OK, so this is probably not the best Chinese hotel in Vientiane as I am sure there are a few upscale options, but the San Jiang is probably the best value of this genre within the city.
And not only that, but it offers one of the most spacious rooms for the price anywhere within the capital. This makes it a great alternative to scruffy backpacker hotels (of which Vientiane is full of them), particularly if you are working remotely.
What the San Jiang Hotel?
The Sanjiang Hotel in Vientiane offers a unique blend of a standard Chinese hotel with some small Laotian influences. Located a short ride from the city center, this mid-range hotel is well-situated for travelers looking to explore Vientiane without breaking the bank. Rooms range from about $30 to $50 per night, making it an affordable choice compared to more central accommodations.
The Sanjiang seems to be mostly for budget conscious Chinese visitors, particularly those doing business here. In fact the staff speak no English, but do speak Chinese. Therefore not necessarily the place if you don’t have any Putonghua.
Rooms and Amenities at the San Jiang Hotel
Rooms here are very decent and at around 35 square meters are pretty much twice the size of a backpackers hotel. Although you will miss out on people insisting on either trying to make friends with you, or telling you boring stories.
The swimming pool here is actually really nice and due to the layout of the hotel has shade throughout the day. Aside from this theres a weird shop in the lobby – which is almost Northkoreaesque and things like a gym. I did not if you can believe it use this facility.
The rooms also have great office style tables and enough workspace for at least 3 people comfortably, again great for us digital nomads.
Mini- China Town
Located in a Chinese industrial estate this is less a China town, but more a Chinese enclave. All the shops and restaurants here are Chinese and even prices are listed in RMB. This is not all bad as they have Chinese drinks, cigarettes and the like, as well as it truly being an interesting insight into how China roll here in Laos.
I even found some pretty decent Chinese BBQ here, although seeing as my next stop was to be Kunming and then overland through China I was less urgent about getting a Kou Rou fix.
The hotel is though pretty near, as in 8 minutes walk from the renowned Kong View restaurant, which is worth having food and a few beers in. It is also 15 minutes walk from Lao Kitchen although it was closed when I went there. Oh and there is a 7-Eleven which always makes me happy.
San Jiang Hotel Address;
The San Jiang Hotel is located at Unit 22, Ban Phonsavanh Tai, Sisattanak District, Vientiane. To get there from Vientiane’s downtown area, you can take a tuk-tuk for about 20,000-30,000 LAK (around $1.50–$2.00 USD), depending on your negotiating skills and the time of day. Alternatively, a taxi will cost about 40,000-50,000 LAK (roughly $2.50–$3.00 USD).
The problem here though is that getting a taxi in Lao, even when using the apps like Kok Kok is not always that easy. This means that doing touristy stuff is not alway that easy here.
It is though overall a really nice place and certainly one I would stay in again were I to be transiting the capital rather than needing to look at a bunch of stupas.
You can check the link to see Young Pioneer Tours Laos Trips.