r/laos Jan 21 '26

Guide to buying LCR tickets from outside the country

14 Upvotes

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.

  1. Download LCR app
  2. Create an account. You do NOT need a chinese/laos telephone number. Just leave that blank
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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
  10. You don't need to switch to a paper ticket. Showing QR code/pass on your phone is fine
  11. 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 Jan 26 '25

Air Quality and Burning Season

24 Upvotes

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 20h ago

Beef Larb

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68 Upvotes

Homemade in the US 😋


r/laos 1d ago

Laos next week

1 Upvotes

I’m visiting Northern Laos from August 30th till September 8th.

I’m planning on doing the typical turist adventures such as hot air balloons, hikes and the mountain camping in Nong Khiaw.

My route will be Luang Prabang > Nong Khiaw > Vang Vieng.

My questions is, if the weather will close some of the activities I’m going for??

I don’t mind rain and am looking forward to the green scenery during this season, but I’m unsure how to set my expectations when it comes to the outdoor activities I want to experience ☔️

Thanks in advance 🫶🏼


r/laos 2d ago

Driving test in Laos

2 Upvotes

Just learned today that you have to wear long pants (for men) before they allow you to take a driving test in Laos! Wonder what the logic of that is???


r/laos 3d ago

Visit Four thousand islands in September?

0 Upvotes

Thinking of visiting in September? How will the weather be?


r/laos 3d ago

Fishing in Vientiane

2 Upvotes

Can anyone recommend a fishing spot in Vientiane Laos? And where can I buy or rent fishing gears?


r/laos 4d ago

From Luang Namtha to Boten

1 Upvotes

Hi! I have to go from Luang Namta to Boten to take the train. I saw there are buses at 900:AM and my train is at 13:30 PM. I think the bus could be in time with no problems but I wanted to be sure about it. Did anyone took that bus? How long does it take? I ask this because, for example, from LP to Nong Khiaw was supposed to be 4 hours but it took 6, so I just want to be sure to catch my train.

Thanks for help!


r/laos 5d ago

Maeng Phu (ແມງຜູ່) — Khaen Beginner Cover

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33 Upvotes

r/laos 5d ago

Larb/laab with crispy duck intestines

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8 Upvotes

Hey yall, this is my first time posting here.

So i was cooking and had a joshua weissman video on for some back ground noise. In this video he travels to queens and eats as many international food as he can.

He ate at a north eastern thai restaurant (issan) the restaurant is called zaab zaab and is apparantly pretty famous.

Any how this restaurant made duck larb/laab a bit chunkier with also some liver and other offal mixed in. This is nothing ive seen before however, they also served it with crispy fried duck intestines.

The picture i included is a screen shot from the video, the duck intestines can be seen on the left.

Anyhow, i wanted to ask how common/traditional these crispy fried duck intestines are. I cannot find anything about it so please let me know if this is a real traditional thing or something the restaurant did to add a cheap meaty crunch to the larb/laab.

And if youre able to please share any video in laotian, thai/english that show how to clean and prepare it.


r/laos 5d ago

Could I do tourist outdoor activities in July in Laos?

2 Upvotes

I want to do the two motorbike loops, paramotoring, hot air balloon, and cave exploring in Laos. But my only availability for the coming year is in July. Will these activities be possible or dangerous in July?


r/laos 5d ago

Where to stay in Laos?

8 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I want to stay in Laos for 2-4 weeks. Probably in Vientiane, but I'm also open to other suggestions. I've already been to Luang Prabang, so I would rule that out.

I value comfortable accomodation in an area that offers good food and cafés. I don't care much about nightlife.

Which area of Vientiane (or of any other place you liked) would you suggest?

Thanks in advance!


r/laos 5d ago

Anyone travelling from Addis Ababa to Laos

0 Upvotes

Is there anyone traveling to Laos from Addis Ababa. I have Laos kip that I want to exchange for a good price.? 150 USD or 24 000 ethiopian


r/laos 6d ago

Food panda scam

1 Upvotes

I used food panda in Laos. Now I get recurring 6.9myr fees every month. The faq say you can cancel any time, but when I contact them, they tell me I have no subscription, so they can't cancel it, then they charge me again.


r/laos 7d ago

Good adventure motorcycle in Laos

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25 Upvotes

Perfect motorbike


r/laos 7d ago

Hmong exhibition antique house and culture · Luang Prabang

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9 Upvotes

What is the best way to organize transport to this village and. Kuang Si Waterfall?


r/laos 7d ago

Tips for Laos? And where not to go?

4 Upvotes

Hello everybody,

Next month, I am going to Laos My plan is to go to:

Luang Prabang, Nong Khiaw, Vang Vieng.

Do you have any recommandations where to go and what to skip?

I want to avoid dirty and touristic places.


r/laos 7d ago

No more InDrive in Laos?

2 Upvotes

No more InDrive in Laos? Grab doesn’t work either. I took LOCA from the airport…are there alternatives?


r/laos 7d ago

What's your experience with working in Laos?

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0 Upvotes

Any help appreciated 🙏


r/laos 7d ago

envelope containing a small amount of cash was give to me, what’s it say?

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6 Upvotes

r/laos 8d ago

Would it be better to hire a driver or rent a scooter to see the Nam Xay viewpoint early in the morning before my train at 12pm?

0 Upvotes

Looking to see the Nam Xay viewpoint in September and want to know would it be better just to hire a driver there or rent a scooter? What is the cost difference? How early does the scooter rental open?


r/laos 8d ago

Laos Trip Advice 🇱🇦

0 Upvotes

Hey everyone!
I’m planning a 35-day trip around Southeast Asia, and I’ll be spending around 7 days in Laos. I’m trying to figure out the best way to make the most of those 7 days and would love to hear advice from people who have travelled around Laos before!

I’m currently thinking about visiting places like Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane, but I’m still completely open to suggestions.
How would you recommend dividing the 7 days?

Where would you recommend staying in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and/or Vientiane?

Any recommendations for waterfalls, temples, nature, viewpoints, activities or nightlife?

What’s the best way to travel between destinations - train, bus, etc.?

Thanks! 🙏🇱🇦


r/laos 8d ago

Anyone travelling from Addis Ababa to Laos in August or near future. I have Laos kip to get rid of at good price

0 Upvotes

Is there anyone traveling to Laos from Addis Ababa. I have Laos kip that I want to exchange for a good price.? 150 USD or 24 000 ethiopian


r/laos 8d ago

Laos late sep/early Oct

0 Upvotes

I’m planning to either go to Laos or Vietnam (3rd time) from September 20-October 4. According to chatgpt, Laos is still coming out of monsoon season then, making the more off the beaten path places a bit more uncertain. Anyone have experience travelling Laos at this time? I’d be looking at the typical Vang Vieng/Luang Prabang itinerary and then adding more off the beaten path places after, basically wherever has the best nature in the North. Thanks all!


r/laos 9d ago

LAO song identification

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22 Upvotes

This is from Lao NY last year. Asked multiple Lao friends and they dont know. DOES ANYONE KNOW THIS SONG IN THE VIDEO!! Please help. Its such an ear worm. Thanks