Smooth Train Ride - What an experience. The train station is so clean, so organized and safe. Several staff around to assist you. You have to show your train ticket and passport (if you’re a foreigner). They will scan your belongings including your luggage. I love how they keep everyone safe. The staff assisting the travelers will tell you not to cross the yellow line. There are several numbered platforms to let you know which box to ride. The staff inside the train will also check your ticket to ensure you are sitting on the right seat. The train ride was so smooth. They will announce your destination in Lao and English.

The train was on time and extremely clean and comfortable. The online booking was smooth and stress free. - We enjoyed the comfort of first class seats. Very enjoyable experience from beginning to end. Maybe a few too many onboard announcements.

Very modern fast train and ease of booking process - Booking process and standard of train travel. Very efficiently run and excellent staff on hand to ensure embarkation and disembarkation is smooth

Perfect connection - High Speed Train (built by China). New trains, well equipped and on time. You don't have to be at the train station an hour beforehand!! Unfortunately you don't see much on the route from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang as 90% of the time you drive in tunnels.

Everything work and excellent service! - Everything work and excellent service! Easy to pay online with credit card. Nice to contact me about my information. Get the ticket by email

Train from Vang Vien to Luang Prabang - Having read a few negative reviews which implied we might lose deodorants, mosquito repellent etc due to the stringent security at the station we were pleasantly surprised that nothing was confiscated. The only notices we saw told us that bringing vapes and flammable liquids in quantities over 120ml was forbidden. You don't have to present your liquids separately as you do with hand luggage at an airport. We went through security with no problem, although we did see some young Western backpackers having their bags searched. Boarding was smooth, signage and announcements were clear so it was very easy to find our carriage and seats. There isn't enough space for luggage but the train attendants are very helpful in rationalising the space available, so any problems are soon sorted. You can get from the station to your hotel in the town in a shared minibus, 40,000 kip per person, the drivers will find you at the station exit. On the way out of the station we saw tuktuks parked up outside the station gate, so that is another option. I would recommend the train, we got our ticket through our hotel in Vang Vien.

Bizzar but fast connection - Station about 45 min outside town and you need to be there well in advance (check with your hotel) Book ticket a few days in advance via your hotel. Some of these reviews feel a little dramatic. Yes aerosols over 100ml are confiscated, which feels silly. But ok. I saw no evidence of guards forcing bribes. Look at it this way: the staff doing the checks are local. The rules made and checked via CCTV by the Chinese. Rule is: pocket knife is not allowed. So the staff cannot hand it back in plain view/without risk. But no coercion, just options.... But the whole thing is a fabulously ludicrous experience: long before the train comes you queue, first in the station, then again on the hot platfrom. Then the staff force the queues into blobs :-). Despite the fact there is no other train is on this track, all boarding is supposed to happen within 3 minutes. Guards do nothing to let passengers unboard. Fabulous chaos :-) But you will make the train. So enjoy the absurdity..... and worry about the influence of China.

Be careful, the Chinese are controlling you! - The CONTROL aspect of the Chinese turns into paranoia: upon entering the hall, upon entering the platform, upon entering the carriage, during the journey and... upon exiting! In addition, you put ALL your belongings on a conveyor belt (like for a flight) and they STOLE any spray product from you, including those specially purchased (mosquito repellent, deodorant, etc.).

Lots of restrictions on what you can take - Can’t take a pen knife even though we took it from Vientiane to Vang Vieng. Also no deodorant more than 100ml. If you do decide to use the train you can send a pen knife by HAL logistics to your next hotel depending on how long you’re staying, it took 4 days to get to our hotel and only cost 60p. Also book your train ticket at the station! It was £5 per ticket whereas on 12goasia it is £17!

not recommended when you carry regular travel necessities - The train journey itself was good and fast. But the regulations for boarding the train are hilarious. Throwing away travel essentials like a Swiss knife or deodorant spray is incomprehensible. We saw people leaving the station because they didn't want to take half their luggage. I would never recommend taking a train in Laos if you don't have your basic essentials with you.