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Road Muang Khua to Vietnam

  • tpurple

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    Hi All,

    I was wondering if anyone has recently taken the Bus from Muang Khua to Dein Bein Phu, Vietnam, and if so what are the conditions of the road like and how long did this take? I was planning to take this route in March however read that this road is currently under construction.

    Also, I would be coming to Muang Khua from Nong Khiaw, I was wondering what the chances are of getting from Nong Khiaw to DBP in 2 days (any time of the week), i.e. would it be okay to book a flight from DBP to Hanoi in advance, and leave Nong Khiaw 2 days before?

    Thanks in advance for any advice

    #1 Posted: 1/2/2011 - 03:33


  • wanderingcat

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    not taken it. but by all recent accounts, Muang Khua to DBP bus journey still takes 1 day during the dry season. one daily bus, departs from opposite bank of Nam Ou from Muang Khua town at ~6am.

    one of the more recent accounts of the MK-DBP road, from a cyclist:
    http://bikemonkey1.blogspot.com/2011/01/week-10-luangnamtha-to-ban-na-song.html
    http://bikemonkey1.blogspot.com/2011/01/phase-3-vietnam-to.html

    how are you traveling from NK to MK, by road or by boat? no regular departures for boats - depends on demand/whether you're willing to charter. no direct bus, have to change songthaew/bus in Oudomxay (& maybe one more time in Pak Mong if there's no direct NK-Oudomxay transport that day).

    in theory 2 days possible, but in reality it will be 2 very tiring days squashed up in boat/buses (the MK-DBP bus is always very crowded) with not much room for unforeseen delays (e.g. if you go by road but cannot reach Oudomxay in time to catch the last bus to Muang Khua, or if the MK-DBP bus gets held up at the border due to some Vietnamese or Lao trader's cargo - has happened before).

    #2 Posted: 1/2/2011 - 08:22

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  • maura

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    We came through Muang Khua in the opposite direction from DBP in mid Jan. The road is indeed ‘under construction’ it is un-surfaced all the way, very mountainous and a wee bit scary. The 11 hour journey involved several stops to wait for diggers to ‘put the road back’ and took almost 2 hours to get the dozen or so passengers through the border. We loved every bit of it.

    I regret not spending some time trekking in the Muang Khua area.

    Nong Khiaw to DBP in 2 days? We went by boat downstream (5 hours.) Going upstream 7-8 hours? then next day 11hours on a local bus,yikes that’s tough journey. Take your time and stop in Muang Ngoi great spot and fantastic scenery

    #3 Posted: 3/2/2011 - 06:31

  • tpurple

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    Thanks for the advice.

    I was looking forward to the adventure of the bus ride and saving a few dollars on getting to Hanoi . However, i only have 10-12 days in Laos total so i think after visiting the Nong Khiaw and Muang Ngoi area I'll fly Luang Prabang to Hanoi so i can make the most of the time i have without so much travelling.

    Maura would you recommend Muang Ngoi over Nong Khiaw?

    #4 Posted: 5/2/2011 - 08:03

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