rahil627

interesting... thanks so much!

(un-hijacking the thread)

29 minutes ago, BritTim said:

My understanding is that this route is no problem now, and you can use an e-visa for entry to Vietnam.

hijacking thread:

is it possible to bus to Vietnam along this route then? (since the Nong Khai bridge is open...)

oh my goodness, Microsoft Edge??? did the Vietnamese government never change from Internet Explorer?? that is truly communist.

very useful post though, thanks for updating.

i went to the embassy of vietnam in bangkok yesterday, and it was... an experience.

first off, the bus took 1 hour to go 5km (1 lane gong toward, 5 lanes going back), about the same amount of time it took a wonderfully old "ordinary" train to go from ayyuthaya to bangkok.

the "embassy" looks like an abandoned renovated (painted white) jail cell. By 4pm, no one is there, as it's just collection time. Luckily one dude eventually popped up in the window, and he gave me the following outrageous quotes:

~2250 baht for 30 days (supposed to be US$25)

~5750 baht for 90 days (supposed to be US$50)

so, the prices are 3 to 4 times more at a "real" embassy?

theres also a whopping 2.5 hour lunch break to watch out for...

i read only 30 days is possible at the moment (post-covid), so, i wonder, is the 90 day even legit? ????

i wanted a real stamp, as opposed to an "e-visa", because it's more flexible: possible to get a longer stay, and, possible to change to a work visa without leaving the country...

i read that there's a consulate in Khon Kaen, whom i'd guess are infinitely better than Bangkok people (isaan people are chill, imo). I will research more consulates soon, such as ones along the Laos bus route, and even highly-rated travel agents, but i just wanted to share this experience.

pick your poison: a government-based travel agent (an "embassy") or a private business travel agent

bangkok is indeed a hell-hole. DMK airport is the furthest i'd go.

yeah, i think you're right... it's def a Thai thing... and old Thai people at that!.. lol

very strange how non-natives are into uncomfortable big scooters that are a pain to maintain though.. ????

ah yeah, i didn't specify how long to be in Vietnam... i guess indefinitely, so, "permanently", as in i will want to use it their daily, while living there. Ultimately, i will want to go to Taiwan, which my home. At the moment, the covid wave hit them just recently, so... it'll be a few more months... ;(

ahhh interesting to you mention the differences between car/convoy and motorcycle... i forgot to distinguish that while researching... ????

hmmm yeah... i also read Vietnam is the most problematic, though surely Cambodia has it's own border corruptions... and yeah, Laos seems chill!

haha, oh no, no car. i'm a poor backpacker sort, hiding in the farms. ????

overall i just haven't seen any cases of people actually importing the motorcycle to use in Vietnam. a freight company told me they don't even accept old motorcycles (>5 years old). ???? yet another freight company said they'd do it for 20k. so... it's a mystery, but sounds expensive, even if i drive it there myself... ????

glad to hear that one case of success though! and i believe it when they said it was expensive, and a nightmare for paperwork.

after discovering flights to Vietnam is so cheap, and that Vietnam is so chill about covid regulations, i'm thinking that may just be best after all. i'll just have to find another old beautiful cycle over there. ???? and im sure their motorcycle culture is even more crazy.

thanks for everyone's replies though!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/foreignridersThailand/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/734539703251936/ (expat bikers Thailand)

are there others?

i guess i'll try these two for now, before i throw it on the Facebook market-place...

okay...

so, after a bit of research, it seems Vietnam historically has been a pain, often changing policies, and only allowing one to tour (itself requiring some kind of expensive permit that you must book way in advance, and requiring a tour guide? <deleted>.).

i still haven't found anything about actually importing a motorcycle, but from what i gather from old forums (GT Rider, here) and Facebook groups, Vietnam's government, in general is a pain. ???? In fact, i read through a few people's posts 'n blogs that did round-the-world trips, and it was precisely Vietnam that gave them problems!

so... i think the real options will be sell it or ship it (to Taiwan). I asked two freight companies for a quote, but i def don't think it'll be worth it. It's only has vintage and sentimental value. ????

ooooh right, yeah, thanks! i forgot about facebook groups.

i was thinking i didn't want to post to Facebook market-place, as i didn't want to deal with... the masses. but yes, you're right, i'll try some groups! thanks!

or maybe GT Rider... if anyone still uses that, for the moto-punks...

sorry for double post... i cannot edit anymore. ????

ah, i forgot, yes, of course i have the green book, under my name, registered in Chiang Mai (originally registered in Lumphun). Maybe you can see the Chiang Mai license plate... Tax is up to 2020, when i bought it. Inspection was a joke back then (basically, check frame and engine numbers in case i swapped them??), so it'll definitely pass again. Back then my alternator was shot, and they didn't care!

moar stuff:
3 spark plugs
  - with the old carb, i just kept swapping them to make it easy to start in case it got wet
tools
  - socket wrench

    - with a few useful socket sizes for this particular motorcycle
  - adjustable wrench

    - i bought in Chiang Mai turned out to be iron painted black ;(
  - spark plug wrench(?)
    - this is kinda warped now, aluminum??, from all the times i took it out with the original carburetor, but it still works, i just haven't used it much with the replacement carburetor
original carburetor
  - keep this! it is kinda rare and worth a lot of money (3000b+?), and likely better than the replacement
carburetor parts
  - maybe wrong, but maybe useful?
  - i might have left some with an old mechanic....

anyway, that's enough to get one started! ???? i'm not a mechanic, but you don't need much to do basic adjustments.

oh crud, it seems i can't edit my post anymore... i was going to separate it to another post... sorry about that.

in case i sell it see my post on the classifieds

hello. i'm new here.

i am planning to go from Thailand to Vietnam, which upon little research seems pretty easy nowadays, at least by air (my friend just went), but i wonder, is it possible to go by motorcycle?

i read on a post from 2015 on this forum that it was pretty impossible to take a motorcycle into Vietnam, so people generally started the trip from Vietnam. Is there some sort of customs import problem on Vietnam's side?, what's up here??

generally, from my experiences, if you tell people you are traveling long-distance, you can get by a lot of bureaucracy... do anyone think with enough spunk, heart, and smile it's worth trying? (for example, i have travelled through many provinces during all times of covid, even "lockdown". Generally, there was either no one at the provincial borders, or, they ask how much i will sell my bike for.)

i just love my motorcycle too much to leave it, so i thought perhaps i can just take it, given that the Cambodia and Vietnam borders are pretty easy now (Cambodia has been open for a long time now... exclaiming the country is covid-free, complete with a 1800s poster as their main web-site! ????).

if not, if anyone is supremely interested, it's a ~1990 Kawasaki GTO, 2-stroke, white, i think the owner was police, but his grandma seemed eager to get rid of it (yes, green book, tax, 'n all ). I bought it at the beginning of the pandemic and replaced all the things that should be replaced, and kept all the things that should be kept original (but now have two carburetors, original and replacement). I cannot bare to see a rich Thai alcoholic kid using it for swag purposes only. but do note: every Thai person on the street wants to buy it... something about the color white, police, and maybe a power ranger cartoon?? i dunno..

any help is much appreciated.