Bus to Pakse

Anyone know what the overnight Pakse bus is like? How reliable is it? Do they swap buses, so you can't lie down? All information is welcome - thanks.

dambache wrote:

Anyone know what the overnight Pakse bus is like? How reliable is it? Do they swap buses, so you can't lie down? All information is welcome - thanks.


My wife uses it to go to see family in Pakse. The overnighter has bunks so you can sleep. She has no problems using it. The kids quite like it too.

I used to travel by VIP Sleeping Bus from Pakse-Vientiane-Pakse few times and it was perfect. I can sleep well if I bought ticket on 1st bed and get little bus sick on 2nd bed.

My sister in law and her 3 kids came up from Pakse last week on the overnight bus and enjoyed it.Cost wise it is far cheaper than flying, half the cost of flying.

You can get a sleeper bus from Vientiane to Pakse for 170000 kip.  It's reasonably comfortable and there is a toilet on the bus.  The buses depart the Southern Bus Station at around 8:30 p.m. and arrives in Pakse around 7:00-7:30 a.m.  If you don't buy the ticket before hand then you need to arrive early to buy it-they generally sell out.  When we have booked tickets over the phone and turned up to pay before departure they have told us to come by 7:00 p.m.

Some of the buses are nicer than others.  If you are over 1.75 metres tall then your feet and head will touch the end walls (padded) and it might be uncomfortable.  You have to share a bed (same sex sharing) but you could buy two tickets and get the bed to yourself..big it ain't.

They'll give you a bottle of drinking water and a cake for the journey.  Lights out soon after departure.  When it's good, you fall asleep about 9 or so and wake up refreshed in Pakse the next morning...when it's not you don't...Staff can't speak English (on the bus or at the ticketing office).