A guide to the Laos-China Railway from Vientiane to Boten, including tickets, train types, station guides, onboard amenities, and transport to stations.
The Laos-China Railway is a semi-high-speed railway in Laos that operates from Vientiane to Boten, with main stations in Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, and Muang Xai.
Here everything you need to know about the Laos-China Railway.
Laos-China Railway guide
Laos-China Railway map
About the Laos-China Railway
Buying tickets
Stations
Station security
Restaurants and shops
Station toilets
Express and Local Services
Onboard the Laos-China Railway
Seats onboard the Laos-China Railway
Onboard food
Onboard toilets
Views from the train
Transport to stations
International travel to China
Further reading
Laos-China Railway map
About the Laos-China Railway
The Laos-China Railway is 414.332 kilometres, of which there are 258.5 kilometres of bridges and tunnels.
The line is a standard gauge (same as China and Europe) and uses electric-powered trains (EMU). The line is on a single track with passing loops. Express trains have an operating speed of 160 km/h. Local trains and cargo trains travel up to 120 km/h.
[160 km/h on the Laos-China Railway.]
Website: http://www.lcrc.ltd/
Facebook: Laos – China Railway Company Limited
Buying tickets
[Muang Xai ticket office.]
The official Laos-China Railway website doesn’t sell tickets, so the easiest way to buy tickets online is via the online travel agent Baolau.
There are a few other ways to buy tickets, so here is my guide on how to buy tickets for the Laos-China Railway.
Stations
There are 10 passenger stations on the Boten-Vientiane line:
– Boten
– Na Teuy
– Na Moh
– Muang Xay
– Muang Nga
– Luang Prabang
– Kasi
– Vang Vieng,
– Phon Hong
– Vientiane
Station security
The stations have airport-style security where you have to have a ticket to enter the stations and your bags are scanned. Aerosols are listed as a banned item, so my can of deodorant was taken from me.
If you are bringing in water they make you drink a sip of it to prove that it’s not an explosive substance. This is the most sensible system I have seen anywhere for liquid security.
Restaurants and shops
Vientiane has the most variety of shops, so you can get there a bit earlier to do some people-watching at a station cafe.
[Pun Cafe at Vientiane Station.]
The main stations have cafes and convenience shops.
[Cafe Amazon at Vang Vieng.]
The stations are built in undeveloped areas, so there are no shops nearby. There are some roadside stalls at the entrance to Luang Prabang, but apart from that, don’t expect to get anything substantial to eat outside the stations.
[Roadside stalls at Luang Prabang Station.]
One thing that every station has is water fountains serving hot and cold water. This reminded me of my travels in China, where people bring their own flasks of tea, and where instant noodles are served everywhere.
Station toilets
The stations have the options of sit or squat toilets.
I was once again reminded of my travels in China by the fact that there is no toilet paper. If you have been travelling in Southeast Asia for a while you should be packing your own in your day bag. If you are new to this part of the world, then remember to bring your own.
Express and Local Services
There are two train types operating on this domestic route. The express service travels up to 160 km/h and only stops at the main stations:
– Vientiane
– Vang Vieng
– Luang Prabang
– Muang Xai (provincial capital of Oudomxay province)
– Na Teuy
– Boten (immigration frontier for China)
There is also a local train service that runs at a speed of up to 120 km/h. This one stops all stations and the tickets are cheaper.
Onboard the Laos-China Railway
[Boarding the train at Vientiane.]
When this train service opened it instantly became the most modern and fastest railway in Southeast Asia. The fastest train title now belongs to Whoosh, but it’s still a marvel to see such a train operating in Laos.
The trip from Vientiane to Luang Prabang used to take two days before the expressway was built, and even now it can take up to a day. Now it takes less than two hours to go from Vientiane to Luang Prabang by train.
Here is what the express train looks like arriving at Luang Prabang:
[Train arriving at Luang Prabang Station.]
The train can travel at a speed of up to 160 km/h, making it a semi-high-speed railway. It is not – as some media outlets keep repeating – a high-speed railway. It is an ideal speed for a country the size of Laos.
Seats onboard the Laos-China Railway
The seats in economy are in a 3×2 configuration, so the seats are a bit narrower compared to trains with a 2×2 configuration. It’s still a comfortable ride even in the 3-across section.
[5 seats across in economy.]
The most important thing is leg room, of which there is plenty. You can easily pass someone in the aisle, or recline your seat without guilt.
On my return trip from Vang Vieng to Vientiane my seatmate had taken over my space with her bags. there is so much legroom that I didn’t bother to move her bags for the 55-minute trip.
There are power outlets under the seats, but no wifi onboard.
I travelled in First Class from Muang Xai to Boten, where the seats are in 2×2 configuration.
[First Class seats on the Laos-China Railway.]
Unlike an airline, where the seat hierarchy is Economy-Business-First, the seat hierarchy on the Laos-China Railway is Economy-First-Business. The Business Class seats are in 1×2 configuration.
The local train service has non-reclinable cushioned bench seats in 2×3 configuration.
[Bench seats on the local Laos-China Railway.]
Onboard food
There is no cafe carriage onboard, but there is a snack cart that trundles up and down the train during the trip.
There are hot water dispensers in the train for tea and instant noodles.
Onboard toilets
One of the main reasons that trains are better than buses is that you can go to the toilet whenever you want.
The express trains have the option of squat toilets or sitting toilets.
Like the stations, there is no toilet paper, so come prepared.
Squat toilet on the local train.
Views from the train
There are some amazing views from the train, though once you go north of Vang Vieng you are going to see a lot of the inside of tunnels (there are so many tunnels!)
[Passing through a tunnel on the Laos-China Railway.]
Here is what to expect outside the tunnels.
[View near Vang Vieng.]
[Mekong crossing near Luang Prabang.]
[Second Mekong crossing.]
Transport to stations
Vientiane station is 17 km outside the city centre, so you need to factor in extra travel time to get there. Google Maps said it was 30 minutes in the morning, and we got there in 20 minutes.
Coming back to Vientiane it took about 55 minutes by bus to get from the station to the central bus station in peak hour traffic.
We got a private taxi that was arranged by the hotel for 170,000 LAK. On the way back I got the local bus that goes to the central bus station for 15,000 LAK.
Vang Vieng Station is about 4 km from the city centre. The transport prices are:
Shared tuktuk: 30,000 LAK
Private tuktuk 50,000 LAK
Motorbike taxi: 20,000 LAK
Luang Prabang Station is about 12 km from the historic centre of Luang Prabang, and it took about 25 minutes to get there. I was wondering what the transport situation would be like here as it will most likely be the most popular stop for tourism.
When we arrived we got a shared tuktuk with two Laotians. One of the men was a policeman (he showed us his ID) and we all paid 50,000 LAK each. With the policeman paying the same rate I guessed we paid the correct fare. On the way back I rented a private tuktuk for 80,000 LAK, and my friend went back earlier and rented a private car for 170,000 LAK. The official shared minivan price is listed at 35.000 LAK.
Muang Xai Station is about 3 km from the city centre.
Electric trolley: 5,000 LAK
Shared tuktuk: 30,000 LAK
Private tuktuk: 50,000 LAK
International travel to China
The railway is connected to the Yuxi–Mohan railway, which is the Chinese section of the Laos–China Railway. There is a daily service between Vientiane and Kunming South.
There is a separate international entrance at Boten to clear immigration.
At Boten station you have to leave the train and follow the path to the international section of the station.
You will need to check if you need a visa before booking a train ticket to China.
Tickets for train between Laos and China can also be booked via Baolau.
Buy Vientiane – Kunming train tickets.
Further reading
I have a historical archive of the construction of the Vientiane-Boten Railway.
Read more about Laos railways.
This train guide is part of the Southeast Asia railways guide.
thanks for the report and all I can say is whoaaaaa!
My wife andI first went to Laos in 2003 in an unplanned travel choice from Bangkok, and fell in love.We traveled from Vientiane to Luang Prabang. We have returned over the decades several times to our beloved Luang Prabang each time expecting it to be exploited beyond our enjoyment… but even though changed westill loved it.
this train is… well good luck for the Laotians and I hope somehow it will still allow for the beauty of Laos to continue.
That all sounds and looks very much like a Chinese high-speed train system, only slower and with less sophisticated ticketing.
Looking forward to use it when China is open again!
As for the immigration. There are two separated immigration on each side of Laos and China.
Na Teuy is also a major station which both EMU and Green Train stop.
Hi! We’re travelling to luang parabang from Thailand (the huay xai border crossing) and we’re hoping to take the train. Does anyone know where can we find information about the status of the local train service?
The local train runs daily but you can also check on the official facebook page https://www.facebook.com/LaosChinaRailway/ – they post schedules every day
Nearest station is Na Teuy Station in Laos. Taking bus from huay Sai is about 6-8 hours. Costing about 120.000 kip if I remembercorrectly. Both EMU and green train stop there
Hi! Would you know if they are accepting walk in passengers now? Thank tou!
You can go to the station on the day of travel, it is just that you are not guaranteed that there will be a seat available.
Hey there, so are we able to go to Boten? I wanted to visit Luang Namtha after Luang Prabang but not sure if this is possible. Would you have any idea? 🙂
Yes you can go to Boten, but if you are going to Luang Namtha then it would be easier to go to Na Mor station. I think this will be a popular option in the future, but I have not seen if they are coordinating buses to meet trains there yet.
I thought Na teuy station is near to luang Nantha
Yes, yes should have been Nateuy!
Hi James,
Very informative post but can I just ask if there is any way to pre-book the tickets rather than leave it to chance as we only have 5 days to travel in Laos and we’re planning to stop by Wang Vieng as well.
This website seems to be selling train tickets in which I am not sure if its legit seeing that you mentioned that one has to physically Q at the ticket counter to buy the tickets and could only use wechat to pay.. Dont even know how that works!
Hi Cindy, yes I recently saw that Baolau is now selling tickets so I need to update my post! I have not used Baolau for buying tickets in Laos, but I use them frequently in Vietnam and they are a legitimate booking site. They may be doing what 12go in Thailand do, which is buying tickets manually and adding a fee. It was announced recently that the railway will release a booking app by the end of the year, so the Baolau option seems to be best for now if you don’t want to queue.
I have just used Baolau to book train tickes from Luang Prabang to Vientiane and they provided a very efficient service.
My tickets were booked in advance of sales and then when issued (3 days before travel) Baolau contacted me again by email / Whatsapp to arrange ticket delivery to my hotel.
Thanks, good to know!
AT STATION, you can pay with laos kip cash.
At the ticket office in the city center: you have to pay with one pay, union pay, weichat pay. CASH is not acceptable unless other people who wanna help you.
Actually, the local hotel can also book the tickets for the guest for additional fee.
Thanks. James, very helpful ….
Hi James, thanks for this fantastic and very detailed review of the train line. May I know if the first class tickets can only be booked at the station? I don’t see this option at Baolau, only the second class ones.
I don’t know about the first-class ticket arrangement online, unless it already sold out and it is not showing. Is it showing on other days? Also, is there a business class? I have seen first and business used interchangeably.
Biz class and first class are not the same. Biz ticket passenger can enter VIP room and board the train first. Which is only 18 seats for the whole carriage Biz class is more expensive.
Great review! Thanks, James, for very helpful details. Did you stay in Boten or did you go straight back by train? I plan to take a train to Boten and want to stay overnight to explore the town. Are the hotels there open for foreigners?
I had planned to stay in Boten, but the city area was completely fenced off and required a covid test to enter. I didn’t want to risk finding out I was asymptomatic and getting held in Boten quarantine for a week so I didn’t go in.
Thanks! In early July, I visited another Chinese-run special economic zone in Laos, the Golden Triangle. By that time there were no covid-related restrictions.
Thanks for the update. I wonder if Boten is open now then. Boten was complicated because it is the land border crossing and there were literally hundreds of trucks queued up to enter China. With China’s zero-covid policy still in force, this has been a factor in Boten’s border mayhem.
This September, I travelled by express train from Vientiane to Boten and stayed there for the night. There are no more pandemic-related restrictions, but the town looks half abandoned as the China border is still closed to tourists. A cost of taxi from the station to the Boten was 100,000 LAK, which I shared with another traveller. The most difficult thing was to find a hotel to stay overnight – it seems that only one survived the pandemic and only 5 visitors stayed there including me (and I was only falang in the town). However, an hour is enough to go around the whole town through and through.
I saw a Thai youtuber did the trip at 5th september his channel is @permsap. Actually there are more hotel available. Laos and Chinese food are the dominant in Boten. Due to the language barrier and its non-tourist oriented features. Most people will not consider even visit it, unless people travel there for business.
Hi, my train from Vientiane to Luang Prabang is 7.30am.
Do you know how many hours in advance would I have to be at the train station? And how much would transport cost to Vientiane train station? Thanks much
You will be ok to be there 45 minutes in advance.
I got a private taxi to Vientiane Station for 170,000 LAK. On the way back I got the local bus that goes to the central bus station for 15,000 LAK.
Fantastic!
I just can’t believe it! What a revolution for Laos.
I cycled from china to Cambodia, quite a few times in the past and was wondering: does the local train transport bicycles ? As they do in China..
Thanks
Hi Benoît, that is quite the trip! At the moment they don’t have provision to bring bicycles.
China used to allow bicycles. But now not any more. I believed in LCR just copy it. However a foldable bike in a trolley may provides it is under the size limitation
Thanks for this great informative post!
We took the morning fast train from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng on 30 Dec 2022 and then the evening train from Vang Vieng to Vientiane the next day. A few additional observations from our experience that might be helpful to others.
We bought tickets for the first leg through our hotel in Luang Prabang two days before departure. The minimal extra cost was well worth it. One minor downside was that our seats were not together, although my seatmate generously switched seats with my husband. The train was on time and boarding was efficient. Still no food inside the station. We also did not see any food for sale on the first train. One additional observation was that the PA system in the Luang Prabang station was incredibly bad. It sounded like something from the 1950s not the 2020s!
We arrived in Vang Vieng about 12:30 and immediately went to the station’s ticket office to book our outgoing train and managed to enter just before it closed at 12:40pm for about an hour Others were not so lucky. The office also closes for a second period every day, but I do not recall exactly when or for how long. Opening and closing times are posted by the entrance. By the time we finished buying tickets most of the taxis and Tuk-Tuks offering transportation into the city had already departed. We managed to find seats on one of the last ones for 30,000/person.
After 1-1/2 days of exploring the area around Vang Vieng and taking in a beautiful sunset and sunrise, we hopped on the 19:16 train to Vientiane. While we were in second class on the first train ride, we decided to splurge and had first class seats to compare service. The train was not as full as our first, probably being New Year’s Eve and there were probably only a dozen people in the first class car. It did provide a bit of additional room (seats are 2-2 across instead of 2-3), but otherwise there is no real reason to book first class over second, unless you are traveling with others and there are no seats available together in second class.
Happy travels!
Hi Lisa, thanks for the update, that’s a great report!
Hi.Thanks a lot for the info .I did Vientiane to Ponsavan via Luang Prabang by motor bike in 2005.Will take the comfy way this time.Laos will have to foot this huge bill for a long time!Looking forward to do this train ride in a month.
Would you know about bus connections out of Muang Xay or other stations? Trying to avoid the Vientiane to Hanoi night bus, I thought about taking the train to a station with connection to Vietnam, for example Dien Bien Phu. Rather take daytime local busses to see the North of Laos and Vietnam. Any recommendations?
Hi Jan, good question and this is something I have thought about while I was there. They should turn Muang Xay into a regional travel hub where buses connect with arriving trains. There is a lot of land near Muang Xay that should be turned into a bus terminal. Unfortunately, they are not that organised yet.
Since March 2023 there is mobile application to book a train ticket
https://kpl.gov.la/En/detail.aspx?id=71839
Thanks, I have been meaning to check that. I read that it is only possible to use with a Laos number (and probably a Chinese number as well).
Tried to book a business class ticket with my hotel. They can book tickets and we pay them Laos cash but business class tickets need to be bought one week before they said.
Thanks for the update, it seems so needlessly complicated
You can book tickets on 12go now, but you still have to go to the ticket booth and exchange for a proper ticket. Still a hassle, and you dont have the option of buying cheaper tickets online, as I paid ~$27 usd just to go from Vientiane to Liang Prabang (includes pickup as well, maybe that ups the cost). I also didn’t get official confirmation that my seat was secured until the day before. The instructions are still mainly in Lao and Chinese.
Thanks for the recent update. Amazing that the ticketing system is still so complicated.
Hi, we are group of 5 adults and 2 kids travelling 24.12.23. Mainly I need to know about the luggage we carry in the express train. Please advise.
Thank you
Luggage is carried on with you and you can place it above you or in a luggage compartment area.
Very helpful and informative. I’ve been trying to get tickets to Nateuy station with the intention of going to Luangnamtha from there . I’m coming from the China side and Nateuy tickets are all unavailable. However, all other stations are available. Third party also have no listings. Any ideas? Is the station shut or is it really the popular destination ? Thanks for your input
the D trains from China and Laos do not stop at Nateuy. the only possible solution is to disembark at Boten and buy another domesriv tickets if possible
or just take a taxi or minivan to luang namta
This railway connection between Laos and China is such an exciting development! It’s great to see infrastructure improvements that enhance travel options and promote regional connectivity. I’m curious to hear more about how this will impact local communities and tourism in the area!