How to Book Tickets for the Vientiane to Luang Prabang Train

The high-speed train from Vientiane to Luang Prabang is the best way to travel between these two beautiful cities in Laos.

However, tickets for this popular train service can be extremely difficult to obtain.

In this short guide, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Vientiane–Luang Prabang high-speed train and how to book tickets.

Vientiane to Luang Prabang by train

Laos has a relatively new high-speed railway line built by the Chinese that links the Laotian capital Vientiane with Kunming in China.

Besides international trains, there are also domestic high-speed services on this railway line linking Vientiane with Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.

Currently, there are between 6 and 7 daily high-speed trains between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, with the journey taking just 1 hour and 45 minutes.

These trains are highly popular among the local Laotian population, Chinese travellers, and foreign tourists, and therefore book up almost as soon as tickets become available (nowadays 7 days before departure, up from the 4 days that used to apply).

This makes arranging your tickets on the spot rather difficult unless you have a fully flexible itinerary.

Booking tickets through official online channels is difficult for this reason, as you need to set your alarm clock for the moment bookings open and then hope you can even get as far as payment, given that the website often has difficulties with foreign phone numbers and credit cards.

However, there is an easy workaround to book your Laotian train ticket.

Booking your Vientiane to Luang Prabang train ticket

The reliable booking website 12Go works great for securing your train ticket from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, or vice versa.

12Go cooperates with Laotian tour operators to ensure that you get a ticket for your preferred train.

When you make a booking, you need to upload your passport for 12Go and their Laotian partners to secure your train tickets, as this is a legal requirement for travel in Laos.

Around 3 to 4 days before departure, your booking will be confirmed, and you will receive your online tickets.

Use the search tool below to find the best train departure for your day of travel and check prices for different travel classes.

Onboard the train

The Vientiane to Luang Prabang high-speed train might look familiar if you have travelled around China by train before, as these are the same high-speed trains you will find there.

Second class has seating in a 3+2 configuration, first class in a 2+2 configuration, while business class has lie-flat leather seats similar to business class on widebody aircraft.

Although a large part of the high-speed railway line from Vientiane to Luang Prabang runs through tunnels in the mountains, there are some great train views from the many viaducts and non-tunnelled stretches along the route.

Both the railway stations in Vientiane and Luang Prabang are located quite a bit out of town, so make sure to allow enough time to get there by taxi and clear security before your train departure.

Remember that the Vientiane high-speed railway station is different from the station where trains from Thailand, such as the Bangkok–Vientiane night train, arrive.

Conclusion

There are between 6 and 7 daily high-speed trains from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, taking just 1 hour and 45 minutes to complete the journey.

Tickets for Laotian trains are hard to get at the railway station, as they often sell out almost immediately when they go on sale.

They can also be difficult to procure through the official website, which is not well-suited for foreign tourists as it has issues with foreign phone numbers for confirmation and foreign credit cards for payments.

A great workaround is booking your train from Vientiane to Luang Prabang through 12Go, which can easily secure your ticket on your preferred service in cooperation with its Laotian tour agency partners.