Laos / Vietnam Border Notes
Laos / Vietnam there are six legal ones:
1. Dene Savan: Route 9E from Savannakhet in Laos to Lao Bao (V)
2. Na Phao: Route 12 from Tha Khek east to Vietnam. Note NO Laos visa on a arrival. You can only exit Laos from here.
3. Nam Pao: Route 8 in Laos from Thakek / Vieng Kham to Lak Xao to Cau Treo (V).
4. Namkhan: Route 7 from Phonsavan via Nong Het in Laos to Nam Can (V). Opened in Jan 2003.
5. Nam Xoi. Route 6A from Xam Nua via Vieng Xai in Laos to Nam Xoi (V). Opened in April 2004.
6. Sop Houn (L) / Tay Trang (V). Opened in April 2007
But taking your motorbike into Vietnam is a NO NO. Unless you pay big money to buy a full package tour with guides & a back-up vehicke, motorcycle entry into Vietnam DOES NOT WORK.
Look below for a couple of reports on failed attemps into Vietnam
Mr Wheezy & Thao.
Under 175cc to Vietnam Forget It.
Vietnam Warning since late April 2002, bikes over 175 cc have been refused entry into the country. If you got in before then, you are lucky. I am not aware of a any way around the current blanket ban, but if you know something please let me know so I can pass on the word. Frank Butler, alias Mr Beem snuck in via Cambodia via Phom Den (C) / Chau Doc (V) in early 2004, but this I feel was a one-off trip & with officials who were not totally familiar with the rules, & definitely has not been repeated since.
The Wheezy Rider & Thao flew their Honda Goldwing 1800cc into Hanoi in July 2009 & 2 weeks later the bike was on another plane back to Bangkok. The bike stayed at the airport & went nowhere.
If you do get in be sure of your paperwork, as there still can be problems: Africa Twin rider, Chan KP from Singapore had a nasty little experience in July 2000, after entering Vietnam at Nam Phao (L) / Cau Treo (V). On his way out at Lao Bao the Vietnamese customs refused to let him leave the country as he had no inward Customs Baggage Declaration form (from Cau Treo). Caught in a difficult situation, he was held at the border for 6 days, during which time his visa also expired. He was only able to “escape” after the Singapore embassy in Hanoi intervened on his behalf. So be warned both entering and leaving Vietnam can be tricky. To see what the required nasty little Baggage Form looks like click here.
In Jan 2002, Chan sent in another report: “We entered Laos through Nakhon Phanom / Tha Khek & Vietnam through Nam Phao / Cau Treo. Route 8 had improved somewhat as compared to my last visit, all tarmac with some isolated potholes. As usual, the road is strewn with fallen rocks & boulders from the cliff sides. The Lao customs at Tha Khek physically checked our bike’s chassis & engine numbers against our registration cards but never issued us any customs form.
We had no problem exiting Laos at Nam Phao but the Cau Treo(VN) customs wanted to have the Laos customs form for the bikes as proof that our bikes had entered & left Laos legally. After 5 hrs of waiting & talking to several officers on both sides of the border, the shift leader of the Cau Treo Customs arrived for work & made things work for us. All we need to do is fill up our bike’s particulars on the temporary import declaration column of the Immigration Form, simple as that. That’s exactly what I did the last time I entered Vietnam at the same border but still I’d problem getting out of Vietnam at Lao Bao. So I was still rather apprehensive if this will allow us to exit Vietnam without any problem. We just hoped that the Customs at Moc Bai will be more forthcoming when we exit Vietnam to enter Cambodia.
We spent 8 days in Vietnam, going South from Ha Tinh to Ho Chi Minh city. The customs procedure at Moc Bai turns out to be smooth & straight forward, just that we need to fill out another immigration form with the bike’s particulars, that’s all. Unexpectedly, the Bavet Customs wanted us to have official document, such as the Carnet, as guarantee that we’ll not sell the bikes in Cambodia illegally. We talked all the way up till the Chief of Customs & Excise of the Svay Rieng Province 44km from the border. It was a weekend but I managed to contact the 2nd secretary of the S’pore Embassy at Phnom Penh to fax us a letter of assistance for the Customs Chief. This done the trick but still we need to spend one night at Svay Rieng as we’d wasted 7 hrs & the ferry across the Mekong towards Phnom Penh has stopped operation for the day.”
