As alternative to flying to Chiang Rai, I am now considering bringing my car to travel to Luang Namtha - Laos by road. Because the road through Laos via Vientiane and Luang Prabang is rather bad at present, I want to cross at Chiang Kong, and take the new road from Huay Xai to Luang Namtha.

I have previously done this in reverse direction from laos into thailand with a Lao reg car, so i know it is possible.

I have last month travelled from Nong Kai via the bridge to Vientiane, and out via Savannakhet/ Mukdahan. No problems there, since I have my thailand to laos car passport.

Anyone here ever done it at Chiang Kong/Huay Xai recently? At the Friendship bridge last month, I had to fill in the usual stack of paper, no problem, then on the Lao side bought a weeks insurance. Is that also available at Huay Xai?

How is the new road CK-LN right now? I have heard it had been damaged by floods and big trucks carting coal from Laos to Thailand.

Anyone here recently done this trip?

Hi Kees,

Very old post so maybe you found out already about the insurance.

Just came from the other side (NongKhai-Vientianne-LuangPrabang-LuangNamntha-Huay Xai- ChiangKong).

But I saw the insurance people also had a desk at the Huay Xai side.

So you can get the insurance once you get off the boat coming from Chiang Kong.

Nice trip if you like mountains!

By the way the 'new road' HuayXai-LuangNamtha is now not new anymore on a 50km stretch... But still can do. (I did it with a normal car - not 4x4 - and it was still do-able. Not for the faint hearted though..)

If you want more info, drop a line.

Hi,

What are the documents needed to cross with a car from CHIANG KONG to HUAY XAI in Lao ?

Thanks.

You only need the purple car passport and the blue registration book. And your own passport of course.

Other docs they give you at the border to fill-in.

Have a nice trip!

is there a bridge or a car ferry accross the river at chiang kong into laos ?