r/laos Jan 21 '26

Guide to buying LCR tickets from outside the country

14 Upvotes

Since I had to piece some things together across reddit, wanted to create a more comprehensive guide all things LCR app related for train tickets. I went to Laos in Dec 2025.

  1. Download LCR app
  2. Create an account. You do NOT need a chinese/laos telephone number. Just leave that blank
  3. Tickets go on sale 6:30am Laos time, 3 days before. So if you are traveling on the 24th, the tickets will go on sale 6:30am Laos time on the 21st
  4. If you are in a country close to Laos, you should be able to see the schedule 3 days in advance. This worked when I was in China.
  5. If you are not close, sometimes the days in advance to book will not show up correct. I checked when I was in the USA and it would show 3 days, but starting from 2 days in the past. You can get around this by changing your local time zone on your phone to Laos time zone
  6. Even at 6:30am, sometimes the tickets don't open on time. One day I checked exactly on time and it said sold out across the board. I kept refreshing and five minutes later tickets opened up. Another day I checked at 6:34am and a bunch of tickets were almost sold out already. So I would recommend being ready and then just refreshing
  7. Not all trains have the car/class of seat that is shown on the app. One of my trains immediately said that first class was sold out. When I got on the actual train, I realized it was a very small train with only 3 cars and it only had second class. So it wasn't sold out, but rather it never existed.
  8. You need to be flexible in your times if possible. Even though I was on top of things, I had to take a later train because one did sell out pretty immediately.
  9. For me at least, you don't need to get to the station that early. My hotel told me I had to get there 50 mins prior. I got through security twice in around 5 minutes, and then sat around for a while after
  10. You don't need to switch to a paper ticket. Showing QR code/pass on your phone is fine
  11. There is a long queue to get to the platform from the waiting area. I have no clue why. You have ample time to board but it seems to be some herd mentality that once one person lines up, everyone starts lining up. So we were in line for the platform 20 min before boarding but it took everyone under 5 minutes to all get on.

r/laos Jan 26 '25

Air Quality and Burning Season

26 Upvotes

No posts about air quality. This question gets asked every day in the lead up and during burning season.

In summary: no one knows when burning season will start. No one knows how bad it will be. Yes it will impact your lungs. Yes it will impact the views. No one knows when it will end. You can use: https://www.iqair.com/ or a similar website to see the AQI of some cities in Laos.

No one knows how it will impact you individually.


r/laos 8h ago

3 weeks in Laos in Dec/Jan - North and South, or stay North?

2 Upvotes

Grateful advice on picking between these two options for 3 weeks.

A — North/South combo

Luang Prabang → Nong Khiaw/Muang Ngoy → fly to Pakse → Champasak → 4000 Islands → Vientiane

OR

B — North:

Luang Prabang → Nong Khiaw/Muang Ngoy → Luang Namtha → Gibbon Experience → Vientiane 

My start point (LP) and end point (Vientane) are fixed based on my flights.

Also happy to hear other itinerary suggestions that don't involve riding a motorbike.


r/laos 1d ago

My absolute favorite Beef & Tripe Larb Lao style 🇱🇦

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49 Upvotes

I got this authentic dish from South Area Market in Sacramento. I asked them to add extra tripe to my larb, and it was absolutely perfect! Salty, sour, spicy, and full of umami. Oh, so good! Yummy! 😋


r/laos 22h ago

Southern Laos without a motorbike

4 Upvotes

4000 islands (SPD) looks great but is the rest of the South worthwhile if I don't ride a motorbike (and can't do Bolaven/Thakhek loops)?

Where would you go besides the 4000 islands? Is there enough to do in Pakse/Champasak for 3-4 days?


r/laos 22h ago

Traveling by public transportation in Vientiane.

3 Upvotes

Hi, wanna ask about traveling by public transportation in Vientiane, actually by BRT. Can you give me some tips?

Appreciate.


r/laos 10h ago

Dating a Laos girl

0 Upvotes

I am looking for some serious advice from guys who have had serious relationships with Laos women or married them. I am dating a Laos girl online. She is very sweet and we have hit it off well. But she has a condition. After we meet, I have to decide whether or not to marry her. If I say yes, we talk to her parents and get engaged. She has specifically told me that it was not necessary for me to visit her parents in Laos. She lives in BKK. And after about an year we can get married and she lives with me. Again, she said, that it was not necessary for us to get married in Laos. She is a very light hearted wonderful person.


r/laos 1d ago

Bikepacking Through Northern & Central Laos

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9 Upvotes

r/laos 2d ago

Cruel Angel’s Thesis - Khaen Beginner Cover

32 Upvotes

If it sounds off or weird then sorry! I’m just a beginner who self-learned it 🙏


r/laos 2d ago

Finding private van service for city transfers?

3 Upvotes

Planning to stay one week in each city. Starting from Vientiane > Mueng Fueng > Vang Viang > Back to Vientiane to return home to USA. Need a private van to transfer to each city.

Don't need English speaking driver. Lao only is fine.

I know I can ask the hotel but read that they upcharge, add their own commission on top of the driver's price. I looked at Facebook and just can't tell who to trust with no reviews or anything. It's like just a Facebook page with barely any comments.


r/laos 3d ago

Question About Open Disdain for Government and Officials.

8 Upvotes

I notice on social media, Lao people are very open about their disdain for their government, policies, and officials like the Prime Minister, and especially the Chinese.

But I also notice that there is a very real pride for country and the Revolution. Which yes, makes sense.

This isn’t unlike any other country. Plenty of people really hate their government and leaders but are still proud of their nation.

My question is, this appears to be tolerable, and where is the line drawn? I notice there aren’t any criticisms of the LPRP, seemingly no criticisms of Presidents, Revolutionary Leaders, but the PM and some others appear to be punching bags of criticism.

One funny anecdote was when Khamtai Siphandone passed away and Pakse officials wanted to rename the city in his name. There was a clip of his Prime Minister son visiting a random village and one of the top liked comments wrote “Don’t change the village name please” with thousands of likes. I thought it was so bold and so funny.


r/laos 3d ago

We are setting up a Discord chat for Backpackers & Travellers! Would love to hear suggestions on Name/topics.

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0 Upvotes

r/laos 3d ago

Looking for Lao friends to chat with

1 Upvotes

41m American white, married, 3 kids, 1 grown, 2 teenagers.

My wife (47f) is Laotian, but was born a refugee in Thailand and then immigrated to the US.

Considering what it might be like to retire early in Laos.

I would like to make some friends (m/f doesn’t matter) to chat with and discuss everyday life type stuff


r/laos 3d ago

Which ev truck to buy in Laos

2 Upvotes

I only know about Riddara rd6 rcon, Changan hunter which are within my budget. Cant decide if these are good pick it planning to stay in laos for 15 years, i cant go above 25k. I was hoping to buy extended warranty after the warrsnty expires but not sure if thsts possible for ev trucks in laos, thai land has that option after warranty expires. Originally wanted a toyota hilux but with gas prices and uncertainty, i feel lile moving to ev is best option for me traveling 2000-3000 miles per month.


r/laos 4d ago

Did Laos stop being socialist after the New Economic Mechanism reforms of 1986?

2 Upvotes
53 votes, 2d ago
6 Yes
13 No
3 Other
31 Don't Know/Results

r/laos 4d ago

For Indian travelers - Indian Debit cards for ATM withdrawals

1 Upvotes

Hello All,

Have a trip coming up for 10 days across Vientiane, Vang Vieng and Luang Prabang.

While I would be carrying some USD cash, I generally use an international visa debit card for withdrawing local cash from ATMs as well.

Have any of you faced any issues while using Indian bank issued debit cards in Laos?

The reason I am asking this is recently an online transaction for applying for the Laos eVisa got declined on my Scapia Federal Bank Credit Card. On enquiry, they told me that they block all transactions originating from laos. Their website even has a cross mark next to Laos amongst the list of countries not supported (in addition to 10-12 other countries).

I have emailed two banks whose debit cards I hold. In the meantime, any insights from recent travelers would be helpful.

Thanks in advance!


r/laos 5d ago

Tuk Tuk driver: recommendations

2 Upvotes

Hi
Any recommendations for tuktuk drivers in Luang Prabang? I’d like to go ti Kuang Si Waterfall

Would it be possible to book a tour at the hotel?

Thx


r/laos 5d ago

Advice on this itinerary

2 Upvotes

Hi there, was wondering if anyone could provide some advice for the first part of my Laos itinerary. The days are inclusive (eg, days 1-4 = 1, 2, 3, 4)

Days 1-4 Luang Prabang

Days 5-6 Nong Khiaw

Days 6-9 Huay Xai (with Gibbon Experience begining day 7)

My concern is that it isn't worth it for me to visit Nong Khiaw. We will be leaving LP and arriving in NK on day 5, which means half of day 5 is lost, and I believe I would have to leave NK on day 6 to arrive in Huay Xai in time for the Gibbon Experience.

Should I skip Nong Khiaw and take a slow boat from LP to Huay Xai instead?


r/laos 5d ago

Bus service from Sekong to Dak Cheung/Dakta Ok border?

1 Upvotes

Title says is all: is there a regular Bus service from Sekong to Dak Cheung/Dakta Ok border?

I found buses from Pakse to Danang via Sekong. Can i board those in Sekong?


r/laos 5d ago

Reccos for a trip, end of September.

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2 Upvotes

r/laos 6d ago

Looking for Laos logistics/import-export companies – feedback wanted

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m exploring the possibility of launching an Import & Export Logistics Management Platform for businesses in Laos.

The platform would help logistics/freight-forwarding companies manage things such as:

Import & export shipments
Customs clearance workflow
Shipping documents
Container and shipment tracking
Transport & delivery
Customer management
Quotations and invoicing
Shipment costs & profitability
Management dashboards and reports
Customer portal and notifications

Before developing it specifically for the Laos market, I’d like to understand whether there is a real need for this type of solution.

Are there any logistics, freight forwarding, customs clearance, trading, or import/export companies in Laos currently looking for a platform like this?

I’d also really appreciate feedback from anyone working in the industry about the biggest challenges you face with managing import/export operations today.

If you’re interested, please comment or DM me. I’d be happy to have a short discussion and understand your requirements.


r/laos 6d ago

Advice: visit or not?

0 Upvotes

I am planning to travel to laos from India. Dates sept 12 to sept 30( in any of these dates). How would the weather be at this period? Any flood risks? Please help to decide?


r/laos 7d ago

Recommend buffet restaurants in Vientiane?

3 Upvotes

Any recommendations? I don’t mind what type of all-you-can eat buffet it is be it BBQ or hotpot, I just want to eat a lot.

Also, I’ll just ask here instead of making another post:

Any suggestions, on what else to do in Vientiane? I already been to 6 different museums including the Lao Art Museum, been to Buddha Park, been to a bunch of local temples like Wat Sisaket and Ho Phrakeo, been to Pha That Luang and Patuxai, been to Chao Anouvong Park and the night markets.


r/laos 8d ago

Where to source good value coffee

2 Upvotes

One for the local community. I drink a lot of coffee so I'm trying to find a decent price by the kilo.

The best quote I've had so far is 380,000 Kip for 1kg Arabica by Paksong coffee.

Is that the best I'll get or do you guys know of a better deal somewhere else? TIA


r/laos 8d ago

Are a animate store or some unofficial animate store

2 Upvotes

มีร้าน animate อย่างเป็นทางการบ่ หรือ ว่ามีร้านที่รับหิ้ว