driving from Luang Prabang to Vientiane
 

Has anyone done this drive? How long should it take and how crappy is the road? Is it better to just fly or cruise down the Mekong? Thanks.

I haven't done it but heard from taxi drivers that it takes around 10 hours on a not so good road.

I went from Luang Prabang to Phonsovan (Plain of Jars), then back to Vang Vieng and on to Vientiane by bus. Therefore I've been on some of the road. Its not a bad road but it is mountainous so if you suffer from travel sickness you may have a problem. If you go by bus there will be Laotians on board and they suffer terribly. Therefore lots of plastic bags being filled. I've also flown. I suppose it depends a bit on how much time you have and how much of the country you want to see.

I'm not sure if there are boats down the Mekong from Luang Prabang to Vientiane.

If you decide to go by road why not stop the night at Vang Vieng. It is very touristy (read backpacker heaven) but the surrounding countryside is lovely.

I did it by bus from Vientiane to LP several years back, with an overnight in Vang Vieng. The scenery was great, but it's not quick.

I have driven this route in my own car and would not do it again. It is very windy and the road is narrow.

" It is very windy and the road is narrow." That tends to be the case when the scenery is good - same thing on the Amalfi Coast and the Cote d'Azur, and people drive them all the time.

I suspect drivers on the Cote d'Azur tend to be a bit better than in Lao. I didn't get to see much of the scenery as a driver. I fly these days and the scenery is just as good as it is not a long flight from Vte and the plane does not get up high.

Well, I certainly wouldn't drive myself in Asia (aside, perhaps, from Malaysia) but no reason not to take the bus or arrange for a car and driver.

It's a wonderful drive - especially the bit from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng. I would thoroughly recommend it. You would be best off in a 4WD and the road conditions vary immensely.
You might also want to avoid the wet season.
At halfway, Vang Vieng has a wide range of hotels to stop at.
There are one or two other places now with hotels too.

I did the trip in February from LP over to the Plain of Jars and then down to Vang Vieng and it was one of the highlights of my four months in Southeast Asia. I went on shuttle mini vans and one person was sick but she moved to the front and seemed much better. It is a wonderful opportunity to see a very unique culture up close plus the scenery is spectacular.

Luang Prabang to Vientiane is about 380 kms. THis doesn't sound a lot but the road conditions mean a conservative average speed of about 40 kph which makes it about 9 to 10 hour drive. However, there are a couple of places around halfway that make the journey very easy. Vang Vieng is the most popular. Don't be put off by horror stories of mad backpackers - they are in general grossly exaggerated. I think the other place is Ban Nampo.

How good are the buses? Is there a bathroom on the bus?