r/laos • u/mrwhiskeyrum • 1h ago
r/laos • u/inefficientmarkets • Jan 21 '26
Guide to buying LCR tickets from outside the country
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.
- Download LCR app
- Create an account. You do NOT need a chinese/laos telephone number. Just leave that blank
- 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
- 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.
- 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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- You don't need to switch to a paper ticket. Showing QR code/pass on your phone is fine
- 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 • u/knowerofexpatthings • Jan 26 '25
Air Quality and Burning Season
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 • u/Kosaki_Misamaki • 13h ago
Water Souvenir from Luang Prabang
Haha I brought a water bottle from Laos as souvenir 🤣🤣🤣 is a weird souvenir but now I am back home with water from Luang prabang 🤓🤓🤓
r/laos • u/Disney5Ever • 15h ago
Help with Pronunciation for Wedding Speech
Hi all. I’m giving a speech at any upcoming wedding where there will be many Lao family members in attendance. I am looking for help to pronounce “Congratulations to the bride and groom, Jane and John” to add to the end of the speech but I’m getting conflicting translations and none of them have an audio pronunciation. Is anyone able to help point me to something that can help make sure I use the right translation and I don’t mess up this sentence?
r/laos • u/flatopscadburry • 1d ago
Vientiane to BKK
Heyy, heading to Laos next month. Just wanna ask where can I book the vientiane to BKK overnight train? Thank you
Train from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang before flight
Hi everyone,
I will be visiting Laos next month. On one of the days I'm getting a train from Vang Vieng to Luang Prabang at 08:55 and have a flight to get at Luang Prabang airport at 13:25.
I'm just wondering in people's experience how doable this would be. This is my first time in Laos so I'm not sure how the trains are as I'm pretty traumatised from how bad they are in my own country and I can see that the train station in Luang Prabang is a bit away from the airport.
r/laos • u/AggressiveFox6254 • 2d ago
Sunrise hot air balloon in Vang Vieng – recommendations?
r/laos • u/Weak-Working3972 • 2d ago
Luamg Prabang
I would be in Luang Prabang from 15th November for three days and then moving to Vientiane.
I will of course traveling alone.
Would anyone like to join in any activity,like some hike or sharing a transportation.
I am M39 and would prefer somebody at around my age.
I would be arriving from Chiang Rai on a slow boat.
r/laos • u/Key_Contribution9334 • 2d ago
Lao American here, making jeow in small batches. What do you want from a store-bought version?
I'm always making jeow for my friends/family and I'm now trying to bring it to ready-to-eat shelves. I'm testing recipes for a small-batch pantry line: a roasted tomato jeow (mak len), a roasted eggplant jeow (mak keua), a papaya salad dressing, and fish sauce, which is the heart of everything I make.
What do you wish store-bought jeow got right? What always tastes off to you? And how did your family make it: charred over coals, with palm sugar, with padaek, something else?
r/laos • u/tekkenriddy • 2d ago
Planning to stay in Vientiane for 3 weeks this December, any clean hostel recommendations?
Hi everyone! I’m planning to stay in Vientiane for 3 weeks this December. I work remotely, so I prefer staying in one place rather than moving around. Do you recommend Vientiane for a long stay? Also, any recommendations for clean hostels with good Wi-Fi? Thanks!
r/laos • u/Locmaria • 3d ago
Thakhek → Pakse → Siem Reap: any recent experiences?
Hi! I’m planning to travel from Thakhek to Pakse, spend a night in Pakse, then continue on to Siem Reap.
If you’ve done this route in 2025-2026:
- Which company would you recommend for each leg, and at what price?
- What time did you leave and arrive?
- How was the Laos-Cambodia border crossing (visa, extra fees)?
Thanks! 🙏
r/laos • u/Silent-Pop4657 • 4d ago
Cashew allergy: can native speakers check my Lao allergy card?
Hi everyone, I have a life-threatening tree nut allergy (mainly cashew, also pistachio, walnut, pecan and pine nut). I carry EpiPens. Peanuts are fine.
In May I spent 3 weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam with a card allergy in Khmer and Vietnamese. It worked really well: cooks and waiters took it seriously and I had zero incidents. I'm now going to Luang Prabang, Vientiane and in the north, and I'd like to do the same card in Thai.
I'd really appreciate a native check. I'm male, if that matters for the wording.
Which dishes contain cashews most often? Any info is welcome.
Many thanks !
r/laos • u/Weak-Working3972 • 4d ago
Hiking Luang Prabang
I would like to do a hike around Luang Prabang but i do not know how to start.
Do I need a guide or I can do alone?
Any suggestions for a biking trails?
Thank you
r/laos • u/Hooomann • 4d ago
Need guidance on Lao Airlines Baggage Rule
I am flying to Luang prabang from Hanoi, Vietnam on 24th November evening flight.
Can I carry any backpack 30L - 40L capacity(not a rucksack) ? Are they very specific about the carryon baggage ?
I have a checkin baggage option for 20kgs. So sorted I. This area.
Is it the same for LCR ? Please help
r/laos • u/Ok_Piano_8307 • 4d ago
Car rental vs mini vans
We are planning to go to Laos for 4 weeks in december/january. We are considering renting a 4WD so we do not need to adjust our schedule to minivans etc. We are experienced drivers and cost is not the issue. Question I have is, has anyone had experience with both car rental and mini vans who can tell me if it is a wise choice to go for a rental car! The idea is to still rent a scooter when in towns.
My issues with mini vans normaly: not much leg space (tall dutch people here), sweaty rides, to many or to less stops and most important: crazy insafe drivers
Pro’s for rental: stop whenever you want, can leave when you want, put all your stuff in there, safe driving and go wherever you want !
Hope someone can reflect on my pro’s and cons who have experience
r/laos • u/GenkiSensei912 • 6d ago
Japan → Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia & Thailand (Dec 19–Jan 11) — What’s the best route and transportation?
r/laos • u/dull-woodpecker24 • 6d ago
best viewpoints for sunsets/sunrise anywhere in laos
thanks
r/laos • u/The_Flaneur_Films • 7d ago
Satellite images show attack jets at Chinese military facility in Laos
r/laos • u/MelvinLC • 6d ago
Vietnam / Laos / Cambodia in March 2027 — route advice & hidden gems ?
r/laos • u/Extension-Heart-760 • 6d ago
Luang Prabang without tours
I really don’t like group tours, so where can I go by just hiring a tuktuk? I’ve been to Kuang Si and will check out a couple of sites in the town. But where else can I go outside the town. It seems like all the elephant places are only accessible by tour and I have no interest in caves.
r/laos • u/butterthatcupw • 6d ago
ຮັບສະໝັກເອຟຕີ
ຮັລໂຫລ ຫາຫມູ່ຄົມລາວເຝິກຄຸຍ
ຂ້ອຍຄົມໄທຍ ຢາກຮຽນພາສາລາວ
r/laos • u/mongoose-of-doom • 7d ago
Luang Prabang with a 2-year-old – recommendations?
Hi everyone!
My wife and I are thinking of visiting Luang Prabang for a few days in mid October with our 2-year-old son. Is this wise?
We'd love some recommendations for things to see and do that would be enjoyable with a toddler. We're not looking for a packed itinerary, just a few interesting places to explore, good food and a chance to enjoy the atmosphere.
I'm also a bit of a coffee enthusiast, so recommendations for genuinely good coffee shops would be much appreciated!
A couple of other questions: Is the town walkable with a 2 year old? And are there any particular areas you'd recommend staying in?
Any advice or personal experiences of visiting with young children would be great.
Thanks!
