cplhsu
newbie
Posts: 4
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#4 Posted: 7/5/2008 - 12:06
First internet in a week!
We did end up crossing at Na Meo and here is what happened:
- We had a hard time in Thanh Hoa because nobody spoke any english. We went to 4 different guesthouses/hotels and all were the same. After much pictionary and use of the phrasebook we eventually found out that there was a daily bus to the Na Meo border at 0530.
- We took a taxi there, which cost 15000VND so it was pretty close.
- At the station we were surrounded by touts immediately. The bus driver was a total bastard and refused to take us for less than $20 USD each (he asked for $25 at first) and tried to drive off without us.
- The drive took 6-7 hours and we arrived around 1230 but they were out to lunch until 1330. After taking a long long time they looked at my passport, asked me to spell my name and looked in my journal.
- On the Lao side we had to pay $1 USD and were told that there was only 1 bus to Vieng Xai/Sam Neua a day and it was at 1100. A moto was gonna cost $50USD pp bus we finally got a private car for $25 to Vieng Xai.
My advice would be:
- dont cross from Thanh Hoa unless you're prepared to communicate with basically no english. We went to the bank and we had trouble getting USD. We were eventually directed to a jewellers down the road. Blackmarket but the banks dont change into USD.
- better to probably hire a private car if you can, for the amount of money we paid.
- stay at the Vietnamese side if you get there later than 1000, since there's only ONE bus at 1100. There are 2 guesthouses there.
- it's also possible to cross from Mai Chau. We met a guy who crossed by hiring a moto for $18 USD, 4.5 hours. Pretty reasonable.
Hope that's helpful :) and I would recommend crossing this way if you're not too tight on cash. Just in case anything goes wrong, as it did in our case. The scenery is stunning and Vieng Xai is amazing. It was a beautiful introduction to Laos, but it was pretty stressful when we almost rolled down the mountain.
PS there are ATMs in Luang Prabang and Luang Nam Tha, just in case anyone was wondering. But still bring enough backup cash as transport is a bit expensive, especially when the bus keeps dropping you at the tuk-tuk station a few km's outta town. It adds up. And the ATMs only allow you to take out 700,000kip per day. |
nuff
newbie
Posts: 3
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#8 Posted: 13/5/2008 - 23:04
We did it!
It sure wasn't the smoothest border crossing Ive done, but it's possible if you have time, patience and willing to be overcharged... Saturday really is the keyword for this border. Here comes the short version!
Vientiane - Phonsavanh.
Quite many buses leaves every day from the Northern Bus station. Around 100.000 kip and about 12 hours. There are buses straight to Xam Neua but they are 22 hours or more, Phonsavanh makes a good stop on the way.
Phonsavanh - Xam Neua
2 buses are announced at the bus station, but there should be a few more passing by each day. Buses are 70.000 kip and theres one in the morning (8.00) and one at 19.30.
What to expect:
-Local bus with all included; crowded, loaded with random stuff, armed soldier and no air-con.
-9-11 hours with a few stops, dont worry if they get the tool kit out and crawls under the bus (I think they adjusted the gear box).
-The bus at 19.30 comes all the way from Vientiane and thats a long way to get delayed on. On a lucky day, you could catch a ride the following morning to the border, but you may as well be late from Phonsavan and miss them all.
In Xam Neua, depending on the day, you have two options listed below. Personally, if you have the time, the caves in Vieng Xai are recommended.
Option A.
Xam Neua - Vieng Xai (optional)
Sangthaws leaves at least once each hour from Nathong bus station (not the one you'll arrive at) and prices are fixed at 10.000. Takes 45min-1 hour.
Xam Neua - Vieng Xai - Nam Xoi
One Sangthaw to the border leaves at 7.10 in the morning and should be 25.000 kip. 3 hours of beutiful landscape included!
Vieng Xai - Nam Xoi
We never sorted this out, but the locals advice us to be at the big road at 6.45 to catch the ride to the border. They say its the one from Xam Neua but that kinda brakes the rules of physics.. But at 7 we actually found 2 rides to the border, one truck and one sangthaw, both coming from Vieng xai. We took the Truck and payed 25.000 (21.000 is the advertised price for the one from XN). Sangthaw from Xam Neua passed by later (the day we went it didnt leave Nathong until 8.00)
Nam Xoi - Na Meo
No problems at the Lao side of the border, they seems to be helpful.
Walk a few hundred meters and arrive at the vietnamese side. Pay 2000 dong (1.500 kip) and have your bag "searched".
What to expect:
-A big, new, shiny Laotian border station.
-A big, new, shiny Vietnamese border station.
-Very little english spoken/understood, especially on the vietnamese side.
-A very shallow bag inspection.
Na Meo - Thanh Hoa
In Na Meo we fought a war. The whole town is a mad house. Noone wanted to drive us further than Mai Chau, not even for $200! (we ended up being 8 people, ready to pay $25 each). There was a red "half size" bus "available" at $25 to Thanh Hoa (which later became $30) but the bus driver could've won a price in the "showing none interest at all" championship. We tried every possible move to make him go, even offering him the silly $25 each(!) but we didn't go anywhere that day. It all came down to the hotel manager (big, new, stateowned hotel) and the busdriver running all transportation as they want, and that day the bus driver wanted to sleep. We ended up having to stay in Na meo for one night, we searched the town to avoid the big hotel and the manager. We found a small guesthouse in the far end of the town with a kind of dormitory for 50.000 dong/night. Matress on the floor and no food, but 6 of us stayed there and we had a good time despite our situation.
The next day (saturday) we were denied getting on the bus coming from Xam Neua, a nasty piece of work from the hotel guy, bus driver and also customs officers, all in all the whole town were in on it. We swallowed all our pride and went with the red bus, which suddenly was down to $20 and were happy to leave.
What to expect:
-War, but unless you're in Na Meo on a tuesday, thursday or saturday, don't expect leaving the town.
-A few other options, including minivan to Mai Chau ($35/person!, no further discussion) and some motos willing to go 50km at $15-20.
-A local bus at the worst, the first hours are really bad. Leaves at 12.00 (12.40 in our case).
-In Na Meo - little to eat, we managed to buy some rice (worst rice we had in the whole trip) and vegetables. Everyone in town accept KIP at 1.6 rate.
Option B.
You're lucky! You choosed to go on a saturday and can skip the complete madness of Na Meo.
Xam Neua - Thanh Hoa (vietnam).
Leaves at 7.40 (according the time tables we saw, time unconfirmed) and goes straight to Thanh Hoa. A bargain at 100.000 kip ($12) for the 11 hour trip. You can flag down the bus from Vieng Xai, just hang around the main road in the morning.
Thanh Hoa - Hanoi
We ended up getting the night train (23.30, 43.000 dong), not the best solution since you'll arrive at 3.30 in Hanoi. Book a room in advance and get a cab. The ones at the station (Mai Linh, green logo) seems to be realiable.
Conclusion:
We were 8 tourists crossing the border the same day, I dont know if we were lucky or if the border is used pretty widely. We had learned that the bus is said to leave only at tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays, but we were offered to go the same day we arrived and we spent hours of fighting about even going. The day after the hotel manager went down to the border station right before the bus from Xam Neua arrived and talked with the personel. Earlier that morning a lot of border police was happy to tell me about the bus from Laos and where to get on, and suddenly a higher officer tells us that there will be problems and that we have to get the other one. The price the tourist information office in Xam Neua gave us for the ride to Na Meo - Thanh Hoa was $7 dollars, we got nowhere near it.
A guy who crossed the day after us hitched a ride with some Laotian fuel trucks. That's a possible way to go, but out of 6 trucks in the convoy, only 1 agreed to take passengers. |
