{"id":7289,"date":"2015-03-09T08:14:02","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T07:14:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/?p=7289"},"modified":"2022-02-09T15:34:14","modified_gmt":"2022-02-09T14:34:14","slug":"from-china-to-laos-the-entrance-to-southeast-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saporedicina.com\/english\/from-china-to-laos-the-entrance-to-southeast-asia\/","title":{"rendered":"From China to Laos, the entrance to Southeast Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"from<\/p>\n

Are you looking for a tour in Laos or Southeast Asia? Click here to find out more about the tours we recommend<\/a><\/div>\n

Combining a trip to China and Laos on the same visit\u00a0may seem strange, however it can be a very interesting thematic tour. The Chinese region of\u00a0Yunnan<\/a> for climate and environment could easily be considered part of Southeast Asia, especially its most southern region.<\/p>\n

Even from a historical point of view there are many connections between the two, such as the fact that Jinghong\u00a0–\u00a0capital of the Chinese province of\u00a0Xishuangbanna, was once the capital of the\u00a0Thai kingdom of\u00a0Sipsongpanna. And what about the Yuan dynasty, that from\u00a0Yunnan turned\u00a0toward present-day\u00a0Laos\u00a0and Burma in an attempt to subdue rebellious kingdoms for the will of heaven?\u00a0\u00a0You too can follow the footsteps of Kubilai Khan and, if at the most you submit to a\u00a0Beer Lao\u00a0and a plate of noodles, you will have entered into an extraordinary land: Laos.<\/p>\n

From China to Laos by air<\/h2>\n

For a trip to Laos from China, the starting point is Kunming, the capital of Yunnan<\/a>\u00a0also known as “the city of eternal Spring”. Depending on the time you have available, the trip can be made by land or air. From\u00a0Kunming Changshui International Airport, situated in the\u00a0Guandu district (about 25km from\u00a0Kunming), the national carrier\u00a0Lao Airlines offers daily flights to\u00a0Vientiane. Alternately, flights to Vientiane are available also on the Chinese company \u00a0Eastern Airlines, though they offer only two flights per week.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The flight takes only about 90 minutes\u00a0but take into account the change in time zones (Kunming is an hour ahead of\u00a0Vientiane), so check your watch! If instead you wish to get closer to\u00a0Laos by land, Lao Airlines also runs flights from\u00a0Jinghong direct to\u00a0Luang Prabang, with two flights a week lasting 1 hour.<\/p>\n

Lao Airlines<\/strong>
\nVientiane (Head Office)
\n02 Pangham Street, P.O. Box 6441
\nTEL : ( 856- 21 ) 212057
\nFAX : ( 856 21 ) 212065
\nTicketing and Reservations
\nTel : (856-21) 212051-54
\nFax : (856-21) 212056
\nEmail : reservation@laoairlines.com, ticketing@laoairlines.com<\/p>\n

Airport Office<\/strong>
\nTel : (856-21) 512028
\n(Wattay International Airport)
\nTel : (856-21) 512 000, 512 004
\n(Wattay Domestic Airport )
\nTel : (856 -30) 5256921<\/p>\n

\"trip<\/p>\n

From China to Laos by land<\/h2>\n

If you prefer a trip by land, your port of entry into Laos\u00a0will be the ghost town of\u00a0Boten, once a\u00a0gambling captial and now a spectral place with its abandoned casinos. There is a good\u00a0bus service\u00a0between China and Laos, both if you’re headed toward bigger cities such as\u00a0Vientiane or Luang Prabang, or if you’re heading toward less-visited destinations such as Phongsali or Luang Namtha\u00a0– which are\u00a0absolute\u00a0paradises for lovers of trekking.<\/p>\n

The trip can be made both directly or with stops along the way at Meng La or the aforementioned\u00a0Jinghong, that will give you a look at a Yunnan rarely seen by tourists. From\u00a0Kunming to\u00a0Luang Prabang the trip takes about\u00a024 hours, while another\u00a06 or 7 will get you to\u00a0Vientiane. On the Laos side, an important city that can be used as a base of operations is Oudomxay, a teeming center of commerce and traffic between Laos and China which by now is more Chinese than Laoatian.<\/p>\n

How to get a visa for\u00a0Laos<\/h2>\n

Getting a visa for Laos<\/a> doesn’t pose any particular problem. The visa can be requested upon arrival (VOA, Visa On Arrival) at the international airports of Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse and\u00a0Savannakhet as well as all border posts open to international travel by land. To receive a\u00a0visa for Laos\u00a0you will need:<\/p>\n