We’ve just finished an absolutely incredible 15-day adventure through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, and it genuinely exceeded our expectations. A huge amount of the credit has to go to Janet Tran at Best Value Tours, who specifically organised the programme for us. From the initial planning through to the trip itself, Janet was fantastic. She put together an itinerary that allowed us to experience an amazing amount across three countries, while making sure all the complicated logistics worked seamlessly. With multiple destinations, internal flights, a train journey, different hotels, guides, drivers and excursions, there were plenty of moving parts, but everything just worked. We were met when expected, transfers were smooth and we always felt looked after. Janet had clearly put a huge amount of thought into how the whole programme fitted together. And what a programme it was! We started in beautiful Luang Prabang, including the early-morning alms giving, Pak Ou Caves and the spectacular Kuang Si Waterfalls, before travelling by train to Vientiane and then on to Vietnam. Vietnam was a whirlwind in the best possible way. Hanoi, an overnight cruise through breathtaking Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Ba Na Hills, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi Tunnels gave us such a brilliant mixture of history, culture, food and scenery. Then came Cambodia and an unforgettable finish in Siem Reap. Seeing Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm in person was genuinely breathtaking and the perfect way to end the adventure. The local guides throughout were excellent. Having knowledgeable people who could bring the history, culture and everyday life of each destination to life made such a difference. The drivers and local teams were consistently friendly, professional and reliable too. This is definitely an adventure rather than a sit-by-the-pool holiday! There are early mornings, you cover a lot of ground and you pack a huge amount into 15 days, but that was exactly what we wanted. We came away feeling that we had really experienced all three countries. There are far too many highlights to choose from: Kuang Si Waterfalls, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, the history of Ho Chi Minh City and Cu Chi, and the extraordinary temples of Angkor. Most importantly, a massive thank you to Janet Tran at Best Value Tours. Having someone who understood what we wanted from the holiday and could turn that into such a well-planned, varied and memorable itinerary made all the difference. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Janet to anyone considering a trip to this incredible part of the world. 15 days. Three countries. Countless memories. An easy five stars from us!
Our group of five travelled through Laos and Vietnam with BestPrice Travel after hearing good things about them from friends who had previously booked a trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. From the very beginning, Moon was excellent to deal with. Communication was always quick and clear, and every question we had was answered without delay. Throughout the trip, everything was organised smoothly. Our guides and drivers were always on time, the hotel staff were welcoming, and the accommodation was comfortable with good breakfasts each morning. The itinerary gave us a nice balance between guided sightseeing and free time to explore on our own. Looking back, we probably could have customised a few more parts of the trip, but the team was always willing to help whenever we needed anything. The guides spoke good English and were friendly and informative. Although we never met anyone from the company in person, as they don't have an office in New Zealand, everything was handled professionally from start to finish. We would happily recommend BestPrice Travel to anyone planning a trip around Laos, Vietnam or the rest of Indochina.
Uno de los lugares que más me gustó fue Luang Prabang. Tiene un ambiente muy especial, tranquilo y lleno de historia y cultura. Fue, sin duda, uno de los destinos más memorables del viaje. Además, todo estuvo muy bien organizado y el apoyo de nuestro guía hizo que la experiencia fuera cómoda y agradable de principio a fin.
The Patuxai was built during a turbulent period in Laotian history. Built when Laos was a constitutional monarchy, it was originally known as simply the "Anousavali" ("Monument"). It was dedicated in memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during World War II and the independence war from France in 1949. When we had seen all these things Bernard was already too tired so we went to the coffee shop as I had mentioned then to lunch and back to the hotel as we wanted to relax. Bernard did his leg exercises in the water and managed to get out with my help only but yesterday he had to be rescued!
Laos is very nice. We are very happy with our hotel in Laos. We like this hotel in Hoi An very much. We love the hotel in Hue.Tour in Hue wonderful. Very beautiful and interesting. Hotel in here is ok but nothing special. The art museum today was ok but maybe not the best choice Halong boat is lovely and the rock formations are amazing. It’s too bad they don’t clean up all the garbage in this beautiful place. About Apricot Hotel, it has a wonderful location by the lake but indifferent customer service so maybe look at other options too. John & I liked the cooking class very much. Cambodia is amazing. We had a good tour today and we like our hotel very much. Best tour guides in Hanoi and in Hue. Favorite place we stayed was in Hue. Thank you for organizing our tour.
We have had the most wonderful at the places Hang Moon chose for our trip. Its the best trip we've ever had. We are very glad that we chose best price travel and will happily recommend Moon to our friends and family. We are sad to leave beautiful Laos, people, scenery, food and all our trips are unforgettable. Oh, and the cooking class with Maxie — so much fun With thanks..Andrew and Mary
The hotel Cindy choose for us is truly a gem. It’s fantastic, very clean, and the staff are incredibly hospitable. In fact, the service is even better than some five-star hotels we have stayed at before. It would definitely be worth recommending this property more often, as they are also well equipped to accommodate groups. The arrival process at the airport was very well organised, and passengers with disabilities were given priority boarding, just as you would expect in many places around the world. Upon arrival at the hotel, the reception team welcomed everyone with drinks, which was especially appreciated after the rather bumpy ride from the station.
This was our second time travelling in Southeast Asia with the support of Best Price Travel, and once again they delivered a great experience. Our first trip with them took us through Cambodia and Thailand for a month, and because we were so satisfied, we chose to work with them again for our month-long journey in Laos and Vietnam. As seasoned travellers, we prefer trips that can be tailored to our personal interests, and we truly appreciated the flexibility shown by Best Price Travel, especially by our main contact, Hang (Moon). She was extremely accommodating and easy to work with throughout the planning process. Everything we arranged ran smoothly and exactly as expected, including the inclusion of several free days for our own exploration. The itineraries were well thought out, the guides were excellent, and the accommodations met a high standard. We also valued the fact that the team stayed in close contact with us during the trip. Overall, Best Price Travel is a highly efficient and professional team, and working with them was an absolute pleasure.
We’ve just finished an absolutely incredible 15-day adventure through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia, and it genuinely exceeded our expectations. A huge amount of the credit has to go to Janet Tran at Best Value Tours, who specifically organised the programme for us. From the initial planning through to the trip itself, Janet was fantastic. She put together an itinerary that allowed us to experience an amazing amount across three countries, while making sure all the complicated logistics worked seamlessly. With multiple destinations, internal flights, a train journey, different hotels, guides, drivers and excursions, there were plenty of moving parts, but everything just worked. We were met when expected, transfers were smooth and we always felt looked after. Janet had clearly put a huge amount of thought into how the whole programme fitted together. And what a programme it was! We started in beautiful Luang Prabang, including the early-morning alms giving, Pak Ou Caves and the spectacular Kuang Si Waterfalls, before travelling by train to Vientiane and then on to Vietnam. Vietnam was a whirlwind in the best possible way. Hanoi, an overnight cruise through breathtaking Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, Ba Na Hills, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City and the Cu Chi Tunnels gave us such a brilliant mixture of history, culture, food and scenery. Then came Cambodia and an unforgettable finish in Siem Reap. Seeing Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm in person was genuinely breathtaking and the perfect way to end the adventure. The local guides throughout were excellent. Having knowledgeable people who could bring the history, culture and everyday life of each destination to life made such a difference. The drivers and local teams were consistently friendly, professional and reliable too. This is definitely an adventure rather than a sit-by-the-pool holiday! There are early mornings, you cover a lot of ground and you pack a huge amount into 15 days, but that was exactly what we wanted. We came away feeling that we had really experienced all three countries. There are far too many highlights to choose from: Kuang Si Waterfalls, Ha Long Bay, Hoi An, the history of Ho Chi Minh City and Cu Chi, and the extraordinary temples of Angkor. Most importantly, a massive thank you to Janet Tran at Best Value Tours. Having someone who understood what we wanted from the holiday and could turn that into such a well-planned, varied and memorable itinerary made all the difference. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Janet to anyone considering a trip to this incredible part of the world. 15 days. Three countries. Countless memories. An easy five stars from us!
Our group of five travelled through Laos and Vietnam with BestPrice Travel after hearing good things about them from friends who had previously booked a trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. From the very beginning, Moon was excellent to deal with. Communication was always quick and clear, and every question we had was answered without delay. Throughout the trip, everything was organised smoothly. Our guides and drivers were always on time, the hotel staff were welcoming, and the accommodation was comfortable with good breakfasts each morning. The itinerary gave us a nice balance between guided sightseeing and free time to explore on our own. Looking back, we probably could have customised a few more parts of the trip, but the team was always willing to help whenever we needed anything. The guides spoke good English and were friendly and informative. Although we never met anyone from the company in person, as they don't have an office in New Zealand, everything was handled professionally from start to finish. We would happily recommend BestPrice Travel to anyone planning a trip around Laos, Vietnam or the rest of Indochina.
Uno de los lugares que más me gustó fue Luang Prabang. Tiene un ambiente muy especial, tranquilo y lleno de historia y cultura. Fue, sin duda, uno de los destinos más memorables del viaje. Además, todo estuvo muy bien organizado y el apoyo de nuestro guía hizo que la experiencia fuera cómoda y agradable de principio a fin.
The Patuxai was built during a turbulent period in Laotian history. Built when Laos was a constitutional monarchy, it was originally known as simply the "Anousavali" ("Monument"). It was dedicated in memory of the Laotian soldiers who died during World War II and the independence war from France in 1949. When we had seen all these things Bernard was already too tired so we went to the coffee shop as I had mentioned then to lunch and back to the hotel as we wanted to relax. Bernard did his leg exercises in the water and managed to get out with my help only but yesterday he had to be rescued!
Laos is very nice. We are very happy with our hotel in Laos. We like this hotel in Hoi An very much. We love the hotel in Hue.Tour in Hue wonderful. Very beautiful and interesting. Hotel in here is ok but nothing special. The art museum today was ok but maybe not the best choice Halong boat is lovely and the rock formations are amazing. It’s too bad they don’t clean up all the garbage in this beautiful place. About Apricot Hotel, it has a wonderful location by the lake but indifferent customer service so maybe look at other options too. John & I liked the cooking class very much. Cambodia is amazing. We had a good tour today and we like our hotel very much. Best tour guides in Hanoi and in Hue. Favorite place we stayed was in Hue. Thank you for organizing our tour.
We have had the most wonderful at the places Hang Moon chose for our trip. Its the best trip we've ever had. We are very glad that we chose best price travel and will happily recommend Moon to our friends and family. We are sad to leave beautiful Laos, people, scenery, food and all our trips are unforgettable. Oh, and the cooking class with Maxie — so much fun With thanks..Andrew and Mary
The hotel Cindy choose for us is truly a gem. It’s fantastic, very clean, and the staff are incredibly hospitable. In fact, the service is even better than some five-star hotels we have stayed at before. It would definitely be worth recommending this property more often, as they are also well equipped to accommodate groups. The arrival process at the airport was very well organised, and passengers with disabilities were given priority boarding, just as you would expect in many places around the world. Upon arrival at the hotel, the reception team welcomed everyone with drinks, which was especially appreciated after the rather bumpy ride from the station.
This was our second time travelling in Southeast Asia with the support of Best Price Travel, and once again they delivered a great experience. Our first trip with them took us through Cambodia and Thailand for a month, and because we were so satisfied, we chose to work with them again for our month-long journey in Laos and Vietnam. As seasoned travellers, we prefer trips that can be tailored to our personal interests, and we truly appreciated the flexibility shown by Best Price Travel, especially by our main contact, Hang (Moon). She was extremely accommodating and easy to work with throughout the planning process. Everything we arranged ran smoothly and exactly as expected, including the inclusion of several free days for our own exploration. The itineraries were well thought out, the guides were excellent, and the accommodations met a high standard. We also valued the fact that the team stayed in close contact with us during the trip. Overall, Best Price Travel is a highly efficient and professional team, and working with them was an absolute pleasure.
For a perfect climate, the best time to visit Laos is from November to May, when travelers can enjoy various activities outside due to dry weather and pleasant temperature.
There is no wrong time to travel to Laos since each season possesses its own typical beauty, however, if you cannot come to the country during the ideal period above, please notice the following durations’ drawbacks:
July - August: Belongs to the peak of monsoon season, your trip may be disrupted by unavailable transfers due to bad weather, which also influences your travel experiences. If you prefer a smooth journey, it’s recommended to avoid these months.
April - May: Witnessing the highest temperature in the hot season (~40°C), traveling during this time will be an uncomfortable experience for many tourists, especially visitors from cold countries.
September - October: Though there are heavy rains with high humidity in September, the next month is more enjoyable with fewer downpours, fresh air, and lush scenery after the rains. The best time to beat the crowds.
Normally, the travel cost for a Lao package is a bit higher than in other Southeast Asia countries, at around US $110 - 350 /person /day.
Depending on your budget, the actual expenditure will vary since each class is priced differently. Let’s see our rough estimation below (travel cost per person /day):
Economy (2*): For budget travelers - US $120 - 150
Superior (3*): For mid-range travelers - US $160 - 200
First Class (4* hotels): For luxury travelers - US $250 ++
A Laos tour package can range from 6 - 15 days. Based on your availability, a short trip will allow you to explore the country’s highlights, while the longer one enables you to take a deeper glance at nature and local lifestyle:
5 - 7 days: Witness the most outstanding landmarks in Laos, usually in Luang Prabang and the capital Vientiane
8 - 10 days: Expand to off-the-beaten-track exploration (such as Pakse and Nong Khiaw) besides the main cities.
Over 12 days: Have a thorough knowledge of Laos through adventures from the cities to secluded areas and untouched nature.
Yes, tourist visas are required in Laos. Currently, Laos has visa exception agreements with 15 countries, including Brunei, Luxembourg, Philippines, Switzerland, Cambodia, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Myanmar, and South Korea.
If your country isn’t in the list above, you can obtain a visa for Laos entry in 3 ways:
Apply for a visa at an Embassy or Consulate in Laos
Apply online through the official eVisa issuance website (https://laoevisa.gov.la/index), at around US $50 per applicant.
Visa on arrival (VOA) at most entry ports, from US$ 30 - 45 /person, depending on each nationality (Not all countries are eligible to apply for VOA, please check before traveling)
For further information or in case of any changes to visa regulations, please contact sales@bestpricetravel.com.
Generally, Laos people are welcoming and nice. However, there are things you shouldn’t do since it will be considered disrespectful:
Don't touch a monk (women especially need to be careful). Since Buddhism is the main religion in Laos, you shouldn’t touch the Buddha images /statues too.
Don't trek without a guide: Increase caution in some rural areas, such as Savannakhet, Xieng Khouang, Saravane, Khammouane, Sekong, etc., due to unexploded bombs. It’s safe to have a guide who knows about the routes.
Don't argue with the police: It’s not wise to have a conflict with the police, you should comply with the rules. Since corruption is a problem in Laos, sometimes they only want to get money from foreign tourists, all you should do is just pay the bribe.
Don't touch anyone with your feet: This is supposed to be rudeness.
Don't wear your shoes inside a home or temple: This rule also applies to some restaurants, shops, and hotels.
Don't shout, argue or rush: Like the Thai people, Laos people don’t want to lose face. The best thing to do is smile, or else you won’t achieve anything.
Don't make public displays of affection: Or you will receive frowns and disagreeing glances from locals.
Don't buy antiques or wildlife products: as well as use marijuana and opium, as drugs are illegal in the country.
Vientiane:
Major spots: Wat Sisaket, Wat Prakeo, Patuxai Monument
As the smallest capital in Southeast Asia, the city offers serene vibe of a small town with a riverside ambiance, captivating monuments, and ancient temples.
Luang Prabang:
Major spots: Kuang Si waterfalls, Pak Ou caves, Elephant Village
This is the most beautiful place in Laos, with amazing natural landscapes and interesting cultural exploration. The city also provides tourists with a one-of-a-kind experience - interacting with wild animals in Elephant Village.
Nong Khiaw:
Major spots: 100 Waterfalls
If you are an active traveler who always looks for adventurous activities, Nong Khiaw is an ideal destination to hike and enjoy the marvelous beauty of nature.
Si Phan Don (4000 islands):
Major spots: Don Det, Don Khong
Located in the south of Laos, Si Phan Don is a group of islands in the Mekong Delta. A wonderful escape place for unwinding and recharging with pristine islands, relaxing biking, and enjoyable boat tours.
Pakse:
Major spots: Bolaven Plateau
Famous for hill tribes, waterfalls, and tea plantations, you should not miss visiting Pakse when traveling to Laos, as you can explore many parts of the country, from nature to local life.
Overall, Laos is relatively safe for foreigners to travel. The country is one of the safest tourist destinations in Asia:
Political Status: As an authoritarian centralized one-party state, the politics in Laos is quite stable.
Crime Rate: Though violent crimes towards foreigners aren’t high, petty crimes like opportunistic thefts are quite popular in tourist areas. The solution for that is simple - always be aware of your surroundings.
Local People: Ranked the third friendliest country in the world, Laos people are friendly, kind, and polite to foreign tourists.
Covid-19 Pandemic: On May 9th 2022, Laos is fully open. All foreign tourists do not need to show proof of vaccination or Covid-19 test results.
First of all, tipping is not compulsory in Laos, yet leaving a tip to show your satisfaction with the services is always appreciated.
You can have a look at our details suggestions about who and how much to tip when traveling in the country:
Luxurious Restaurants
(Waiters /Waitresses)
10% of total price
Tour Guide
Private Tours: US $10 - 15 (per day)
Group Tours: US $3 - 6 (per day)
Taxi /Transfers
(Drivers)
US $1 - 2
Or let them keep the change
Hotel
(Maids /Bellmans)
US $1 - 2
Spa & Massage
(Therapists)
10 -15% of treatment price
The answer is – yes, accessing the Internet in Laos is quite easy. Most cafes and bars in the country offer free WiFi to clients.
Keep in mind that Internet service in Laos is one of the most expensive in the world. However, it’s still recommended to prepare a 4G SIM Card as a backup when traveling (though the speed may not meet your expectation):
Providers
Price Per SIM Card
Unitel
From US $0.8
Lao Telecom
From US $1 - 2
***Data plan: From US $11 - 16 for 4G access with 30 - 60GB
The most popular plug sockets in Laos are for Type A, B, C, E, and F:
Type A (2 vertical pins): can use the same outlet of Type B.
Type C (2 round pins): share the same socket of Type E and F.
If your power plugs cannot fit the outlet, it’s time you need an adapter.
In Laos, the standard voltage is 230 V at 50 Hz. You can use your electric appliances in the country if you see 220 - 240V printed on the devices, or else you will have to prepare a voltage converter.
Note: You can find an adapter at markets in Vientiane and other large cities at around US $1 - 2.
Boun Pi Mai, also known as Laos Water Festival, is one of the most special events to celebrate the Lao New Year Festival. Coming to Laos during this f…
Laos is a beautiful country in South East Asia. With the tropical climate, you can travel to Laos year-round to discover its wonderful culture, costum…
Boun Pi Mai, also known as Laos Water Festival, is one of the most special events to celebrate the Lao New Year Festival. Coming to Laos during this f…
Laos is a beautiful country in South East Asia. With the tropical climate, you can travel to Laos year-round to discover its wonderful culture, costum…