Sometimes we might ponder whether we could pin point our seat preference while making a booking in person at the respective bus terminal.
Normally foreigners will be given the far end of the bus where there's no individual bunk beds except that five passengers would have to sleep side by side with each other.Mind you the ceiling is startling close to the forehead.
On approaching Phuc Loc town from Lang Co,the bus conductor made his round to collect the counterfoil bus ticket but just ignore marking my ticket.Seemed odd indeed.
Attached to the bus ticket were lunch and dinner vouchers which were included in the 520,000 Dong bus fare from Danang to Vientiane (locals called Vieng Chan)
10:15am:A unique scene of Lang Co seafront where travelers could have a glimpse of the fishing activities around this beautiful landscape lagoon.
After Lang Co,the bus passed through the main town of Phuc Loc which is also bustling with business activities.
Most of the dwelling houses here have posh design of villa style.
Phuc Loc town faces Bach Ma National park on the west and Dam Cau Hai Bay on the east.
During the Vietnam War,Phuc Loc town being centrally located between the north and south connected via the main Highway Route 1 is also vital to the allied forces logistic reinforcement and resupply capabilities for their forces to the north.*
10:20hrs:-Road milestone says Dong Ha is still 97kilometre to go and route QL1.
Dong Ha,another hour drive north of Hue city is the capital of Quang Tri Province,a town at the cross road of East-West Economic Corridor.
This is the northernmost town of early South Vietnam famous as a Demilitarized Zone.
Dong Ha cross road is towards the Lao Bao immigration border onto the town of Savannakhet in Laos.
Travelers along major routes may see some small shrines near the main road.
Well Vietnamese like their Chinese counterparts have the traditional belief of praying the road side god to ensure that motorists will have a safe journey traveling along that stretches of road.
10:30am:-After two hours of journey leaving Danang's terminal.we had the first embarking passenger,a women with her child.
The bus seats were still not fifty percent occupied and it seemed that this VIP bus is not an express bus.
The main airport of Hue--Phu Bai Airport can be seen in the vicinity.
10:40AM:-The highway toll booth as we were approaching the city of HUE,the capital city of Thua Thien-Hue Province.
Hue is the old imperial capital of Vietnam which was the bloody battle flashpoint in 1968 between the North Vietnamese army and South Vietnamese insurgents during the Tet Offensive.
11:30am:-- Flyover bridge across the Perfume River or Huong River on entering the city of Hue.
Tourist boats could be seen cruising along the slow moving river.
Guesthouses/Hotels in Hue:
1) DMZ Hotel, 21 Doi Cung St (>500,000 VND)
2)Hue Smile Hotel,175 Bà Trieu St (>550,000Vnd)
3)Sports 1 Hotel, 15 Pham Ngu Lao St (>250,000)
4)Tigon Blance Hotel,6 Ba TrieuSt (>250,000)
5)Tigon Premium Hotel,9 Nguyen Cong Tru,(.400,000)
6)Duy Tan 2 Hotel, 12 Hung Vuong St.(>600,000VND)
7)Festival Hue Hotel,15,Ly Thuong Kiet Blvd.(>650,000VND)
8)Ideal Hotel, 1/11 Vo Thi Sau St.(>500,000VND)
9)Ngoc Huong Hotel, 8-10 Chu Văn An.(>550,000VND)
10)Riverview Hotel, 15 Doi Cung St,(>450,000VND)
11)Thanh Uyen Hotel, 14 Ba Trieu,(>550,000VND)
12)Truong Giang Hotel, 51 Le Loi St.(>1,195,000VND)
While in Hue more passengers alighted before heading to Dong Ha which took another hour and half drive with toilet break.
Weather in November was sunny hot about 29degrees celcius with hardly any rainfall.
It was about 1:30pm when the bus reached Dong Ha town which is one of the main cross road to Laos.
Dong Ha town is 74km from Hue City, 80km from Lao Bao Border crossing, 94km from Dong Hoi (Quang Binh Province), 190km from Danang, 598km from Hanoi, and 1,112km from Ho Chi Minh city.
Dong Ha is a two-street town with Highway 1 known as Le Duan Avenue which form the main artery for the northern route while Highway 9 takes off inland at a central T-junction.
At this juncture,more passengers were waiting to alight this bus and it's now filled to full capacity including the aisle.
My seat seemed to have a duplicate fare ticket issued to another passenger which earlier on I've already suspected the bus conductor's intention for not taking my counterfoil slip.
It's going to be a tug of war with the other Vietnamese passenger on how to squeezed myself at the five person open end bunk bed.
This is a real experience in a Vietnamese 'refugee' VIP bus with even two young kids having to stand all the way to Vientiane.Just can't imagine the situation if this is like an overloaded ferry.
The co-bus driver had his hammock fixed to the railings and he seemed to be comfortable with it.
Lunch break was at about 2:00pm a short distance after leaving Dong Ha.
5:30pm:-Completed Vietnamese and Laotian immigration formalities without much hassle as most of the bus passengers were locals.
We had a short break at the Lao Bao border in Savannhakhet province.,Laos.
From this bus travel experience,my suggestion to future travelers is to get a minibus at Danang Bus Terminal to Lao Bao which makes only one trip a day at 09:00am with arrival time about 3:00pm. Subsequently get a minivan at the border after Lao immigration for onward journey to Savannakhet town.
Dao-Heuang Group Duty Free Shop
Dansavanh is in Laos and Lao Bao is in Vietnam. This border crossing opens for business from 7.00am to 6.00m.
This was the first land border between Laos and Vietnam to open for international travellers and this crossing is convenient for Hue in Vietnam and Savannakhet in Laos.
Dansavanh Lao Bao is a busy and convenience border crossing via good quality road.
Route 9 crossing through Laos from Mukhdahan in Thailand to Dansavanh/Lao Bao and on to Hue in Vietnam is regarded as the "East-West Economic Corridor".
From Savannakhet there are buses leaving at 6.30am,9.30am and at noon taking five to five and half hours to get to the border crossing of about 255 kilometers. The bus fare is between 26,000 to 30,000 kip (just under USD$4,00).
From Sepon there are regular buses running to and from Dansavanh/Lao Bao. The trip takes about one hour drive of 45 kilometers and the fare is about 15,000 kip (under USD$2.00). Songtheaws are also running to/from this border crossing to Sepon regulary.
Alternatively, from Savannakhet there is a 10pm daily bus that leaves for Dong Ha (fare: 110,000 kip taking about eight hours, distance of 329 kilometers),
Hue (fare: 120,000 kip taking about twelve hours, distance of 409 kilometers)
and Danang (fare: 140,000 kip taking about fourteen hours, distance of 509 kilometers)
You can also get a bus from Dong Ha to Savannakhet, passing through the Dansavanh/Lao-Bao border crossing. It takes about eight hours and costs 190,000 VND.
If you can't get one of these, take a songtheaew to Sepon, then get one of the frequent bus services to Savannakhet from there. Sepon-Savannakhet takes between three to four hours.
The immigration offices of Laos and Vietnam are located not far from each others.
An overloaded Vietnamese VIP cross border refugee bus.
The consignment of goods includes agricultural produce and sundry merchandise underwent Lao customs immigration inspection.
Visa-On-Arrival in Laos can be obtained at the following international airport entry points:
Wattay in Vientiane ,Luang Prabang ,Pakse and Savannakhet.
By Land at the following:-
- China (Mohan) - Luang Namtha
Province (Boten)
- Thailand (Chiang Khong) -
Bokeo Province (Houay Xay)
- Thailand (Nong Khai)
-Vientiane Capital (Friendship Bridge)
- Thailand - Xayabouly Province (Nam Heuang Friendship Bridge)
- Thailand (Nakhon Phanom) -
Khammouane Province (Thakhaek)
- Thailand (Moukdahan) -
Savannakhet Province (Friendship Bridge II)
- Thailand (Chong Mek) -
Champasak Province (Vang Tao)
- Vietnam (Nam Kanh) - Xieng
Khouang Province (Nong Haet)
- Vietnam (Kao Cheo) -
Bolikhamxay (Nam Phao)
- Vietnam (Lao Bao) -
Savannakhet Province (Dan Savanh)
- Sop Hun in Phongsaly
(Laos-Vietnam)
- Na Meo in Houaphan
(Laos-Viet Nam)
- Na Phao in Khammouane
(Laos-Viet Nam)
Citizens from USA, UK and European the fee is US35.00, Canada US42.00, Sweden US31.00, Australia and other countries is US30.00. All visa's fee are payable in US dollars, you can also pay in Thai bath but it will cost you more.
Foreigners who overstay in Laos will be fined USD5 for each day of overstay before leaving the country.
Bus route Danang to Vientiane
