Kunming to Vientiane Train on the China-Laos Railway

Four international trains run each day between Kunming and Vientiane, two in each direction, and the fastest journey takes 9 hours 36 minutes including the border check.^[1] It is one through journey on the Laos-China Railway without a change of train, and the passport checks happen at the border stations of Mohan in China and Boten in Laos.^[2]

All times on this page are Beijing time, which is one hour ahead of Laos. The earliest train from China is D87, which leaves Kunming South at 08:08 and reaches Vientiane at 17:44.^[2][1] The second pair leaves Kunming station at 10:55 as D86 and arrives in Vientiane at 20:59.^[3] In the other direction, D88 leaves Vientiane at 08:00 Lao time, which is 09:00 Beijing time,^[4] and D84 leaves at 12:25 Beijing time and reaches Kunming at 22:08.^[3]

Which train to take

Choose by departure time and by station. D87 and D88 use Kunming South and also stop at Yuxi, but they do not call at Kunming station.^[5] The second pair, listed officially as D86/83 and D84/85, calls at both Kunming and Kunming South, then Pu'er, Xishuangbanna, Mohan, Boten, Muang Xay, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane.^[3] Each pair runs daily in both directions.^[5][3]

Classes and seats

The trains carry first and second class seats only, so this is a daytime journey without berths.^[2] The nine-car formation used at the 2023 launch had one first class car, six second class cars and a dining car, with 720 seats in total.^[2] The number of cross-border seats per train has grown from 250 at the start to 420.^[6]

Power sockets under the seats take Chinese and Lao standard plugs, and displays, announcements and signs are in Chinese, Lao and English.^[2] Local dishes such as Dai-style ribs and pineapple rice are served on board.^[6]

How to book

Tickets go on sale 15 days ahead and need a passport.^[7] The channel depends on where the train starts. For trains leaving China (D87 and D86), buy on the 12306 website or app, or at the international windows in Kunming, Kunming South, Yuxi, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan. For trains leaving Vientiane (D88 and D84), use the LCR Ticket app or the windows in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Muang Xay and Boten.^[7] Online tickets must be exchanged for a paper ticket at one of those windows before you board, and you show the paper ticket and the same passport at the gate.^[7]

On the Chinese section, 14 stations accept foreign bank cards, there are dedicated international ticket windows, and Mohan has an ATM.^[6] You can change a ticket once before departure, and a refund before departure costs 20 percent of the fare; after departure there is no refund.^[7] Each adult may carry 20 kg free, no single item may exceed 130 cm in length plus width plus height, and luggage cannot be checked in.^[7] Children from 1.2 to 1.5 m need a child ticket, and one child under 1.2 m per ticketed adult travels free without a seat.^[7]

Customer service is on 0871-12306 in China and 00856-021-891891 in Laos.^[7] The Lao section has also run a passenger hotline since 1 September 2025 in Lao, Chinese, English and Thai.^[4]

Border crossing

The border works on a two-places, two-checks system. At Mohan, the Chinese border station, passengers leaving China take all their luggage into the exit inspection area, complete the check and return to the train. At Boten, the Lao border station, they get off again with all luggage for the entry check. Passengers whose destination is Boten leave the station, and everyone else reboards. Northbound works the same way.^[2]

Border clearance at Mohan now takes about 50 minutes,^[1] against about 1.5 hours each for exit and entry at the 2023 launch.^[2]

Railway staff expect you to have valid entry and exit documents and a valid visa before you board.^[7] China's immigration administration published a list in February 2026 of countries whose ordinary passport holders may enter visa-free for up to 30 days, including Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada.^[8] Most travellers can get a Lao visa on arrival at major entry points including border crossings, for up to 30 days.^[9] If you cannot complete the entry formalities, station staff at the border help you return on a nearby train when one leaves that day.^[7]

Stations and stops

Luang Prabang is the busiest stop on the Lao section: every train on that section calls there, and the provincial tourism department says 87 percent of the city's visitors arrive by rail.^[4] D87 and D88 also call at Yuxi, which the second pair skips.^[5][3]