No airline flies from Manchester to Vientiane with a single stop, and nothing flies nonstop from Manchester to Bangkok. Expect two or more stops; the cheapest return seen was £741. London, with Thai Airways via Bangkok, is often the simpler start.
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Boarding pass · at least one stop
Search your dates
Today's best fare
fare checked October 12, 2026; it changes with your dates
Compare on AviasalesAffiliate link · opens in a new tab
The Gulf airlines fly from Manchester but not to Laos. You connect again in Bangkok, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or Phnom Penh.
Connecting in the Gulf? Check your flight close to departure. Europe's aviation safety agency advises its airlines to avoid parts of Gulf airspace until at least November 16, 2026. Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad keep flying through their hubs, but schedules can change at short notice.
Qatar Airways, then Vietnam Airlines or Vietjet
Doha, then Ho Chi Minh City, with flights on to Vientiane
Right for you if you want the lowest fare: £489 one way seen, with three stops.
See flights on Aviasales Affiliate linkEmirates, then Thai Airways or Lao Airlines
Dubai, then Bangkok, from where 4 flights a day go to Vientiane
Right for you if you'd like a stop in Bangkok.
See flights on Aviasales Affiliate linkA domestic flight or train, then Thai Airways
London, then Thai Airways via Bangkok, one of two single-airline one-stops from the UK, with Vietnam Airlines via Hanoi
Right for you if you want the simplest long-haul part.
See flights on Aviasales Affiliate linkWattay is in town, 4 km from the center. Fill in the Lao Digital Immigration Form (LDIF) online within 3 days before you arrive.
140,000 kip
Fixed fare, paid at the desk inside the terminal before you walk to the car. About 20 to 35 minutes depending on traffic.
≈ 70,000 kip
With the LOCA app, or inDrive, the ride downtown costs about half the official taxi. You need a data connection on arrival.
40,000 kip
It runs to Talat Sao bus station via the hotels, every 1.5 to 2 hours, 8:10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. from the airport.
South of the capital, the Mekong flows past Thakhek's karst country, then Champasak and its ancient temple.
Photo by Torbenbrinker on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by GuillaumeG on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by JayaJoe on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sources: routes, times and fares seen, Kayak UK and Google Flights (October 12, 2026); flights to Vientiane, Avionio and Google Flights (October 2026); Gulf airspace, EASA CZIB-2026-07R3 (September 30, 2026); Wattay, GeckoRoutes and KPL (2026); visa, official portal laoevisa.gov.la and Seat61 (June 2026). Updated October 12, 2026 by Pierre-Marie Coupry.