Kunming to Vientiane by train: the short answer
There is a direct train on the China-Laos Railway. The 12306 English site results for 14 October 2026, read on 6 October 2026, listed two trains from Kunming to Vientiane: D87 from Kunming South (昆明南) at 08:08 to Vientiane at 17:44, 9h36m, with second class at ¥542 and first class at ¥864; and a second train from Kunming station (昆明) at 10:55 and Kunming South at 11:20, arriving at 20:59; trains, times and fares change by date, so search your own date.
The 2023 launch announcement says you can buy on 12306 or at a window at five designated stations, and if you buy online you exchange for a paper ticket with the same passport. The Chinese exit check happens at Mohan. This page covers the China side only. Laos entry requirements are set by Laos, so check the official Laos sources for those.
How to buy a Kunming to Vientiane train ticket as a foreigner
The China State Railway Group announcement of 12 April 2023, made when the international train started, says passengers buying a cross-border ticket for the train that starts at Kunming South can use two routes. One is the China Railway 12306 website (including the client). The other is the ticket windows at five designated stations: Kunming, Kunming South, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan. That is the 2023 launch announcement, and it does not say whether the list has changed since. It does not name foreigners either; it says passengers.
For the general 12306 steps and the passport check, see how to buy 12306 train tickets and 12306 passport verification.
Is it one ticket or two?
Two dated pages point in different directions, and neither says what is on sale today.
- The 2023 launch announcement says Kunming South to Vientiane cross-border tickets can be bought on 12306.
- A Yunnan Development and Reform Commission page of 22 February 2024 says that in the early period, cross-border passengers had to buy exit and entry tickets separately, on the 12306 App and on the Laos Railway internet ticket system (LCR Ticket App). It adds that exit and entry were not yet one-stop booking.
So look at what 12306 shows for your date before you plan around either version. The same 2024 page describes LCR Ticket App version 2.0: you register with a Laos, China or Thailand phone number (other international users use email), and you pay with UnionPay, WeChat Pay, Alipay, Mastercard or Lao banks. Those details are for the LCR app, not for 12306, and the page does not say whether you need that app for a Kunming-origin ticket today.
Paper ticket: where to exchange it with your passport
The 2023 announcement says passengers who buy through internet channels must, before the trip, bring the valid passport used to buy the ticket to a ticket window at one of the five China-side stations and exchange it for a paper ticket. In plain words: buy online, then exchange at a designated station window with the same passport. The five stations are Kunming, Kunming South, Pu'er, Xishuangbanna and Mohan.
That announcement gives no exchange deadline, window hours or day-by-day list of which stations do exchanges, so it does not tell you how early to go. Our suggestion, not an official rule: do not leave the exchange to the morning you travel.
The same announcement says that for non-cross-border cars on the same train, the China section uses e-tickets. That matters if you are only riding inside China, for example on the Kunming to Xishuangbanna train.
Kunming to Vientiane train times and fares for 14 October 2026
This table is the 12306 English site result for Kunming to Vientiane on Wednesday 14 October 2026, read on 6 October 2026. The English site prints Vientiane as Wanxiang (万象), so look for that name when you search. Only second and first class were shown. Times, trains and fares change by date, and this result says nothing about other days.
| Train | Departs | Arrives Vientiane | Time | Second class | First class |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D87 | 08:08 Kunming South (昆明南) | 17:44 | 9h36m | ¥542 | ¥864 |
| D86 | 10:55 Kunming (昆明) | 20:59 | 10h4m | ¥552 | ¥881 |
| D83 | 11:20 Kunming South (昆明南) | 20:59 | 9h39m | ¥542 | ¥864 |
That is three rows but two trains. D86 and D83 arrive at the same minute, 20:59, and 12306 gives both rows the same internal train ID. It is one train listed under two numbers, boardable at Kunming station or, 25 minutes later, at Kunming South. The Kunming station fare is a little higher.
The 2024 notice said D87/88 ran as one pair a day, and the 12306 search for 14 October 2026 showed two trains. Neither page says when or why that changed. The results page does not show stops or border time.
At launch in 2023 the numbers were D887 (Kunming South 08:08 to Vientiane 18:38) and D888 the other way, and the whole trip took 10 h 30 min including border time. Those are 2023 launch figures. The 2024 notice then gave a single-trip running time of 9 hours 26 minutes.
Which station does the Kunming to Vientiane train leave from?
The 2023 launch announcement said the cross-border train started at Kunming South. It also lists Kunming station among the five China-side stations that sell and exchange cross-border tickets, which is a different thing from boarding there. The 12306 results for 14 October 2026, read on 6 October 2026, listed D87 from Kunming South and a second train from Kunming station as D86 and then Kunming South as D83; trains, times and fares change by date. Go to the station printed on your ticket. For the difference between the two stations and how to reach them, see Kunming railway stations and the Kunming travel guide.
Where does the Kunming to Vientiane train stop?
A notice of 15 March 2024 says that from 10 March 2024 the D87/88 train added two stops, Yuxi (China) and Muang Xai (老挝孟赛), making 10 stops. Before that it called at 8 stations. The 2024 list is:
- Kunming South
- Yuxi
- Pu'er
- Xishuangbanna
- Mohan (磨憨)
- Boten (磨丁)
- Muang Xai
- Luang Prabang
- Vang Vieng
- Vientiane
This is the 2024 list for D87/88. The 12306 results for 14 October 2026 do not show intermediate stops.
How long is the border check at Mohan, and what happens on the train?
The 2023 announcement describes a "two places, two inspections" mode. At Mohan, the China-side border rail station, cross-border passengers take all their luggage into the exit inspection area, go through exit inspection by Chinese customs staff, then return to the train. At Boten, on the Laos side, passengers take all their luggage off the train for the Laos entry check.
On timing, you have two dated figures:
- At launch in 2023: about 1.5 hours for one exit or one entry inspection, about 3 hours for both.
- In a 14 April 2025 report from the Mohan border inspection station: the international passenger train's standing time at the station was cut from 90 minutes to 52 minutes.
The 52 minutes is the train's standing time at the station, as that report words it. It is not a promise of how long your own check takes. The same report lists filling in the foreigner arrival card in advance among the measures at Mohan. It does not say where or how, or whether this applies when you leave China, so we say nothing more about it here.
What to show at the station and at the border
The 2023 announcement says cross-border passengers must show the paper ticket when entering and leaving the station, and when getting on and off at the border-crossing stations. It names the "own valid passport" for the exchange step. It does not list any other document, and it does not mention foreigners separately. So keep the paper ticket and the passport you bought with easy to reach, and take all your luggage with you at Mohan.
Visa-free transit, refunds and changes
The 2025 Mohan report lists the 240-hour visa-free transit policy among the policies being carried out, and says travellers from transit-visa-free countries such as France, Japan, Australia and New Zealand rose sharply at this port. It does not say who qualifies, or that a traveller going on to Laos can use it. For the policy itself, see China's 240-hour visa-free transit.
None of the pages above covers refund or change rules for this international train. For ordinary 12306 tickets, see 12306 refund and change fees.
