Laos is a Buddhist country in Southeast Asia. It borders Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and China. It is a Buddhist country and is one of only a few communist states in the world. Vientiane is one of the world’s smallest capital cities, and it does not get a lot of tourists. Laos’ capital city of Vientiane is a bit of a mystery to travelers. If I travel to Vientiane with a family, is it easy to get around? What are the best options to use public transportation for families in Vientiane?
These are definitely some of the stress-filled questions that we had about transportation in Vientiane when we first started visiting. We used to live just across the border from Vientiane in Thailand. As a family, we have taken many trips across the border from Thailand to Laos. We have spent a good amount of time exploring Vientiane with our family. We can share all the ins and outs with you that we’ve learned about public transportation in Vientiane.
Renting a Car vs. Public Transportation in Vientiane – Which Should I Choose?
Often, renting a car is a great option when you are traveling with a family. It can be cost effective if you are taking the cost of a bus or metro and multiplying it by a large number. For our family that is time 6, and often having a car is better. However, our family discourages the use of rental cars within Vientiane for several reasons.
Firstly, Vientiane is a small city and easily walkable. When a destination is too far away to walk, there is an abundance of public transportation options to choose from. With the ease of public transportation, we feel having a vehicle is not necessary.
Secondly, all transportation in Vientiane is quite cheap compared to international standards. A taxi in Bangkok would cost at least double what you would pay for a taxi in Vientiane going the same distance. And taxis in Bangkok are very reasonable. This means that taxing in Vientiane is very cheap. Also, the cost of gas in Vientiane is higher than surrounding nations, making paying for gas not a great deal.
Finally, the road infrastructure is still developing in Vientiane. Even as the capital of the nation, many roads are not paved. You may find yourself suddenly on roads that are too narrow for two-lane traffic.
Different Public Transportation Types in Vientiane
The three main types of transportation around Vientiane and local buses, tuk-tuks, taxis and minivans. Each of these options comes with a benefit of some sort or another. Which option is best for your family when traveling around Vientiane is up to how you like to travel. We enjoyed using the tuk-tuks and taxis via the Laos e-hailing apps. More on the e-hailing apps later on
Local Public Bus
The local public buses of Laos are interesting. They are a sharp contrast to the surrounding city look. The city has a more run down look, and the public buses in Vientiane are new, clean and modern. The new buses are green donated buses from Japan to help with the infrastructure of the city.
These green buses have a set route around Vientiane proper. You will see the buses labeled with their route number. The route number is to let you know where the bus is going to and where it came from.
They have a set price per ride (from what I’ve heard from locals the price has been continually changing in the years post-covid, so ask around for the current rate). This means that you will pay the set amount regardless of if you got off on the next stop or 5 stops down the road. The cost is to get on the bus and not based on how far you go. In our experience, the price has always been less than USD$1.
To ride the bus, you will need to pay in cash to the driver, in Lao Kip.
You will see the bus stops around Vientiane. At each bus stop there is a route map. The map helps you match which bus number goes where within the city. In a small city like Vientiane, the map isn’t too elaborate and is easy to read and understand. You just need to know where your destination is and be familiar with some of the major landmarks around Vientiane. The maps help make taking the buses quite an easy and affordable way to get around the city.
The bus routes have set working hours. The set hours for the bus indicate that they should start service at 5:30am and end at 7:00pm. This means that riding a bus is not helpful for evening and post dinner travel. However, if you are planning on using a bus in the evening, I would ask a local when the bus stops running for the day as there tends to be some fluctuation in times. You will have to use alternative modes of transportation once the bus routes finish for the day.
The public bus will by far be your cheapest method of transportation in Vientiane. For sure if you are single or have a small family! If you have the time to figure out the bus system, the experience will be worth it.
The locals in Laos are incredibly helpful, so don’t feel bad asking questions and getting help from strangers on the road!
Tuktuks
The second option is the tuktuk. Tuktuks are a very popular way to travel around Vientiane. They can be found all over the place, however, they do congregate in certain areas waiting for passengers. This may be on a corner of a street or in front of a shopping center. You don’t need to walk far to find an empty one ready to take you! They will not be hard to find and are a great option for a family.
However, they are all very ready to bargain with you! If they know you are a tourist, they will charge very high prices. There are no set prices for riding a tuktuk that you wave down or find sitting on the side of the road. Setting a price is common and normal, so expect to have to negotiate for your best price. There are, however, options to help you know what a price should be. This is by using the local e-hailing apps.
Tuktuks are one option of transportation type in the Kokkok app. This is an e-hailing app for Laos, and we will outline it in more detail below. Kokkok is similar to Uber or inDrive of other nations. Out of the different transportation types on the Kokkok app, tuktuks will be the cheapest option. It will not be as cheap as riding the local bus, but with using the app it is closer to the price a local would pay for a tuktuk ride.
If you are wanting to ride a tuktuk you can use the e-hailing app to book your ride, and you will have to pay the amount the app tells you. This eliminates the need to negotiate a price, and you will end up getting a fair price almost every time.
The other option is to use the app to get a price so you know how much you should expect to pay for a given ride. Then you can use that amount as a target and base for bargaining. Often we struggled to get a tuktuk to come over the app, but were able to flag one down. Knowing how much you should pay helped us get a fair ride for our family as we traveled around Vientiane.
It is notable that there are also EV tuktuks. These are fancier electronic tuktuks. They are a much quieter drive around the town which makes for a nicer and more present experience. However, they are more expensive. You have the option to book either kind of tuktuk on the Kakkok app. You will also see both kinds of tuktuks to flag down along the road also.
Family Tip
A tuktuk ride is SO much fun for kids. It’s like an attraction in itself. We have been able to fit 7 people into a tuktuk including our small children, and it was such fun!
Taxi / Minivan
Taxis and minivans will be the most expensive way to travel around the city. However, they are still fairly cheap for international standards of travel. Just like the tuktuks, you can find taxis and minivans on the street or find a congregation of them outside of the malls. They are less common to find at street corners as they take up more space than a tuktuk. But they are in abundance throughout the city.
The only time we experienced difficulty finding a taxi was at a busy shopping center on a Sunday afternoon in pouring rain.
Once again, we highly recommend the Kokkok app for ease of paying the cheapest price for a taxi or minivan. They operate the same as the tuktuks in that there is no set price for a trip. Except while using the app. We recommend using the app so you can have a set price. Having a set price when the taxi shows up to pick you up can ease a lot of the hassle of bartering for a fair price.
Or like with the tuktuk, you can use the app as a price guide to know how much to bargain for.
Using the Kokkok App for Transportation in Vientiane
Downloading the Kokkok app will save you a lot of stress when you are visiting Vientiane because it will give you a reference point for pricing of transportation. Whether you end up using the app to get your ride or not. Let me explain more:
When you open the Kokkok app, there are three choices of transportation options – Tuktuk, Sedan, and SUV. The tuktuk price is the cheapest, followed by Sedan, then SUV. You must select the type of transportation you are looking to book for that ride.
Enter your destination and the price will be set for you. The driver should expect that price in cash when you exit the vehicle at the end of the ride.
If the app doesn’t find a driver available to take you in a few minutes of your booking, the app will cancel your ride and you will need to request a driver again.
Sometimes availability will depend on the size of vehicle you are requesting. If a taxi is not available for booking, you can cancel and try a different mode, such as a tuktuk or the SUV. You may need to decide if a larger vehicle is worth the price if no drivers are found for the type of vehicle you requested. You will need to start over and change your vehicle type before entering your destination once again.
Like we said before, you can go through the steps of searching for the price of your destination, even if you don’t book. We like this option, because if a tuktuk is available right in front of us, we don’t need to book on the app and wait. We just tell the tuktuk driver in front of us what price we would like for the trip.
Tips to Feel Prepared
When traveling with a family and kids, any tip and tricks to save time and money are useful. Here are a few of our favorite tips and tricks from traveling around Vientiane that we hope will help you as you travel!
Know your conversion rate
The first tip is to always know your conversion rates. How much it will cost to go from the mall to the hotel is a lot more difficult if you don’t comprehend what the driver’s asking price actually means! So always have a
Always have a set amount in your head to help you exchange quickly. Since we know Thai baht the best, we convert every 20,000 kip into 35 baht (or $1 USD). (conversion rate as of 2024).That way when we are told a price for bartering, we can do the multiplication quickly. This is especially helpful when working with kip, a currency that always has a thousand added to the end.
The kip fluctuates frequently so be sure to know what the current exchange rate is. We like having the XE Exchange App downloaded on our phone. Any numbers that we cannot do quickly in our heads we can plug into the currency exchange app and quickly get an idea.
Know your distance
Be aware of how far you are traveling. If it is walkable, then you should be paying very little for your trip. If it is a long way then know that you likely will be paying extra for the ride. If the destination is near a bus stop, a bus makes sense. However, if the destination is far from a bus stop and you’d have to take a tuktuk anyway, just start with the tuktuk to begin with.
How do you know how much you should pay?
For the tuktuk or taxi options, we recommend checking the Kokkok app and find out the price given there before going to barter with the transport right in front of you. This allows you to know what is expected. The App does not know if you are a tourist or a local. This means you will get a fair price each time. Without this, the drivers will take advantage of you whenever possible to get a higher rate.
Know when you are willing to pay more
If you are time crunched or your toddler is screaming, sometimes it’s just worth it to pay extra to get to your destination faster. After you have done your research and know the lowest price, then set yourself up for how much you are willing to go up to in the bargaining process.
When it comes to family travel, sometimes the cheapest option is just not worth it. Sometimes convenience outweighs a few cents saved.
Don’t pay in Thai Baht.
You may find drivers asking you to pay in Thai Baht. The price being asked in Thai Baht will always be significantly higher. Try to pay in Lao kip for the lowest price. This is applicable to other things in Vientiane also. Restaurants and stores will take Thai Baht also.
If you do not have the cash in Lao kip, it can be useful that they also do take the Thai Baht. They like getting the Thai Baht because it is a stronger currency and subject to less change. So they will likely offer you a price in Thai Baht just so they can earn more.
Avoid Baht if you can and pay in Lao Kip. Another thing to note is that it is difficult to change Lao Kip back once you leave the country. It is best to use up your cash in the country, because you won’t be able to change Lao Kip to any currency once you leave.
Final Thoughts
Visiting Vientiane is a wonderful cultural experience, and public transportation in Vientiane shouldn’t have to stress you out! Whether you end up taking the public bus, tuktuks, or taxis, you will be getting to see what life in Vientiane is like. We have enjoyed a number of kid activities across the city that we recommend exploring. The city is definitely worth visiting and immersing your family in daily Lao culture and life.