plan to travel to Laos in late Nov. but only have 9 days. now am thinking of Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng. 3 days in Vang Vieng and 5 in Luang Prabang.

checked the Lao Airline and China estern. about RMB 2500-2800 for round trip.

1. Is there any good way to get discount with a better price for the air ticket? am thinking of flying to Vientiane, then going to Vang Vieng,then to Luang Prabang and then taking the bus back to Kunming. How does it sound?

2. if i book the round trip for the air ticket, then what is a better travel plan?

3. any recommendation on both Luang Prabang and Vang Vieng?( guesthouse, entertainment, etc.)

it's mostly for fun and relaxation.

I think for the air tickets, that is a reasonably good price already; I doubt you'd be able to find anything much cheaper...those are the only two airlines flying between Kunming and Laos and the better of the two airlines with more services and being a fairly large, experienced airline is China Eastern, so I'd recommend choosing them, although if Lao Airlines is cheaper or you prefer their service, by all means go for them.

Anyway, I'd recommend a one way flight from Vientiane back to Kunming, catching the bus down first; not only can you pace yourself better because the flight back is only 1.5 hours, unlike the unpredictable bus journey, but you also avoid the possibility of being forced to purchase a ticket out of Laos if attempting to travel on a one way ticket. I don't think this should be much of an issue and you'd probably be allowed to fly anyway, but I'm mentioning this just in case.

If you travel round-trip via air, then you can travel via minivan between Vientiane and Luang Prabang, stopping off in Vang Vieng and possibly even Xieng Khuong, which is on rte 7 off towards the Vietnamese border (Thong Hai Hin or Plain of Jars) if you are interested, followed by returning to Vientiane for your flight back.

One way air tickets to Vientiane should be about 1000Yuan+tax or roughly 1300-1500 incl. tax, and probably a similar amount if purchasing your ticket in Vientiane.

I also heard that there is (or will soon be) a regular flight (twice weekly or so) from Jinghong to Luang Prabang with Lao Airlines. This may be another option for you, but I doubt it would be much cheaper than flying from Kunming since you would also need to factor in the cost of getting to/from Jinghong from Kunming.

There are many good boutique hotels in Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng and Vientiane. In Vientiane, I recommend the Chantapanya Hotel. In Vang Vieng, I hear the D'rose Hotel, which also has a sister hotel in Vientiane is good. For all cities, try www.agoda.com for hotel bookings - there you'll find both guesthouses and hotels, and although you can probably just show up without a reservation, I think it gives you some peace of mind if you book in advance.

In Vang Vieng, tubing and watching tv, getting plastered on beer, whiskey and other things seem to be the main activities, but you should consider going to explore nearby caves and an area next to the Mekong for swimming with the locals instead. I think it's much more fun and worthwhile than hanging around inside the town with all the drunks.

@Yuanyangren: Thank you very much for all the info.
btw, they have the vip bus and the mini bus from Vang Vueng to Luang Prabang. which one is better, vip or mini?

Minibus, because they're smaller and faster and often not much difference in price.

I have traveled much in Laos. I have seen direct flights Jinghong-Luang Prabang, so you can ask some Travel Agencies about this. They may be in Jinghong. There are also busses to Luang Prabang, but not for me. It depends on your budget.

I just went from Kunming to Northern Thailand with the family and it can be easily done. Best to find some people in Jinghong to find out bus and Air schedules and costs. It may depend on the time of the year when these are available.

D

You can also take a bus all the way to Vientiane, but I prefer the plane.

@Culvers: Thank u.

Hey, i suggest you fly to Jinghong, stay a night there(enjoy Pana) and take a bus to Luang Prabang the next day.Flights to Pana are not expensive. This way, you won't feel too tired afterwards from the long hours of being in the bus( if you were to take a bus from KMG to Luang Prabang). Buses from KMG to Luang Prabang(vice versa) are a bit dangerous as there are many pickpockets in the bus. They strike mostly when you are sleeping. I have at least 3 friends that had their stuff ( camera, phone, wallet) stolen from them while they were sleeping....
Take care ya!

@russia: Thanks. since I probably will be traveling alone, safety always comes first. I'll think about it. Thank u again.