With car from Thailand to Vietnam. Is it possible?

[rtr4]

Hi there,
we would like to go with car from Thailand to Vietnam through Laos. Has anyone done it? I get some conflicting information. On one side i read the international driver licence is not valid in Vietnam and then when i called the Vietnamese consulate the told me it is valid but couldnt answer my quaestion about entering with car into Vietnam.
The car is registered on my friend and he is foreign nationality but has Thai drver licence.
Any suggestions?

[beerlaodrinker]

It depends on what part of thailand you are coming from, ive crossed from Laos to vietnam using 3 different border posts , the most recent was about 2 years ago and the car was Lao registered, i did have an international drivers licence but never had to put it to the test , never got stopped, we crossed over from Lao bao/dansavanh border then headed south to nha trang, on the way back crossed back into Laos via Boy Y /phu keua and on into attapeau, If the car is registered in your freinds name and has no money owing on it and is also insured for vietnam
then you shouldnt have an issue, no visas are issued at all of those land crossings i think so better have one before you depart thailand , The insurance for the viet side was cheap, infact it was way to cheap, didnt cover much , The roads are chaotic, and as a result you tend to drive slower, you and your mate will need nerves of steel, Im going to vietnam next week, Flying this time, fuck driving, to stressful,

[billy the kid]

your mate will need nerves of steel,

if you're looking for a crazier country to drive a car than thailand,
vietnam will provide.
also car horns blasting in your ear all the time

[rtr4]

Hahah, right. Thank you for suggestions. The friend should have some paperwork from government or so.I think he can get Vietnam visa maybe in Laos. We have to discuss that because those Visa approval letters are valid only with entry via airport. I was in Jakarta that was pretty crazy too. At some point i think flying there would be safer and cheaper

[beerlaodrinker]

I just got a vietnamese visa in vientiane for a trip to saigon on wednesday , The lady behind the desk is a real ball breaker, doesnt much like farangs i think, anyway it takes 3 days and $60 make sure your USD is in good shape or she will reject it, It used to take about 5 minutes to get a visa, hand over the cash and they whack the fullpage size visa in, there and then, that must of changed when the ball breaker arrived

[beerlaodrinker]

also car horns blasting in your ear all the time

yes
those fucking horns they use are intense, if you do drive then install one or 2 that are even louder than theres, Something off a Mack truck would do the trick,

[rtr4]

Ohh i get my visa in Europe. I have Vietnamese embassy at the end of our street I think its cheaper then 60$.
About the horns maybe Maybe a ship horn will do the work.
I wish there is a flight from Chiang mai but no such luck yet.

[Phuketrichard]

i have heard it possible but the car needs be Left hand drive and as most Thai cars are not, ( but Laos cars are)
sort of catch 22

Plus have been told to drive in Vietnam u need a license issued in Vietnam and to get that u need be on a long term, ie non-immigrant visa

[rtr4]

Yes i heard about the licence which has to be issued in Vietnam but other memebers here mentioned they did it without. All infos are kinda conmfusing.

[beerlaodrinker]

Heres some more info

Driving or Motorbiking in Vietnam

Thanks to jaxfl1 from jacksonville who posted this on Trip Advisor June 6, 2011

Most foreigners who have a drivers license issued in their home countries simply have to register for a license here, says Lam Thanh Trung vice-chief of the Agency for Granting Driving Licenses (a sub-department of Ho Chi Minh Citys Service of Transportation). The agency processes over 100 licenses for foreigners every month, says Trung. With the required documents, one can have their license registered within seven days.

So who can get a drivers license in Vietnam?

According to a 2006 mandate by the Ministry of Transportation, all foreigners can register for a license in Vietnam if they had a valid one issued to them in their home countries.
Each city or provinces Department of Transportation is in charge of granting drivers licenses for foreigners with licenses issued in their home countries, tourists from neighboring countries driving their own cars in Vietnam, and Vietnamese who acquired a driving license abroad.
However, licenses are only granted to those who have valid travel visas for a period of at least three months in Vietnam (though the actual length of the visit does not have to be that long).
Many tourists make the mistake that it is legal to drive here with an international drivers licence. But they also have to register, Trung says.
Expiry dates and written exams "The period for which a [registered] license remains valid is based on the expiry date of ones original license from home" says Trung.
Standard driving licenses in Vietnam are good for five years.
Motorbike licenses, on the other hand, have no expiry date.

An important point to note, however, is that the type of license issued in Vietnam will only be equivalent to the type granted in ones home country.
For instance, "a four-wheel drivers license can-not be registered to ride a motorcycle" Trung stresses.
Those who have a four-wheel license but want to ride a motorcycle will have to pass an exam on riding techniques, but wont have to take a written exam on traffic laws.

To begin, a form requesting a license must be obtained (see below) and filled out by any one of the following:
the Vietnamese Embassy, the Consulate General, the Representative Office of International Organization in Vietnam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Planning and Investment or the General Director of Joint-Venture and Foreign-Capital Companies.
Of course a valid passport will also be required.

Overseas Vietnamese will need to have their documents completed by the Committee for Overseas Vietnamese.

WHAT EXACTLY IS REQUIRED?

1 petition (issued form) requesting drivers license
1 copy (notarized duplicate) of original drivers license
1 Vietnamese-translated copy (notarized duplicate) of drivers license
1 copy (duplicate) of passport 3 passport-sized photos

Original copies of passport and drivers license must be shown when submitting all documents and forms to request a drivers license can be obtained at the Agency for Granting Drivers Licenses or sgtcc.hochiminhcity.gov.vn

In Ho Chi Minh City, all documents must be submitted to the authorities for drivers license registration, located at:

252 Ly Chinh Thang Street, District 3, 8 Nguyen Anh Thu Street, District 12

Open weekdays only and the fee is VND30,000 (US$2) for one license.

THE IMPORTANT PART

to note is that this is only good for the same as your countries license, it takes 7 days to get it and you have to get a 3 month visa.

Looks like i was driving illegaly the last few times. Wasnt asked to show a licence upon entering vietnam just asked to show that i had insurance and that the car wasnt on hire purchase. Im guessing if i had of been pulled over then a small bribe would of sorted it out, Things would probably get ugly if i was in an accident though

[Phuketrichard]

yes and as it states u need a 3 month visa so as i stated a non immigrant visa is needed as tourist visas are 1 month

However, licenses are only granted to those who have valid travel visas for a period of at least three months in Vietnam (though the actual length of the visit does not have to be that long).

Plus how will u be able to drive ur car into Vietnam if u need a local license to drive in Vietnam??

Legal vs not getting caught.....LOL

[mpm]

Your thai car insurance won't cover you to take the motor out of Thailand

[rtr4]

seems like catch 22

[patthai]

I tried to enter Vietnam with my Thai registered Land Rover this year in February.
I had a valid Vietnamese Visa and was able to enter but they would not allow my car in. The whole point of my trip was to drive around Vietnam as i please.
I had to turn back and get a new visa for Laos because I had checked out there.
The Thai government had said previously that Thai cars would be allowed into Vietnam as from the 1 st Of January.
A other case of lots of talk but no action by the Thai Government......
Patrick S.

[TonyBKK]

I'm familiar with how to bring a Thai-registered motorcycle into Vietnam, and I'm guessing that the same is probably true for passenger cars?

You can NOT just rock up to the border and expect to drive / ride into Vietnam.

You MUST have permission to bring your vehicle into Vietnam BEFORE you arrive at the border.

Specifically you need to arrange an organized package tour through a government-licensed tour agent with a complete itinerary including a tour guide. The tour agent will obtain the government permission for you to bring your vehicle into Vietnam.

^This is how it works for motorcycles, it may be different for passenger cars, so please check ahead!

There are a lot of useful threads over on the GT-Rider forum on this topic. Here's a good one:

Border crossing into Vietnam by motorbike

[Mikey Forester]

^ Yes.

Don't forget that they are Communist.

[beerlaodrinker]

^ Yes. Don't forget that they are Communist.

Precisely why you can drive a Lao registered car into vietnam , there commies to