South East Asian Trips

By Air

The international airports at Vientiane and Luang Prabang are served by national carrier Lao Airlines and a few others, including Thai Airways, Bangkok Airways and Vietnam Airlines. Some seats on flights from Vietnam Airlines are reserved for Lao Airlines (codesharing / better price). Due to lack of competition prices are comparatively steep, and for Vientiane it's considerably cheaper to fly to Udon Thani in Thailand and connect to Nong Khai and the Friendship Bridge via shuttle service directly from the airport (40 minutes); from here Vientiane is just 17 km away,

By Land

Cambodia
Visa on arrival for Laos is currently not available when entering from Cambodia overland, however it IS possible to get a Cambodian VOA when travelling in the opposite direction. The nearest Cambodian town is Stung Treng, and the border is a 90-minute speedboat ride away. Note that the border is lightly used and both Customs officers and transport providers have a reputation of gouging foreigners.

China
Boten (Luang Namtha) - Mengla (Yunnan)

Boten Vien Tian - Luang Prabang - Kunming (Yunnan)
Myanmar
Foreigners cannot legally cross the Laos/Myanmar border.

Thailand
The busiest crossing is at the Friendship Bridge across the Mekong between Vientiane and Nong Khai. It's also possible to cross the Mekong at Huay Xai / Chiang Khong (with easy bus connections to Chiang Rai and points beyond on the Thai side), Tha Khaek / Nakhon Phanom, Savannakhet / Mukdahan, and elsewhere.

Vietnam
There are at least six border crossings that can be used by foreigners. These include:

Donsavanh - Lao Bao
Keo Nua Pass
Nam Can
Tay Trang