Vientiane Travel Forum

Hi,
I am looking for any advice for travelling between Vientiane and Siem Reap.
Is it a good idea to take a couple days to do this while stoping at certain towns in north-eastern thailand?
Is it better to just get to Siem Reap as quick as possible?
Which is better, train or bus?.

Any advice helps.

Thanks

Well, you could also fly with Lao Airlines or Vietnam Airlines. But if time is not an issue, you could work your way to southern Laos by VIP bus (there are no trains presently operating in Laos) or minivans and cross over from Don Det of Don Khon in the Siphandon district. But I think this border still might require you're getting a Cambodian visa in advance (not positive).

The other option is to cross from Vientiane to Thailand by bus and take bus or train to Khon Khaen and connect with bus or train to Arranyaprathet were you'd cross into northwest Cambodia via the Poipet border crossing. Just be aware that there are lots of transport scams at this border to get to Siem Reap.

Since there is no train between the two points (except if crossing temporarily into Thailand), I'd have to guess the bus is a better option :-). Assuming time is not an issue for you? If busing all the way down to the Lao-Cambo border at Si Phan Don, I think there's now bus connections running from the Cambodia border all the way (as opposed to the former jetboat-only option from the border to Stung Treng, + other optional boats to Kampong Chnaang for the cutoff to Siem Reap). Get your Cambo visa while in Vientiane, and let us know how much they ask for it (supposed to be US$20, but many border stations and their Bangkok embassy itself ask for 1000 baht).

Try reading the travel connections pages on travelfish.org and talesofasia.com for up-to-date details on these connections. The Aranyapathet crossing from Thailand is indeed rife with ripoff pitfalls as the previous replier noted; good info on how to avoid those on the Tales of Asia website. My Google Earth presentation has the Vientiane-S.R. land/river route via the Laos-Cambodia plotted out, and some photos in my web albums (see my home and travel pages here for links).

If cutting into Thailand, you could work in an easy side trip to Preah Vihear, a reportedly stunning temple setting just inside Cambodia on the north Cambodia-Thai border, visitable from Thailand on a day-trip only (there's a very rough Cambodian road from below the temple going south to Siem Reap, but afaik no official entry in to Cambodia is allowed there. You leave your passport at the Thai border if visiting the temple from there; you'd then have to continue on to Aranyapathet or another open Thai-Cambo border crossing and connect to Siem Reap.