Wattay International Airport is 6km west of downtown Vientiane. Airport facilities include visa-on-arrival ($30 plus one photo ) and exchange services. The cheapest way of getting into town is to take a shared taxi in the form of a tuk-tuk or jumbo, a three-wheeled motorized taxi ($1), although unmetered car taxis run the route for only a few dollars more. Alternatively, walk out to Louang Phabang Avenue, a few hundred metres from the terminal, and hail one of the buses or sawngthaews coming from the north (2000K), which will drop you off at the main bus station next to the Morning Market.

The primary land crossing into Laos is the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge , which spans the Mekong River at a point 5km west of Nong Khai in Thailand, and 20km east of Vientiane. Minibuses from Nong Khai shuttle passengers across the bridge (every 15min from 8am to 5.30pm; B10), stopping at Thai immigration control before continuing on to Lao immigration on the opposite side of the river. At the Lao terminal, you can get a fifteen-day visa-on-arrival ($30 plus one photo ), and change money. Tuk-tuks (B150) and car taxis (B200) run from here into the city centre (30min), but the cheapest option is bus #14, which stops at the bridge every forty minutes on its run between the old ferry pier at Thadua (600K) and the main bus station next to the Morning Market. Motorcycles are not permitted across the bridge, although sawngthaews can be hired ($10) to transport your bike into Laos - ask at the minibus ticket counter.

Most buses from the south, including Savannakhet and Pakxe, arrive at Vientiane's compact main bus station , next to the Morning Market (Talat Sao) on Khou Viang Road, 1.5km from Nam Phou Place. Most transport from the north, including Louang Phabang, via Vang Viang, arrives at the Khoua Louang bus stand ( Khiw Lot Khua Luang), 4km northwest of the city centre, around the corner from the Evening Market (Talat Laeng, sometimes known as Talat Nong Douang), on Khoua Louang Road near its junction with Nong Douang Road.

Speedboats and occasional slow boats from the north dock at Tha Hua Kao Liaw pier , located on the Mekong River 10km west of the centre of Vientiane. The only way to get to the city centre from the landing is by tuk-tuk ($2-3).