We have just been up to Phongsali from Udomxai (235km with 130km of dirt/rock/sand road), and then hired a boat from Hat Sa (US$90) and had a great trip down the Nam Ou to Muang Khua, then a 100km blast (if Minsks could in fact blast...) to Odomsai on a fatastic new road.
I will post some more info and pics once we get to some good internet. But what is interesting is that three independent people have said that the border at Tay Trang south of Dien Bien Phu is opening for foreigners at the end of this month (March). Maybe the 28th? Apparently the Laos border post has been refurbished, and a new border post building will be finished in a year or so.
One of the guys we talked to was an elected member of the government and spoke very good english. He had just been to the border the day before to have a meeting about the opening.
But, you never know, it might not be opening. Sounds promising though.
The Vietnamese border police at Nameo said that it was going to be more then two years until Tay Trang opened for foreigners...
Mat
I will post some more info and pics once we get to some good internet. But what is interesting is that three independent people have said that the border at Tay Trang south of Dien Bien Phu is opening for foreigners at the end of this month (March). Maybe the 28th? Apparently the Laos border post has been refurbished, and a new border post building will be finished in a year or so.
One of the guys we talked to was an elected member of the government and spoke very good english. He had just been to the border the day before to have a meeting about the opening.
But, you never know, it might not be opening. Sounds promising though.
The Vietnamese border police at Nameo said that it was going to be more then two years until Tay Trang opened for foreigners...
Mat