Nam Thone (aka Vieng Kham) is located 50km to the south of Pak Kading and 100km to the north of Tha Khaek, this place is nothing but a unimpressive cluster of stalls and chops. It's also refered to as Vieng Kham, or even, somewhat confusingly, Thang Beng Lak Xao -- the latter name, roughly translated, means "The only reason to come here is to take the turn on Route 8 and head east to Lak Xao."

And that's what you'll find here -- Route 8 meets Route 13, and if you're headed to Na Hin, Lak Xao, or the Vietnamese border at Nam Phao on your own steam, you might find yourself changing buses here. Bus services slack off in the afternoon and dries up completely after five o'clock, so a lot of people find themselves stranded here for the night. In that case, we recommend that you begin sobbing and screaming hysterically until someone takes pity on you. Or you can walk 800m south of the bus station to the guesthouse nearby.

Accommodation
Vieng Thone Guest House: 800 metres south of the bus station, Nam Thone T: (020) 233 8973;233 7871. 20 rooms.
This is a Vietnamese-run, motel-style place with rooms in three different buildings, and a karaoke joint on the premises that may emit Laotian pop music in the evenings. The staff are kind of rude. The rooms are small and cramped, and the bathrooms are cold water only with squat toilets. If you wind up stuck in Vieng Kham you're probably feeling sorry for yourself anyway, so this is really perfect spot to wallow in self-pity. At least the rooms are cheap. Double with private bath: 40,000 kip.