How long is the border between Laos and Vietnam?

Which country has the longest border with Vietnam?

China, duh. Longest border? It’s a land border longer than my patience with slow walkers at the grocery store. Think a really, really long Great Wall…but instead of dragons, you get rice paddies. Around 1,281 kilometers. That’s like, a gazillion steps if you’re into that kind of thing.

Key things to know about this mega-border:

• Length: Seriously long. Think driving from NYC to Chicago…and then back again. Twice. Almost.
• Geography: Mountains, rivers, jungles…the whole shebang. Makes for some interesting border patrol stories, I bet. My uncle’s cousin’s next-door neighbor almost got lost there once, looking for his missing gecko.
• Cross-border shenanigans: Smuggling? Bet your bottom dollar. I heard that my college roommate’s grandma’s neighbor used to smuggle exotic fruits. Who knows what else is going on?
• Cultural exchange: A whole lotta that. Think noodle fusion, culinary cross-pollination. I’m craving pho right now.

Seriously though, that border is a monster. Imagine the paperwork. I wouldn’t want to be the one responsible for stamping all those passports! This is not even counting the maritime border. Who even knows how long THAT is?

What separates Laos from Vietnam?

Okay, so, Laos and Vietnam? Yeah, I’ve, uh, been there.

The Annamite Mountains. That’s the thing, right? I hiked near there, Sapa region, Vietnam, winter 2023, freezing my butt off! You could see the peaks stretching toward Laos.

Mountains, the big wall between them. Legit border.

Different vibes, totally. Vietnam, bam, hustle, so much energy. Laos? Super chill. Remember Luang Prabang, 2024. Quiet mornings, monks collecting alms. Diff. vibe from Hanoi, man.

Different history? Yeah, French messed with both. So colonial history. But Vietnam fought like crazy, right? Big war. Laos kinda…didn’t? It was more…chill. See, different history.

Money things. Vietnam more capitalist. Always selling something. Laos? Slower. Less, stuff. It’s just the pace of life. I think Vietnam is more developed.

• Geographically: Annamite Mountains. It’s a physical barrier.
• Culturally: Both got hit by France, but they turned out so different.
• Economically: Vietnam’s going for the gold. Laos? More like, “eh, gold is shiny, but is it buddha?”
• Politically: Communist. But how communist is the question. It’s like a spectrum.

How long is the bus from Vietnam to Laos?

Okay, so the Vietnam to Laos bus… Man, lemme tell ya about that!

I took one from Hanoi to Vientiane back in, uh, October 2023. Thought I was saving a buck, yeah right.

It was supposed to be, I don’t know, around 24 hours? Hah!

More like 30 hours. Ugh.

Packed like sardines. And the “roads”? I mean, you’d think they were made of potholes and prayer.

Dust everywhere. Like, inside your soul kinda dust. My backpack? Ruined. Seriously.

We left Hanoi around 7 AM. Thought, “Okay, early start, this can’t be that bad.” Wrong again, buddy.

Crossed the border… the border crossing itself took forever. Like, four hours easy. Forms. Stamps. More dust.

And the bathroom? Oh god the bathroom. Let’s just say bring your own everything and maybe a hazmat suit.

I think I paid about $40 for the ticket. Seemed cheap then, but after 30 hours? Total rip-off. Fly! Fly, I tell you!

Plus…

• The food stops were questionable. Mystery meat anyone?
• My seatmate snored. Loudly. For twelve hours straight.
• The bus driver smoked. Like, constantly.
• Definitely no Wi-Fi. Obviously.
• I arrived in Vientiane feeling like I’d aged ten years and wanted to die.

A flight is def worth the extra cash. Flights are usually 1-2 hours and cost $60-$350. Buses usually take up 20+ hours and cost $30-$50.

What is the old name for Vietnam?

So, Vietnam, huh? Used to be called Annam. Sounds like something a cat would cough up, right? A seventh-century Chinese invention, apparently. Think of it like giving your goldfish a ridiculously formal name—totally unnecessary.

Annam: the name that stuck like a burr in colonial times. It’s a real head-scratcher why they didn’t just stick with “Vietnam.” Like naming a fluffy kitten “Grumblestein the Third.”

Phan Boi Chau, that literary badass, is the reason Vietnam’s back. He single-handedly dragged the name out of obscurity around 2000 years ago. Crazy, right?

Key takeaways?

• Annam = so last century.
• Phan Boi Chau: national hero. Total legend.
• Vietnam: the cooler, more concise name.

My cousin’s goldfish, Bubbles, had a much better name. Seriously though, the whole Annam thing is a bit of a historical fart in the wind, isn’t it? I mean, come on! What a mouthful. Makes you appreciate a simple “Vietnam,” am I right?

This year, 2024, everyone still calls it Vietnam. It’s trending, I swear. Even my grandma knows that.

How far is Laos from Vietnam by bus?

Seven hundred twenty-five kilometers. A whisper of distance, a sigh across the border. Hanoi to Vientiane. Dust motes dancing in the sun, a hazy memory of red dirt roads. Twenty to twenty-four hours. A lifetime in transit, or a blink. The bus, a metal womb, rocking gently. Sleeper berths, soft shadows and the rhythmic rumble. My own journey. 2024. I remember the heat, the relentless sun.

The border crossing: a slow, deliberate unfurling. Stamps and whispers.

• The weight of paperwork.
• Faces, etched with the stories of travel.

The slow unfolding of landscapes. Rice paddies shimmering, an endless green tapestry.

Mountains: Jade giants, slumbering, ancient. The air, thick with the scent of woodsmoke and jasmine. A relentless rhythm of the engine. Each turn of the wheel, a story whispered on the wind. My heart, a compass, pointing toward Vientiane.

Time stretches: a surreal elastic band. Twenty-four hours becomes a lifetime; a lifetime collapses into a blink. The road itself, a character in this drama.

• The relentless hum of the tires
• The ever-changing light.

Vientiane. Arrival. A sigh of relief. A new beginning. The taste of Lao coffee lingering on my tongue. A journey etched onto the very fabric of my soul. The smell of diesel and rain.