Muang Hongsa Transportation

If you go to Xayabouli capital, you will have to take long ride (between 4 - 5 hrs if everything ok) by a pick up car. It leaves from market: there's small pick-up station and you have to buy a ticket before leaving. We were told to be there at 9 in the morning but it actually left Hongsa about 10.30. It means that pick up will leave when they have enough costumers and if you want to sit inside you must get there before others. Sitting in the back of the car on the open air means you'll have to swallow a lot of dust and be exposed to hot sun or rains and it certainly won't be comfortable as the trailer get full of passengers, rice bags and other bags, vegetables and animals and other things and thus squeezing your place to minimum.
Note that road to Sayabouli may not be passable in the rainy season since it's not paved.

Also if there won't be enough costumers some day in dry season, it may happen that driver won't want to leave and you'll have to wait another day. Hongsa is remote place and a road between Sayabouli and Hongsa hasn't yet been much travelled but if you do decide to take that way you'll pass some very nice hill-tribe villages and beautiful green mountains with spectacular views. By the way, as a foreigner you are expected to pay 120 000 KIP for that route, locals pay 80 000. Either way - it's expensive for that kind of ride.