Budsarakham Tour

Travelling from Bangkok to Nong Khai is popular with those who are planning either to embark on a road journey along the border with Laos or to cross the border and get to Vientiane.

Tickets are between THB450 and THB600 and buses leave twice daily at 7 pm and 8.30 pm. The journey takes approximately 9 hours. Note that these buses arrive at 4 am and 5 am in Nong Khai. It leaves you with enough time to get to Vientiane in the morning to submit documents for your Thai visa should you need one.

Once in Nong Khia, you can buy a ticket for one of the departures with Transport Co Intl who operate buses along the Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge.

Similarly, Nong Khai to Bangkok ticket is a convenient oprtion to get back to the capital of Thailand. Tickets on this service cost up to THB600. Buses leave at 8.05 pm and travel overnight arriving in Bangkok at 5.25 am. The journey takes around 9 hours.

Budsarakham Tour also operates buses between Bangkok and Chiang Mai, but these ones normally run during high season only.

Pros
Budsarakham Tour offer a cheap way of travelling between Bangkok and Nong Khai.

Buses travel overnight so although the journey is long there is also the opportunity to sleep most of the way.

Buses are spacious with ample legroom and have reclining seats for added comfort.

All buses are air-conditioned and include food and drinks.

Buses have toilets on board.

You can book tickets online.

Tickets may be cancelled and refunded although this is also subject to terms and conditions.

Cons
Some buses are older models and may not be very clean.

Budsarakham Tour does offer a range of routes across Thailand although these are subject to change and passengers may not be able to book certain routes out of season.

Buses travel overnight and many arrive at their destinations early in the morning around 4 or 5 am. This means that passengers may not be able to check into hotels or find onward transportation easily at their destination due to the unfavourable arrival times.

Keep in mind
You will need to take a printed ticket with you although often this does not correlate to your actual seat which is subject to change.

Refunds and ticket cancellations may not always be possible with this company.

Air conditioning on buses in Southeast Asia can be fierce although blankets are provided. Passengers may still wish to bring their own sweaters or wraps.

The website for this company is only in Thai and as such it is difficult to find information on how to purchase a ticket directly if you are not a Thai speaker.

What travellers say
Some passengers have reported that buses are sometimes delayed by up to 2 hours although often the extra time is made up during the journey. As such make sure to keep plans flexible upon arrival at your destination in case of delays.

Passengers have found that although they have booked VIP buses, these are sometimes old, uncomfortable, and unclean. If possible try to check the bus first before deciding if you want to buy a ticket and will be comfortable on an overnight journey.

Buses also have stewards to help with refreshments and blankets and passengers have reported that they are helpful, speak good English, and are on hand to help with any queries.