By air. Wattay International Airport in Vientiane is the main gateway, with direct flights from Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, and several Chinese cities. Luang Prabang International Airport also handles flights from Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, and Siem Reap. Lao Airlines is the national carrier. Budget airlines including AirAsia and Vietnam Airlines serve both airports.
By rail. The Laos-China Railway connects Vientiane to Kunming in China via Luang Prabang and Boten, with a direct daily service taking around 9 hours. This is now one of the most scenic and practical ways to enter Laos from the north. On the Thai side, trains run from Bangkok to Nong Khai, from where you cross the Friendship Bridge into Vientiane.
By road from Thailand. The most popular land crossing is the Friendship Bridge between Nong Khai (Thailand) and Vientiane. Other crossings include Chiang Khong to Huay Xai in the north, Mukdahan to Savannakhet, and Chong Mek to Pakse. All are straightforward with visa on arrival available.
By road from Vietnam. Several border crossings link Laos and Vietnam. The busiest are Na Meo/Nam Xoi (to Sam Neua), Nam Can/Nong Het (to Phonsavan), Cau Treo/Nam Phao (to the central corridor), and Lao Bao/Dansavanh (to Savannakhet). International buses run from Hanoi and several Vietnamese cities.
By road from Cambodia. The crossing at Dong Kralor/Veun Kham connects southern Laos (Si Phan Don area) with Stung Treng in Cambodia. International buses link Pakse with Phnom Penh and Siem Reap.
By road from China. The Boten border crossing in the far north connects to Mohan in Yunnan province. The Laos-China Railway also crosses here.
By boat. The classic two-day slow boat from Huay Xai to Luang Prabang on the Mekong remains popular, stopping overnight in Pak Beng. Faster speedboats also run this route but are noisy, uncomfortable, and not recommended.