Victory Monument Van Video Guide

Victory Monument traffic

 

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Victory Monument trafficVictory Monument is one of the central van centers of Bangkok. From here you can travel to many locations. However, it can be quite confusing figuring out which van station you need to depart from which is why we have made this Victory Monument van guide.

We have made videos for each van stop to show you how to get to it as well as written directions. This was done in July 2015 so please note locations may change in the future. All prices are one way and current but again subject to change.

For information regarding bus routes in Bangkok check out the Bangkok Bus website.

Vans to Hua Hin, Pattaya, Cha-Am, Bang Saen and Kanchanaburi



 

These are probably the most popular destinations for people travelling from Victory Monument. To reach the van stations you need to go down the staircase at exit 4 from the BTS station.

At the bottom of the stairs keep going straight and you will have 3 van stations to chose from. The first goes to Pak Chong ( Khao Yai National Park ), Chonburi and Amphawa ( floating Market ). Expect to pay 170 Baht for Pak Chong, 100 Baht to Chonburi and 150 Baht to Amphawa.

Next up is the van station for Kanchanaburi ( River Kwai ) and Rachaburi. This stop is quite small and can be missed so take a look at the video above to get the exact location. A ticket to Kanchanaburi is 130 Baht and Rachaburi 100 Baht.

Finally, next to the shopping mall is the biggest station which serves Pattaya, Bang Saen, Hua Hin and Ch-Am. This station is the busiest and vans leave here every 15 minutes or so to the major destinations. You wont have to wait a long time before you’re off on your journey. A ticket to Pattaya is 150 Baht, Hua Hin and Cha-Am are 180 Baht and Bang Saen is 110 Baht.

Vans to Koh Chang, Koh Kod, and Koh Mak



From BTS exit 4 head down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs you need to turn left and walk back towards Victory Monument. After about 100 meters you will see the van station for Koh Chang, Koh Kod and Koh Mak.

Note that the vans here say they go to the islands but often you will be taken to the local pier on the mainland and have to pay extra for a boat ticket. However, many operators will try sell boat and combined van tickets, often at an inflated price. The van only price should be around 300 Baht but often a lot of negotiating is needed, especially if you don’t want the ferry included.

Vans and Buses to Chatuchak ( JJ Market) Ladprao and Rangsit



From BTS exit 3/4 walk straight ahead along the raised platform until you reach the T-junction at the end. Here you need to turn left and follow the path down the stairs.

At the bottom of the stairs you will see a bus stop straight ahead which serves Silom, Siam and Klong Toey ( bus 14 ) There is also an option to go to The Grand Palace ( bus no. 503 ). There are many different buses which cost from 6.5 Baht ( non air conditioned ) to 11- 25 Baht ( air conditioned).

Keep going past the bus stops until you reach the road. On the left you will see many vans which go to Rangsit ( Future Park ) and Lopburi. Vans to Lopburi cost 140 Baht and Rangsit / Future Park cost 30 Baht.

After the bus stops you need to go up the stairs and cross the road for buses to JJ, Ladprao and Rangsit. Again prices from 6.5 – 25 Baht for these buses. For Ladprao jump on bus number 8, although many Thai people are scared of this bus, they say it drives too fast! For Rangsit go for 34 or 39. You can also get a bus to Minburi from here, number 26.

Vans to Ramintra, Fashion Island and Minburi



These vans are the furthest from the BTS station. You need to walk straight ahead out of the BTS exit 3/4 staying on the raised walkway. You will come to a T – junction where you need to turn right. Keep following the path past Fashion Mall and EatAmAre. You will then be almost opposite your starting point and you need to turn right. Then there is a set of stairs to go down and the vans are across the road under the motorway. Again this is not east to find so check out our video above.

Vans to these destinations leave roughly every 30 minutes, or when the van is full. The price is 35 Baht.

Van or Bus?



For many destinations you have the option of taking a van or a bus. Each have their positives and negatives.

Buses tend to be a bit cheaper than vans and there are many places to catch a bus such as at the airport, Ekkami and MoChit. However, the bus does often take longer to travel to the destination. I would say that bus travel is safer than going via van. You also have the benefit of storage under the bus so if you’re going on a long trip this might be better.

Another major benefit of travelling by bus is that there is a schedule which means you will likely know when you are leaving. This can allow you to plan your trip and wont have to wait until a van is full to leave.

The Vans are normally 10 – 20 Baht more expensive than buses but travel much faster. Some people chose not to travel via van as they don’t feel safe.Personally I used to commute via van so am used to the driving style and I am fine with it. One thing to say is that there is a lot less space on a van than you would get on a bus and you may end up having to pay extra for your luggage on a van.

The vans often finish earlier than the buses. Buses leave for the major destinations up to around 11pm whereas the last vans tend to leave victory monument around 9 or 10pm.

Finally I would add that for travelling to places like Chiang Mai, Phuket and other far away destinations you should really travel by plane. The price is maybe 20% more but the comfort, convenience and time saving is worth it.

About Richard 176 Articles
British guy living and working in Bangkok, Thailand since 2013. Running LifeInANewCountry.com teaching and writer of Settling in Thailand expat book.