is well developed and there are many private bus carriers that don't require you to use the public bus station. You typically buy your bus ticket at a travel agent the day before departure and they come to your guest house to get you for the bus trip. The schedules shown below are samples of what was promoted by travel agents in December 2011 but there is a good chance some of this info is outdated.