Possibly the main reason tourists stop in Khon Kaen is to pick up visas for their onward journey. The Lao consulate has recently moved to a new building on Thanon Prachasomosorn. It’s about 3km from the city centre on pick-up routes 10 and 11. It has to be one of the most efficient consulates or embassies I’ve ever been to! My visa was issued in 15 minutes! As a UK passport holder, it cost 1,350B for a 30-day visa and the staff were very informal, friendly and spoke English very well.
Not only that, but today (Xmas Day!) when I returned to Khon Kaen, struggling to see all the things I want in this part of Thailand before having to cross into Laos as my Laos visa expires, I went back to try and get the validity date extended a bit. They gave me an extra month to use the visa I paid for two months ago! NO consulate ever does that!
The Vietnamese consulate is at 65 Thanon Chatapadung (pick-up route 10), and though the staff were friendly, no one spoke any English despite the English language newspaper, the Bangkok Post, sitting on the official’s desk! With the aid of my Thai phrasebook, I found that a 30-day visa would cost me US$40 and take three days to issue. I was hoping it would be easier and cheaper than getting it in Bangkok, but that isn’t the case, so I’ll have to brave that horrible place once more!