Vietnamese Vehicles

[chopwet]

Ok so I plan to cross into Laos from Vietnam at the Lao Bao crossing and then to make my way into Thailand at Chiang Khong via Luang Prabang . I will be riding a Vietnamese registered 50cc Honda Cub. In Vietnam any bike of 50cc or under doesn't require a driver's licence and as long as the bike is legal (mirrors etc) and you have insurance then the cops cannot hassle you provided you don't break any rules.

I have been living and working in Vietnam for 18 months. If I manage to register the bike in my name and have all the documents with me, including a signed letter from the previous owner stating that they sold the bike to me and that they agree to me taking the bike out of Vietnam, I'll also take copies of their ID card, I should be able to cross into Laos, correct? I am hoping that the fact that I'll be riding such a low-key machine will make the process less of a a pain. Of course the bike won't be standard but externally the cops won't be able to tell.

If I cannot register the bike in my name then I'll register it in a friend's name and get her to give me letters of approval for travel and use of the vehicle etc.

I think this should be sufficient to cross, no? If I cannot get into Laos via Lao Bao then I will travel further North and try the next crossings until I get through.

Am I being silly or is this a workable plan?

 

[chopwet]

Anyone?

 

[DavidFL]

Yes it should work.

Please hit us with a trip report when you've done it to share the info.

If you take a look at these

trip-video-vietnam-laos-cambodia-vietnam-in-3-5-months-t5826.html

vietnam-to-laos-through-na-meo-t4400.html

minsk-ride-through-n-vn-and-laos-t4696.html

minsk-for-sale-chiang-mai-t8544.html

quite a few have crossed the Viet - Lao borders on Viet bikes, but generally there's not much info come back.

 

[chopwet]

Well it looks like I won't get the bike registered in my name because I don't have enough time and since I've left my apartment I don't have an address that I'm registered as staying at anymore, therefore I can't register the bike in my name.

I'm going to try and get a signed letter and copies of the owner's ID and see how it goes. I plan to cross at Lao Bao and I'm sure I'll have to grease the official wheels a bit. I'll let you know how it goes, I leave Bien Hoa this Saturday and will be at the border in about 2 weeks.