“Because I traveled a lot by motorbike, the cost of gas was quite expensive. Gas prices in Laos are also nearly 1.4 times more expensive than in Vietnam. In addition, there are ticket prices to tourist attractions and food, so on average I spent 1 million VND per day,” Chu Quang Cau shared with Travellive about his trip.
Chu Quang Cau's journey to explore the Land of a Million Elephants by motorbike lasted 8 days and cost 8 million VND.
Quang Cau's journey from Northern Laos to Southern Laos passed through Sam Neua, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, Kaysone Phomvihane and stopped in Pakxe in Champasak province. Then, he moved back to Vietnam through the Bo Y - Kon Tum border gate. The three popular means of transport to Laos are: plane, bus or motorbike.
The first place you should not miss when coming to Laos is Luang Prabang city. This used to be the ancient capital of Laos, so you can explore the works and culture of Lao people from the past to the present. In Luang Prabang, there are places to visit such as: Wat Xieng Thong (a temple over 500 years old in Laos), Phousi mountain, Kuang Si waterfall or take a boat trip to see the scenery on the Mekong River...
The route from Sam Neua to B.Sam Soun
Next is Vang Vieng, this place is suitable for those who love to explore and experience thrilling games such as off-road racing, mountain climbing, cave exploration, kayaking, hot air ballooning, paragliding...
Another place that should not be missed when coming to the capital Vientiane is That Luang - the golden pagoda symbolizing Laos. Tourists can go to Patuxai triumphal arch, Vientiane night market (the largest of all night markets in Laos). In addition, many people also take the bus from Vientiane to Thailand for a day trip.
The monks are on alms round at Xeno.
Lao people mainly follow Buddhism so there are many pagodas. All constructions and architectures of Laos have the color of Buddhism. In the photo, Quang Cau checked in at That Luang Pagoda.
Besides the interesting things at the destinations, Mr. Quang Cau also encountered many difficulties in his journey to explore Laos by motorbike.
“Perhaps, language was the biggest difficulty I encountered because I didn’t know Lao. Lao people don’t speak much English, but luckily I had support from a Lao app. The most memorable memory was probably driving on the Pak Xeng – Sam Soun road (the road from Sam Soun to Luang Prabang). I followed Google Maps, but it was actually a continuous trail on the hilltops, stretching up to 75 km. This road was all dirt and dust, visibility was affected, if the driver was not steady, it was easy to have an accident. I have never had to drive on such a long and bad road,” Quang Cau recounted.
Luang Prabang seen from the top of Phousi
The road from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng also left him with an impression of the most dangerous mountain pass in Laos. Kasi Pass does not have many sharp turns like the passes in the Northwest of Vietnam. There are not many vehicles but Quang Cau's motorbike is always overloaded because of the consecutive 12-degree slopes. At the top of the pass, there is a rest stop to see the pass from above, which is very similar to Khau Pha Pass in Yen Bai.
Traveling alone by motorbike brings Mr. Quang Cau many memorable experiences when setting foot on new lands. He said that currently in Northern Laos, the forests are in the season of deciduous trees, the natural scenery reminds him of Autumn in Europe. In the South, there are many bare hills, the landscape is more desolate. The terrain of Laos is mainly mountainous, gradually flattening towards the South.
Sea of clouds on the road from Sam Neua to Luang Prabang
Although compared to other countries, traveling to Laos is quite simple, Chu Quang Cau also gives some notes and tips for tourists if they are planning to come to this Land of a Million Elephants.
Procedures for entry and exit into Laos for people and motorbikes:
The procedures for bringing a motorbike and entering and exiting both Laos and Vietnam are simple. Mr. Quang Cau went to Laos from Na Meo border gate in Thanh Hoa. For motorbikes, he completed temporary export papers and stamped them, with a fee of 50,000 VND. For people, he only needed to present his passport and answer the reason for leaving the country for tourism purposes. The time to complete the procedures for both people and vehicles was about 10 minutes.
When entering Laos, the border police take a photo, stamp the passport and sign to confirm customs clearance, with a fee of 50,000 Kip. Lao customs will issue a travel document with vehicle information, ensuring the vehicle is legally transported and can pass through all border gates when returning to Vietnam, with a fee of 100,000 Kip. Immigration clearance takes about 20 minutes.
Lao customs vehicle pass issued for Quang Cau's motorbike. If bringing the vehicle through the border gate, tourists must have this document.
When bringing a vehicle through Laos, Mr. Cau noted that the vehicle and its documents must be in the owner's name. The vehicle's travel documents must be kept throughout the trip to present when the Lao traffic police check and complete procedures to cross the border back to Vietnam.
Money:If you are going for a few days, you can exchange Lao currency at the border, but if you are going for a long time, you should use a visa card so that you can withdraw money as you go. Laos only spends Kip, so you have to exchange money before going to the border to do the procedures or you can exchange directly with Lao customs because the exchange rate is quite good. Currently, 1 Lao Kip = 1.4 VND.
Lao currency is losing value a lot compared to Vietnamese currency, so when exchanging money it will be beneficial for Vietnamese currency, making the cost of the trip cheaper than before.
Traffic:The roads in Laos are not as beautiful as in Vietnam but they are stable and can go quite fast. The reason is that the people here are very conscious in participating in traffic, always give way to each other and observe before doing anything so it is very safe.
In Laos, honking is rare. Quang Cau only honked 3 times on the road from Sam Neua to Luang Prabang because on the mountain pass, at the hairpin bend, he had to honk to ensure safety. Normally, there is no need to use the horn. When you want to overtake another vehicle, just signal, the vehicles will let you pass first, even if they are heavily loaded trucks on narrow roads. Sometimes they even stop completely and pull over to the side of the road to let you pass if the road is too narrow. In Vietnam, this rarely happens.
Traffic in Laos is very safe so you can ride a motorbike without any worries. Remember to limit honking except in emergencies because Lao people do not like the sound of car horns.
Human:The thing that impressed Mr. Quang Cau the most when traveling to Laos was the people here. Everyone is friendly and always helps others, especially Lao people really appreciate Vietnamese people. Lao people are honest and always gentle with each other even in the market when trading is competitive and not fighting. Except for big cities with many tourists, Lao people usually close their shops quite early at 6-7 pm to rest.
Cuisine:Laos has many delicious dishes. Lao people eat a lot of sticky rice, sticky rice is eaten like the rice we eat every day. Mr. Quang Cau ordered rice a few times but always received sticky rice. In addition, Lao people eat very spicy food, so tourists should pay attention to tell them to add less chili to the dish.
Cherry blossoms are everywhere on the road from Sam Neua to Luang Prabang.
Language:Very few Lao people know English, even in tourist areas. Mr. Quang Cau was lucky to know the application “Lao” - very useful when traveling to Laos with tourists who do not know Lao and have limited English. In particular, many Lao people also know Vietnamese, so tourists can boldly speak, if they do not understand, they can use the Lao app to communicate.
Culture:Lao people are mainly Buddhist so there are many pagodas. All constructions and architecture of Laos have Buddhist colors.
“I feel that the Lao people have a great affection for the Vietnamese people. They always treat us well when they know we are Vietnamese, so when we travel, we should try to preserve that beauty in the eyes of Lao people,” Mr. Chu Quang Cau added.
Traveling across Laos, Chu Quang Cau was impressed by the natural scenery and hospitality of the people.
Chu Quang Cau's 8-day itinerary to explore Laos by motorbike:
Day 1: Hanoi – Sam Neua (380 km)
Day 2: Sam Neua – Luang Prabang (450 km)
Day 3: Luang Prabang
Day 4: Luang Prabang - Vang Vieng (190 km)
Day 5: Vang Vieng - Vientiane (150 km)
Day 6: Vientiane – Kaysone Phomvihane (480 km)
Day 7: Kaysone Phomvihane – Pakxe, Champasak province (330km)
Day 8. Pakxe – Ayun Pa (530 km)
