Laos Border Crossing @ Si Phan Don with Bike?

[brand0n]

Our current plan is to buy a motorbike in HCMC, ride through Cambodia, then up into Laos before selling the bike in Hanoi. We have secured a three month, multi entry visa for Vietnam and have read in several places that visa on arrival will be available at our border crossings for Cambodia and Laos.

Has anyone crossed into Laos with a Vietnamese bike? I have heard that it will be impossible for the bike to be registered in my name, but the crossing is possible. I have also read in two places that my Laos visa may be changed to one week or 10 days due to importing a bike, and that local police will hassle anyone with VN plates. Does anyone have experience with this?

Thanks!

 

[brian_bkk]

Not sure about hassles.. But a few years back when riding in Laos. We came across a guy that had done exactly as you did.
Bought the bike in Hanoi, riding through Laos and heading to Thailand.. he planned to dump the bike at the border if he couldn't take it in to Thailand.
It was a Handa Wave. He paid around 400 USD for it.. he was having a few issues at the time. but at least you know a local will have an idea how to fix it.

 

[brand0n]

Thanks Brian, that's encouraging to hear. We've heard very different things about the ease/difficulty of doing the HCMC->Cambodia->Laos->Hanoi thing by motorbike. If all else fails, taking two months to meander through Vietnam would be wonderful, though we'd love to follow the Mekong up through Cambodia and Laos.