My 21 days - Overland Border Crossing Train Rides from Malaysia > Thailand > Laos > China (Feb 10 > March 2 2025) Vang Vieng / Luang Prabang, Laos - Feb 18 2025 (Day 9)

Hot Air Balloon
Vang Vieng, Laos 

Luang Prabang Railway Station
Laos

Luang Prabang Night Market, Laos

Tuesday Feb 18 2025 (Day 9 - Vang Vieng / Luang Prabang, Laos) - after spending a night in Vang Vieng, it was time to move on & our next destination is Luang Prabang, a royal city of Laos & an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Upon arrival of our 1st day in Luang Prabang & after the hotel check-in, we began to explore the downtown Luang Prabang & the Mekong Riverside area. We spent our evening in Luang Prabang Night Market & had a delicious dinner there ! 

Ground Transport + Food: LAK399,000

1. Train (Vang Vieng > Luang Prabang): LAK195,000 + LAK20,000 service fee
2. Laos Grab: LAK81,000 @LAK20,000 (cost sharing of 4)
3. Food: LAK34,000 + LAK50,000 + LAK30,000 + LAK50,000

1) Hot air balloon & motor paragliding, Vang Vieng, Laos - woke up early & from our hotel's balcony (highest floor), you could see a number of hot air balloons flying up in the air, the town of Vang Vieng has a number of travel agencies offering tourists the experience of taking on a hot air balloon flight & motor paragliding which offers stunning views of the surrounding mountains & countryside ! 

2) Tourist information on day tour packages in Vang Vieng, Laos - for the young outdoor adventure sport enthusiasts, Vang Vieng is the place for you to embrace these sports fully & you will be handsomely rewarded !   

3) Early morning walk in Vang Veing City Center prior to hotel check out. 

4) E-hailing cab drive (LAK81,000 = US$3.80) from our hotel > Vang Vieng Railway Station   

5) Vang Vieng Railway Station, Laos - arrived early at the railway station & a short rest in the waiting lounge area. 

6) Enjoying a cup of Cafe Amazon hot coffee (LAK34,000 = US$1.60) at the waiting lounge.  

7) Boarding Lao train D88 ETD 09.03 from Vang Vieng > Luang Prabang, Laos (train journey approx 1 hour), train ticket price LAK195,000 = US$9. 

8) Countryside scenery as viewed from the moving train from Vang Vieng > Luang Prabang, Laos 

9) Arriving in  Luang Prabang Railway Station, Laos

10) E-hailimg a cab (LAK150,000 = US$7) from the Luang Prabang Railway Station > Ban Channuane Guest House, Luang Prabang, Laos  

11) Hotel Accommodation (Luang Prabang, Laos): my 2 nights stay in Ban Channuane Guest House, room tariff @Rm148 (US$34) twin sharing. 

12) Downtown Free & Easy Luang Prabang Sightseeing Walking Tour  (DIY), visited a number of wats, Lao temples & shrines, historic buildings etc 

13) Wat Xiengthong, Luang Prabang, Laos - admission ticket LAK60,000 (US$2.80), I skipped visiting the Wat Xiengthong & Royal Palace Museum as I visited both these places in 2011 & 2017, took a few pictures of both these places from the outside gate for my travel blog posting ! 

14) Royal Palace Museum, Luang Prabang, Laos - next to Wat Xiengthong, opposite the Pousi Hill.

15) Mekong Riverside free & Easy Sightseeing Walking Tour (DIY), Luang Prabang, Laos 

16) Lunch in a local restaurant in downtown Luang Prabang - savored a plate of fried rice with pork (LAK50,000 = US$2.30). 

17) Light Refreshment - fresh coconut / juice drink (LAK30,000 = US$1.40) to quench our thirst after almost an hour of "stray" walking on our Day 1 in downtown Luang Prabang ! 

18) The Best of Luang Prabang Day Tour Packages, Tour sites & Mekong River Boat Cruise for your pick ! So enjoy "cruising' round the royal city of Luang Prabang (UNESCO) at your own leisure or by tuk tuk to take you to some of these touristy places or just mere walking if within 3km distance. 

    

19) Cool Luang Prabang Beer - in Rome, drink the Roman beer; in Luang Prabang, go for the Luang Prabang beer - hope you enjoy the taste, smooth or bitter ? I am no beer drinker ! 

20) Luang Prabang Night Market (19.30) - a popular venue for food, offering a wide variety of local delicacies & Lao food to suite your taste bud, easy to find seats in the early evening ! 

21) Zhengxin Chicken Steak Stall, Luang Prabang Night Market - our group chose this stall for dinner, savored a plate of stewed beef with rice (LAK50,000 = US$2.30) 

22) After the dinner, we took a walk to a open Night Market & Mekong Riverside & bought a bunch of bananas (LAK20,000 = US$0.90) from a roadside stall ! 

23) Luang Prabang Night Market - my 2nd visit to Luang Prabang Night Market at 21.00 - guessed what, the entire Night Market was packed with locals / foreign tourists, finding a seat to eat was a major challenge (lucky we had our dinner earlier at around 19.30), this place is like a typical Saturday night in Jalan Alor, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (my home country). No doubt, this place is a food paradise in this Royal City of Luang Prabang, bidding a warm welcome to all locals & foreign tourists !