Bangkok to Vietnam without flying: Andrea and Keith's three days
Andrea and Keith of No Fly Zone Nomads are a retired Canadian couple from Ontario who travel the world without flying, moving by land and sea instead. In "Bangkok to Vietnam WITHOUT Flights: 3 Days Of CHAOS," published on their YouTube channel on March 13, 2026, they cover three days and three countries, from Bangkok to Dong Hoi in Vietnam, by sleeper train, car, shuttle bus, on foot, by taxi and by train again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tlc7_fDy1xU
The video runs 31 minutes 38 seconds. It follows the couple from an overnight first-class sleeper out of Bangkok, through a pre-dawn car transfer and two land borders, to a stretch at the side of a Vietnamese road during the Tết holiday when their onward ride fell through. It ends with a crowded holiday train and four nights at a resort in Dong Hoi.
Along the way, Andrea and Keith say what they paid, what surprised them and what they learned. Everything below is their account of a February trip. Play the video above for the whole trip, and find more on their channel, No Fly Zone Nomads. Senior Travel Insider's earlier page introduces the couple: Who are No Fly Zone Nomads? Keith and Andrea's retirement plan to travel without flying.
What you'll see in the video
- 1:22 Plan B. Why they dropped their original route north through Laos: a Bangkok resident they met at a Facebook-group coffee meetup connected them with a friend's travel agency, which helped them plan a new one.
- 2:19 Bangkok station and the first-class lounge. Ticket staff change their sleeper tickets to an earlier stop. They describe a large, modern station and a lounge with couches, charging and water, then boarding through e-gates with QR codes; they believe staff walked them to their car.
- 5:21 The sleeper cabin. Their two-berth first-class cabin: what it has, where their bags went, the bathrooms and shower in the car, and the attendant making up the bunks.
- 8:09 Getting off early. The attendant fetches them for a brief stop at Khon Kaen around 4:10 a.m., and a pre-arranged driver is waiting.
- 9:03 The Thai–Lao border. Buying a bus ticket, stamping out of Thailand, crossing the bridge by shuttle, and being sent to a separate window for foreigners on the Lao side.
- 11:05 Across Laos by car. A night in Savannakhet, the hotel's private car and driver in place of the bus they expected, and their impressions of the Lao roadside: red clay, cows, goats and motorcycles.
- 14:35 Into Vietnam, then stranded. A crowded, hour-long entry, a fee they didn't expect, no working ride at the roadside, help from two strangers at a mini-mart, and a hunt for a cash machine with money in it.
- 23:44 The train to Dong Hoi and the resort. A packed holiday train, then their arrival at the voco Quang Binh and the room they were given at check-in.
What the video doesn't cover
- The price of the Thai sleeper tickets or of the pre-arranged car from Khon Kaen to the border.
- What the Lao e-visa cost.
- What documents they used to enter Vietnam.
- The names of the taxi and train-booking apps they used, apart from Grab.
- How many IHG points the resort stay took.
Three days, three countries
Just past the Vietnam border, Andrea and Keith found themselves stranded at the roadside with a weak phone signal and a granola bar each. It was Tết, and as they describe it, everything was busier and pricier and fewer people were working. An app for Vietnamese taxis sent no car. Grab appeared to work, but no driver would take a trip of roughly 80 kilometres.
The trip had started with a change of plan. A Bangkok resident they met at a Facebook-group coffee meetup connected them with a friend's travel agency, which helped replace their route north through Laos. They kept their overnight sleeper tickets toward Nong Khai but got off early at Khon Kaen, around 4:10 a.m. One of them worried about missing a stop of about two minutes; the attendant came to get them, and a driver met them at about 4:15. The pre-arranged car had looked, in their words, "sketchy on paper," and it turned out "flawless."
At the Thai–Lao border, they say, they bought a bus ticket (50 baht each, February 2026), stamped out of Thailand and rode a shuttle across the bridge. Lao officers sent them to a separate window for foreigners. Their Lao e-visa, they explain, had to be for a "friendship bridge" where e-visas can be used; they had applied online about two weeks ahead, and the only question was where they were staying. That night was at the Savan Resort in Savannakhet, one of the town's biggest hotels by their description, at $69 a night (currency not stated).
By their account they couldn't book Lao transport online or in advance, so they relied on the hotel, messaging through WhatsApp translation. Instead of the 11-hour bus they expected, they took its private car and driver for 6,000 baht, which they put at about $200, and reached the Vietnam border in about four hours past red clay, cows and goats. One of them had brought about $250 in U.S. cash, with smaller bills for the borders.
Entry into Vietnam, they say, took about an hour in crowded, shifting queues. Asked for a fee they hadn't expected, they handed over a US$10 bill and got back change of "five or 50,000 dong"; they still don't know the amount. They had read there would be an ATM at the border and found none.
That is where the trip turned. While Keith kept trying apps, Andrea walked to a gas-station mini-mart. She used Google Translate to ask two young women there for help; one of them phoned a taxi company, translating on her phone, and the company agreed to stop at an ATM first. Keith gives Andrea the credit for going to ask people. Both say the kindness of strangers carried them through, and that they would do the same for lost visitors.
With Tết draining the machines, two of the three ATMs at the first stop were empty; at a second, guarded one they withdrew 4 million dong. The taxi took about two hours and cost 1.5 million dong, about C$70–75 by their estimate in February 2026. They think they overpaid and felt it was worth it.
After a night in Dong Ha, they caught a train one of them had booked on an app after seeing few seats left for Tết; it ran on February 14, three days before the holiday. The ride to Dong Hoi was crowded, about an hour and a half, and $6 as they gave it (currency and scope not stated). Children greeted them, and saying happy new year in Vietnamese delighted people.
The trip ended at the voco Quang Binh, a fairly new beach resort in Dong Hoi booked with IHG points, where check-in brought an upgrade to a one-bedroom villa with a private plunge pool that they aren't sure they'll get again. They stayed four nights. At the time of filming, they planned to return for four more later that year and to spend three months in Vietnam.
What Andrea and Keith suggest
- They say the Bangkok station has plenty of food. (3:06)
- They suggest keeping luggage small for the sleeper. Their two backpacks and two carry-on rollers fit under the bottom bunk and on a rack. (5:11)
- They suggest having your hotel's details. They applied online for their Lao e-visa about two weeks before the crossing. Because the only question at the border was where they were staying, they suggest having the hotel's name and address ready. (9:51)
- They suggest carrying U.S. cash in small bills. One of them brought about $250 in U.S. cash, with smaller bills for the borders. (12:29)
- They say not to count on border amenities. They had read there would be an ATM at the border and found none. (18:13)
- Their lesson: ask people for help. Their ride came from two strangers at a mini-mart, and they credit asking people, not apps, for getting them moving. (19:48)
- They were lucky to get Tết train tickets. One of them bought their Vietnam train trips in advance after seeing how few seats were left for Tết. (23:57)
Andrea and Keith made this trip in February 2026, and rules, fees and fares can change.