Drive my thai car into laos?

[steevjee]

Is it currently possible and with what requirements please?

 

[BananaGuy]

Maybe you need to sharpen up your question ? 
 

Like … do you plan to drive your car back ???? ?

[MrJ2U]

You'll need a car "passport" easily available at the Thai DMV.

 

You'll also need an International Drivers license and insurance.

 

Insurance you can get at the border or enquire with your insurance to speed things up.

 

Chinese have financed a lot of really nice toll roads.

It should be a really fun trip!

Beautiful country and very nice people. 

 

Bring your vaccine passport just in case. 

 

 and of course all papers regarding ownership of the car. 

Edited September 8, 2022 by MrJ2U

[eggzthaioz]

Drive into Lao regularly and have never been asked to show an International Driving Permit. Use my Thai license never had any problems.

I would also like to take a trip into Lao but won't be going anytime soon as there's a fuel shortage in Lao and the economy is in a mess.

 

[bbbbooboo]

Hmmm…the Laos roads you drive on the right hand side of the road, whereas Thailand it is on the left . It might sound obvious but I’ve seen the lethal consequences of forgetting this

[The Theory]

I prefer to rent an insured car in Laos. It would be much easier. 

[placnx]

1 hour ago, bbbbooboo said:

Hmmm…the Laos roads you drive on the right hand side of the road, whereas Thailand it is on the left . It might sound obvious but I’ve seen the lethal consequences of forgetting this

It's better to go with someone to serve as lookout in the passenger seat to spot oncoming traffic on curves, especially on rural roads in the hills.

[Sydebolle]

4 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

You'll need a car "passport" easily available at the Thai DMV.

 

You'll also need an International Drivers license and insurance.

 

Insurance you can get at the border or enquire with your insurance to speed things up.

 

Chinese have financed a lot of really nice toll roads.

It should be a really fun trip!

Beautiful country and very nice people. 

 

Bring your vaccine passport just in case. 

 

 and of course all papers regarding ownership of the car. 

I cross into Laos weekly and wish to correct the following:
- if you hold a driving license issued by an ASEAN state (i.e. Thailand), then an international driving license is not required
- the roads are like Europe looked after WW2, it is a real challenge to drive from Vientiane to Luang Prabang in one day meanwhile. The Kasi bypass (Road 4C) requires a 4WD at times and can be closed completely due to the ongoing land slides while the old 13N remains a pothole challenge in its own right. The road from Oudomxay to Phongsali is impassible as a landslide sent the entire tarmac into the river. Here some urgent action might happen as it had cut off Boun Neua and Phongsali completely off the grid. Road 13S from Vientiane to Thakhek is also in disarray. 

As Laos is - by all accounts - technically bankrupt without any light at the end of the tunnel for the time being, you might just keep above in mind when travelling overland through Laos. The trains though run flawlessly except that the entire booking system is a huge mess. 

[The Old Bull]

What I would like to know is if you can drive through Laos to Vietnam as that would be the nearest place to go to the beach. I could drive to Rayong in about 9 hours but since the fixed the road there is more traffic and it takes 12 hours.

[MrJ2U]

8 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

I cross into Laos weekly and wish to correct the following:
- if you hold a driving license issued by an ASEAN state (i.e. Thailand), then an international driving license is not required
- the roads are like Europe looked after WW2, it is a real challenge to drive from Vientiane to Luang Prabang in one day meanwhile. The Kasi bypass (Road 4C) requires a 4WD at times and can be closed completely due to the ongoing land slides while the old 13N remains a pothole challenge in its own right. The road from Oudomxay to Phongsali is impassible as a landslide sent the entire tarmac into the river. Here some urgent action might happen as it had cut off Boun Neua and Phongsali completely off the grid. Road 13S from Vientiane to Thakhek is also in disarray. 

As Laos is - by all accounts - technically bankrupt without any light at the end of the tunnel for the time being, you might just keep above in mind when travelling overland through Laos. The trains though run flawlessly except that the entire booking system is a huge mess. 

Some great information!

 

We're very close to the border and I've always wanted to cross over in my 4 wheel drive.

 

Now I have a family with little ones so that's not prudent.

 

Stick to weekend getaways with the wife close to the border (without the car).

 

Laos definitely is sinking into a quagmire with debt, especially to China. 

 

Did you enjoy some of the adventures while driving there? 

[MrJ2U]

14 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

What I would like to know is if you can drive through Laos to Vietnam as that would be the nearest place to go to the beach. I could drive to Rayong in about 9 hours but since the fixed the road there is more traffic and it takes 12 hours.

"Laos to develop expressway linking Houaphanh with Vietnam"

 

https://en.vietnamplus.vn/laos-to-develop-expressway-linking-houaphanh-with-vietnam/228047.vnp

 

Hopefully.

 

Be a nice option for people in the Northeast. 

[MrJ2U]

12 hours ago, eggzthaioz said:

Drive into Lao regularly and have never been asked to show an International Driving Permit. Use my Thai license never had any problems.

I would also like to take a trip into Lao but won't be going anytime soon as there's a fuel shortage in Lao and the economy is in a mess.

 

That's not fun stressing if you may or may not fill up your tank while traveling in 3rd world country.

 

"Laos Sees Renewed Fuel Shortages as Pumps Shut Down in Vientiane Capital"

 

 

https://laotiantimes.com/2022/08/02/laos-to-see-renewed-fuel-shortages-as-pumps-shut-down-in-vientiane-capital/

 

[Sydebolle]

19 hours ago, The Old Bull said:

What I would like to know is if you can drive through Laos to Vietnam as that would be the nearest place to go to the beach. I could drive to Rayong in about 9 hours but since the fixed the road there is more traffic and it takes 12 hours.

You cannot enter Vietnam with a left-hand driven car; exception permits to be issued in Hanoi only. Tedious process and not worth the effort; been there done that. 

[Sydebolle]

19 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

Some great information!

 

We're very close to the border and I've always wanted to cross over in my 4 wheel drive.

 

Now I have a family with little ones so that's not prudent.

 

Stick to weekend getaways with the wife close to the border (without the car).

 

Laos definitely is sinking into a quagmire with debt, especially to China. 

 

Did you enjoy some of the adventures while driving there? 

Well, after almost 300'000kms in Laos over the last decades ...... no surprises anymore, except that many "fixed", "repaired" and some "new" roads have a short shelf life ......... regretfully

 

[MrJ2U]

3 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

new" roads have a short shelf life ......... regretfully

Just like Thailand.

 

I remarked to my wife how much and fast they repaving and building new roads.

 

She replied, "they last about as long as they take to build" 

 

I've got about 120000 kilometers last year driving around Thailand. 

 

Resorts we're so inexpensive during peak COVID we would spend weeks traveling and staying at 5 star resorts.  

 

Very interesting time to explore.  Barely any tourists and sometimes practically having the entire resort to yourself. 

[MrJ2U]

On 9/8/2022 at 9:43 AM, eggzthaioz said:

Use my Thai license never had any problems.

"the government has signed bilateral agreements with Thailand, Vietnam, China and Cambodia that allows drivers from those countries to drive freely in Laos as long as their licenses are in English or accompanied with an official translation into English. The same applies for Lao people driving in those countries."

 

https://jclao.com/driving-laos-license-need/

 

Thai driving license, good to go. 

[Thunglom]

Driving into Laos

 

 

I've driven extensively in Laos since 2009.

interesting to hear about fuel shortages - my truck sucked up diesel.

as for driving on the right - well USA, every other country in Europe ( the world division is 60/40) - I even had LHD in UK - it really doesn't make that much difference. The only time to be careful is after about 2 days when you ae feeling confident and forget - after your second roundabout, it's just second nature

 

Assuming they've dropped all te Covid restrictions driving into Laos and back is VERY easy.

Your Thai driving licence is recognised in Laos. You don’t need an IDP

You need a "purple book" or car passport. This is available at any DVLT office it takes about one hour.

For this you need proof of where you live, visa, car logbook and just about any other car document you can get your hands on.

You must be the owner of the car to enter Laos or have the owners written permission - e.g. if I is on finance the finance company must agree.

At the Thai/Laos border - I think everyone has covered the documents and the same on the Laos side - you'll have to buy some Laos insurance (4 weeks)at the border. a few hundred baht.

Two things - I got my Thai insurance extended to go into Laos - but after frequent trips they refused and then bought yearly insurance in Laos.

Most people when they go into Laos either cross and Nong Khai/Vietiane or Mukdahan/Savannakhet.

There are MANY other places you can cross (pre-Covid) some a really quiet and beautiful - so depending on your itinerary you can chose some great crossings.

I hardly ever used Vientiane if I could avoid it, it was too busy.

I lived in Savannakhet for a while and it would take 35 minutes to get from my house in Savannakhet to Big Co in Mukdahan - so not so busy there.

It's also worth remembering that with a car, you can often avoid handing in your passport with the other bus and foot passengers  - do with your car docs and save loads of time.

If you can choose a quiet crossing it’s so much more relaxing.

Driving in Laos

The roads vary so much. 

I had a custom 4x4 and it helped at times – e.g. rain/mud/landslips…even winching Laos buses out of ditches

 The problem with roads is that you can go one month and they are fine but after a rainy season and a bit of 8 wheeled trucks the entire road gets broken into pieces.

The first time I drove from Vientiane to Luang Prabang it required an overnight stop – now you can do it in half a day. There’s a new road for a start.

The best roads by far are the ones built by the Chinese, they seem to remain serviceable much longer,

In general the traffic is lighter and the driving a lot calmer. If you make use of the 4x4 you can go for hours without seem much more than a tractor and a bus.

I’ve had one run-in with the police: - in Vientiane, for going down a one way street the wrong way. Once they realised I was paying cash (bout 200 baht) they were all smiles and waived every time I saw later.

There were areas in Laos that twenty years ago were regarded as “no-go” because of bandits but apart from an isolated incident about 4 years ago, I haven’t heard of anything like that.

On the main roads these days, there are plenty of fuelling stations – 10 years ago they were few and far between. I’ve have to change fuel filters a couple of time when returning from Laos but I think now the risk of dirty diesel is much less.

 

I love driving in Laos and can’t wait to get back there soon.

Favourite crossing? Tha Li bridge near Loei, stay in Kenthao

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrJ2U]

On 9/8/2022 at 11:56 AM, The Theory said:

I prefer to rent an insured car in Laos. It would be much easier. 

I've had problems trying to rent a scooter in Laos.  Usually in terrible shape.

 

Interesting to rent a quality car there.  You definitely don't need a breakdown in Laos. 

[Sydebolle]

22 hours ago, MrJ2U said:

Just like Thailand.

 

I remarked to my wife how much and fast they repaving and building new roads.

 

She replied, "they last about as long as they take to build" 

 

I've got about 120000 kilometers last year driving around Thailand. 

 

Resorts we're so inexpensive during peak COVID we would spend weeks traveling and staying at 5 star resorts.  

 

Very interesting time to explore.  Barely any tourists and sometimes practically having the entire resort to yourself. 

There's a lot of money being made in road constructions. Budgets are there to be burnt - by all means - see the second bypass around Nong Khai. It will finish November 2023 (inshallah) and hopefully little busier than the first bypass. Irrespective of the little traffic the first bypass, fully operationally for +/- two years, is being in constant repaving. Road 212 from Nong Khai towards Phonpisai got repaved for absolutely no reason - except for burning government money to the benefit of ....... not essentially those who drive on it alone ???? 

[MrJ2U]

55 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

There's a lot of money being made in road constructions. Budgets are there to be burnt - by all means - see the second bypass around Nong Khai. It will finish November 2023 (inshallah) and hopefully little busier than the first bypass. Irrespective of the little traffic the first bypass, fully operationally for +/- two years, is being in constant repaving. Road 212 from Nong Khai towards Phonpisai got repaved for absolutely no reason - except for burning government money to the benefit of ....... not essentially those who drive on it alone ???? 

I haven't been to Nong Khai for a long time.   The pandemic was really hard on it with minimal traffic across the border.

 

Cool City.