Warning,
Yesterday (28 Febuary 2006) we tried to enter Vietnam (Bavet) from Cambodia with 2 small motobikes below 100CC (Honda Dream 97.1 CC) which had Malaysian registrations with our names. The customs officer said that new procedures were adopted in January 2006. To enter with small bikes, in addition to proof of ownership you need an introduction letter from your respective embassy in Ho Chi Min. He showed us a letter issued for an Australian fellow on a world tour.
As we have two different nationallities we said OK, one of us will stay and sleep beside the bikes at the border (in the no mans land) while the other gets a letter and the following day we would trade places. We did not want to leave the bikes and luggage unattended. They refused to let us sleep in the no mans land. We offered to call the embassies and get letters faxed, they were not impressed. They said did not have the number of the embassies (which we think is not true) but we had the numbers with us. Then the one that spoke english replies: "I do not have time to stay here I have a lot of work at the border."
So we returned to Cambodia. One of the Cambodian border police recognised us - he did mentioned when we stamped out that the Vietnamese may give us trouble with the bikes - if so we tolded him we would be back and there we were - back. He make sure we would not have to pay for a new visa and took care of cancelling our departure from Cambodia. Some of them are actually honest and helpful...we were impressed.
Next step Laos (via Stoeng Trang and B. Kadane).
P.S. We meet another Gt-rider member (travelling by bus in Vietnam), he left his bike in Phnom Penh.
Yesterday (28 Febuary 2006) we tried to enter Vietnam (Bavet) from Cambodia with 2 small motobikes below 100CC (Honda Dream 97.1 CC) which had Malaysian registrations with our names. The customs officer said that new procedures were adopted in January 2006. To enter with small bikes, in addition to proof of ownership you need an introduction letter from your respective embassy in Ho Chi Min. He showed us a letter issued for an Australian fellow on a world tour.
As we have two different nationallities we said OK, one of us will stay and sleep beside the bikes at the border (in the no mans land) while the other gets a letter and the following day we would trade places. We did not want to leave the bikes and luggage unattended. They refused to let us sleep in the no mans land. We offered to call the embassies and get letters faxed, they were not impressed. They said did not have the number of the embassies (which we think is not true) but we had the numbers with us. Then the one that spoke english replies: "I do not have time to stay here I have a lot of work at the border."
So we returned to Cambodia. One of the Cambodian border police recognised us - he did mentioned when we stamped out that the Vietnamese may give us trouble with the bikes - if so we tolded him we would be back and there we were - back. He make sure we would not have to pay for a new visa and took care of cancelling our departure from Cambodia. Some of them are actually honest and helpful...we were impressed.
Next step Laos (via Stoeng Trang and B. Kadane).
P.S. We meet another Gt-rider member (travelling by bus in Vietnam), he left his bike in Phnom Penh.