The Da Nang visa run bus is the scheduled shared minibus that leaves the city in the early morning, takes you to the Lao Bao border in Quang Tri, waits while you exit Vietnam, cross into Laos, and come back in with a fresh stamp, then brings you home the same evening. One vehicle, one day, one ticket that covers the whole loop.
This page is about that service: what time it leaves, where it picks you up, what a seat costs in 2026, and how to book one. It is not about the public sleeper bus that runs Da Nang to the Lao Bao area for around 250,000 VND one way. That bus exists and it is a fine budget option, but it takes about two days to turn a visa run around and it does not handle your border paperwork. The visa run bus is the same-day option, and it is the one our service runs daily.
A few numbers to set the scene. Lao Bao sits about 290 km from Da Nang, a 4.5 to 5.5 hour drive each way depending on traffic over Hai Van Pass and the stops you make. The whole run takes 10 to 12 hours. The bus picks up between 04:00 and 06:00 so you reach the border mid-morning, when the officers are fresh and the queues are short, and it gets you back to Da Nang in the early evening. Seat price is 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 VND, before visa fees.
Who is the visa run bus for? Solo travelers, couples, digital nomads on a 90-day e-visa cycle, anyone whose priority is getting the run done in one day without renting an entire vehicle. If you are three or more people, a private car often works out cheaper per head. If you are on a tight budget and have two days to spare, the public bus is cheaper still. The visa run bus sits in the middle: same-day, door to gate, with someone handling the border logistics.
The visa run bus runs on a fixed daily rhythm, and the whole thing only works because of the early start. Here is what a typical 2026 run day looks like.
Pickup runs 04:00 to 06:00, in order of where your hotel or apartment sits in the route. Central Da Nang hotels, around Hai Chau and the Han River, are usually first, between 04:00 and 04:30. Beachfront places in Son Tra and My Khe come a bit later, then Ngu Hanh Son to the south. Hoi An pickups run 04:00 to 04:30 as a separate corridor, about a 30-minute detour. The driver confirms your window the evening before, and the bus rarely waits more than a few minutes, so being ready matters.
By 05:00 to 06:30 the bus is on the road north on Highway 1, over Hai Van Pass and past Lang Co, through Hue's southern edge and on toward Quang Tri. There is usually one comfort stop around the halfway point for coffee, a bathroom, and breakfast. Arrival at Lao Bao lands mid-morning, roughly 09:30 to 10:30 depending on traffic. That timing is deliberate: the border is busiest right after it opens, and the queues thin out by late morning.
At the border you exit Vietnam, walk across to the Laos side at Densavan, get your Laos entry stamp (most nationalities pay cash, 30 to 40 USD), and turn straight around to re-enter Vietnam. The whole border stop usually takes 60 to 90 minutes. The bus waits at the Vietnamese side the entire time.
The return drive is the same road in reverse, and the bus pulls back into Da Nang between 18:00 and 20:00. Total: 10 to 12 hours, door to door, one day, fresh stamp in hand.
The visa run bus is door to gate, which means pickup happens at your hotel, hostel, or apartment, not at a central bus station. That is the main difference between this and any public bus in Da Nang. You send your address when you book, and the driver works out the pickup order for the morning.
The route covers all the main parts of Da Nang. Hai Chau, the central district around the Han River, is the first corridor. Son Tra and My Khe beach come next, which is where most of the city's hostels and budget hotels sit, then Ngu Hanh Son in the south, near Marble Mountain, and Thanh Khe on the western side of the river. Cam Le and Hoa Vang are covered too, though pickup times there run later in the window since they sit closer to the highway. If your stay is inside these areas, the bus comes to you.
Hoi An is a separate pickup corridor. The bus collects Hoi An passengers between 04:00 and 04:30, then drives north and joins the main route. It adds roughly 30 minutes to the trip each way. Travelers staying in An Bang beach or the old town area get picked up at their hotel, same as everyone else.
A few boarding rules keep the morning running on time. Be ready 15 minutes before your confirmed window, with your passport, a printed or saved copy of your e-visa approval letter if you have one, and cash for the Laos visa fee. One backpack or small suitcase per person is the norm; the 16-seater buses have a luggage hold, but there is not room for oversized gear. If the driver cannot reach you because your phone is off, the bus leaves without you, and that usually means a private car rescue at full price, so keep your phone on until the pickup is done.
A seat on the Da Nang visa run bus costs 1,000,000 to 1,200,000 VND in 2026. That price is per person and covers both directions: pickup at your door in the morning, the drive to Lao Bao, the wait at the border, and the return trip to Da Nang in the evening. It also includes a border fixer on the ground who walks you through the exit and re-entry steps, which is worth more than the ticket price on your first run.
| Option | Price (VND) |
|---|---|
| Visa run bus seat, one person, both ways | 1,000,000 - 1,200,000 |
| Private car, whole vehicle | 3,200,000 - 3,400,000 |
| Public sleeper bus, one way | ~250,000 |
What the ticket does not include: the Vietnam e-visa fee you pay when you file online, the Laos visa on arrival at the border (about 30 to 40 USD in cash, depending on your nationality), and lunch. Bring USD or VND for the Laos fee because the border stalls do not take cards. A passport photo costs extra if you do not bring one, so pack two spares.
For one or two people, the bus seat is the cheapest same-day option by a wide margin. From three people up, the math flips: a private car at 3,200,000 VND per vehicle beats three bus seats at 3,000,000 VND plus, and it gives you control over stops and timing. Groups of four or five should price the car before booking seats.
The public sleeper bus looks dramatically cheaper on paper at 250,000 VND one way. It is also a two-day affair, with a night of accommodation in Lao Bao or Savannakhet and a second day of meals on top. Once you add those, the visa run bus often ends up the better deal even at four times the ticket price. The full comparison lives on the cheapest visa run from Da Nang page.
Booking a seat on the Da Nang visa run bus takes about two minutes on WhatsApp, and same-day seats are usually available if you book the evening before. Here is the process.
First, check your stamp or e-visa expiry and pick your run date with at least two weeks of slack. If you need a fresh e-visa, file it before you book the bus, because standard processing takes a few working days and you do not want to be at the border without an approval letter.
Second, message us on WhatsApp at +84 334 103 857. Include your pickup area in Da Nang or Hoi An, the date you want to run, how many seats, and your nationality. Nationality matters because it determines the Laos visa fee and whether you are on the 45-day visa exemption list, which changes the paperwork at the border.
Third, get your confirmation. We reply with your exact pickup window, the vehicle, and the total price, usually within the hour during business hours. The price is quoted in VND and paid in cash on the day or by bank transfer, whichever you prefer. There is no upfront deposit for standard bookings.
On the day, keep your phone on from 03:30, be ready 15 minutes before the confirmed window, and wait at your hotel reception or building lobby. The driver calls when the bus is a few minutes out. From there the morning runs exactly as described above: pickup, highway, comfort stop, border, Laos stamp, re-entry, and home by evening.
One honest note: if your visa situation is not sorted, the bus will not fix it at the border. The fixer can help with the Laos side and the re-entry stamp, but an expired visa or a missing e-visa is a different problem with different costs.
Pickup runs 04:00 to 06:00 depending on your location. Central Da Nang hotels go first, between 04:00 and 04:30, and the route works south from there. Hoi An pickups run 04:00 to 04:30. Your exact window is confirmed the evening before.
Yes. Hoi An is a regular pickup corridor on the bus route, about a 30-minute detour each way. Pickup from Hoi An hotels runs between 04:00 and 04:30.
1,000,000 to 1,200,000 VND per person in 2026, covering both directions and the border wait. Visa fees are extra: the Laos visa on arrival costs about 30 to 40 USD in cash, and the Vietnam e-visa fee is paid when you file.
Usually, yes. Message us on WhatsApp with your pickup area, date, and nationality and we confirm your window and price, often within the hour. Same-day seats exist when the run is not full, but do not count on it.
A minibus, typically a 16-seater. It is the same fleet used for shared van runs. There is a luggage hold for a backpack or small suitcase per person, but no space for oversized gear.
Yes. The driver waits at the Vietnamese side for the whole border stop, usually 60 to 90 minutes, while the fixer walks you through exit, the Laos stamp at Densavan, and re-entry.
Passport, your e-visa approval letter printed or saved offline, cash in USD or VND for the Laos fee, two passport photos as backup, and whatever you need for a 10 to 12 hour day.
Do not board. An unapproved e-visa means you cannot re-enter Vietnam at Lao Bao, and the bus cannot fix that at the border. File early, wait for approval, then book.
