The first time I decided to fly to Vientiane, I was faced with a tossup between a Lao Airlines twin-prop or Aeroflot Soviet Airlines.
During the Cold War, when Laos was Southeast Asia's "hermit kingdom," these alternatives were literally the only two ways in. Today, a dozen carriers fly to the capital from all over Asia.
Within the next few years, however, an exotic overland option may be available to visitors heading from China for this verdant nation. Work is reportedly about to start on the Kunming-Vientiane rail link.