Where am I again?
Region: Northern Laos> Province: Xieng Khuang> Location: Muang Kham

Getting There and Away

Bus

The bus system in Muang Kham is not very organised. A bus station in the centre of town sees songthaews and the odd, ancient bus congregate to wait for passengers but there is no timetable, no ticket seller, and no one who can give a final answer about anything. Most songthaews depart for the surrounding areas on a regular basis throughout the morning, when they have enough passengers.

Regular songthaews and the odd bus travel between Muang Kham and Phonsavan (1 per hour, 10,000 kip). There are also fairly regular departures throughout the morning for Nong Het on the Vietnamese border. These generally come from Phonsavan and just pass through Muang Kham, so it's necessary to be watchful. The same goes for the bus to Sam Neua. This comes through via Phonsavan, from Vientiane, and could consequently arrive at any time within the space of about 6 hours. It is expected any time from 16:00 onwards, but generally arrives around 21:00-22:00, and has been known to arrive at midnight. Tickets cost 50,000 kip, while the length of the journey depends entirely on road conditions, but typically takes 7-9 hours. A songthaew does the journey by day - again from Phonsavan, passing through Muang Kham at around 09:00-10:00, and costing 40,000 kip. But unless you've scored the front passenger seat, even the most stunning scenery is unlikely to be a sufficient distraction from 7 or 8 hours in the back of a covered truck. This is a very impractical way to get to Sam Neua, especially if the bus is very late and you're standing around after the electricity has been turned off. Conversely, two buses per day come through from Sam Neua, and will travel via Phonsavan on their way to Vientiane. They arrive vaguely around 16:00 and 19:00, depending on road conditions - landslides often block the road in the wet season. They may not take passengers only as far as Phonsavan, particularly if the bus is full, but if you want to head to Phoukhoun, Vang Vieng or Vientiane then there should be no problem.