Thinking of driving a Thai car to Vietnam? Forget it! Read this article

[Tomtomtom69]

The Vietnamese government is about to make it even more difficult to drive into their country for drivers of foreign vehicles.

The new rules will discourage owners of vehicles from neighboring countries most, but the regulations specifically ban RHD Thai, Malaysian and Singaporean vehicles altogether! This means that unless Vietnam relaxes it's rules by the time of the implementation of AEC 2015, I suspect anyone wanting to drive to Vietnam will have to forget about it. The best you can do right now is drive to the Lao/Vietnam border, park your car there and then take a car with driver whilst inside Vietnam. If you make the arrangements in advance, you could perhaps drive the Vietnamese car yourself provided you can get access to a Vietnamese driver's licence.

I've driven a Lao car into Vietnam before but unfortunately these new rules will discourage me from any further attempts as it's been getting more difficult over the past year or so.

http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2013/11/new-rules-for-self-drive-holidays/

[WarpSpeed]

You went from what the article mentions is relative to a RHD car and then included the drivers license, one doesn't necessarily have to do with the other, what about International drivers licenses? I think it has more to do with the dangers of the RHD drive cars in a LHD drive country and it makes sense that those countries with RHD come into the 21st century and drive on the correct side of the road that dominates most of the world and that region with borders opening more and more and new highways being built from and through countries along with ASEAN as well..

Chirst! Those regs are convoluted! You'd almost think they were written by a Thai. It seems the Vietnamese are taking lessons from them on writing regulations, this is going to impact them more then anyone else when ASEAN comes into effect but it doesn't say you can't drive on a foreign license so I don't know why you are bridging the two.

Edited November 24, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[Crossy]

an off topic post and replies have been deleted

[Tomtomtom69]

Well the current policy has been that you need a Vietnamese driver's licence to drive in Vietnam. However, under the new regulations, an international licence is acceptable for driving a foreign registered vehicle.

As mentioned though, this is your least cause for concern.

My example illustrated your best option if coming with a Thai car. That is, you'll need to park it at the Lao/Vietnam border and change vehicles there. This is not new though, as the only way to enter Vietnam with a Thai car previously has been to go on a caravan tour.

I disagree with your assessment that all countries should go LHD. For starters, it is possible to drive safely with your steering wheel fixed on the "wrong side" of the vehicle. 80% of vehicles registered in Myanmar have their steering wheel fixed on the right-hand side yet they also drive on the right. Thai cars can enter Laos temporarily and drive wherever they want, despite having RHD. Some diplomatic vehicles in Vientiane also have RHD. Secondly, the costs associated with converting to the other side of the road would be prohibitive for a country with relatively advanced infrastructure like Thailand. For Laos, it would be considerably easier to convert to driving on the left like Thailand does, but of course they wouldn't be in any better financial position to do so, they simply have far less road infrastructure to convert or signs etc.

These new measures are mainly a method to control de-facto tax evasion by Vietnamese citizens driving to Vietnam with Lao registered vehicles and using them as de-facto Vietnamese vehicles. This is because Vietnamese cars are much more expensive than Lao cars due to higher tax rates. Similarly, the Vietnamese don't want large numbers of foreign registered vehicles driving inside their country and because Thailand has so many vehicles, it would likely overwhelm their roads if they allowed them in so by declaring RHD as "dangerous" they have an excuse to not let them in. But the new rules are going to become a real problem for Lao and Cambodian drivers, not so much Thai drivers as they have always had restrictions placed on them.

[FarangTalk]

You went from what the article mentions is relative to a RHD car and then included the drivers license, one doesn't necessarily have to do with the other, what about International drivers licenses? I think it has more to do with the dangers of the RHD drive cars in a LHD drive country and it makes sense that those countries with RHD come into the 21st century and drive on the correct side of the road that dominates most of the world and that region with borders opening more and more and new highways being built from and through countries along with ASEAN as well..

Chirst! Those regs are convoluted! You'd almost think they were written by a Thai. It seems the Vietnamese are taking lessons from them on writing regulations, this is going to impact them more then anyone else when ASEAN comes into effect but it doesn't say you can't drive on a foreign license so I don't know why you are bridging the two.

RHD is and was the correct side throughout history.

This practice was common throughout medieval Europe, until it was changed by the French. During the French Revolution in a bid to turn absolutely everything on its antithesis, the driving laws were changed to "keep right." Napoleon quickly adopted the right-hand rule as law for two reasons--a display of absolute power in even the minutest of details, and the singular fact that the emperor was left-handed-- according to Ed Wright's "A Left Handed History of the World."

http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/12468/did-napoleon-introduce-driving-on-the-right-side-because-he-was-left-handed

[WarpSpeed]

^<deleted>?? Who gives a rats tail what happened in medieval Europe, this is today the 21st century and you just served to prove my point. I'm not even going to debate the reasons it was changed but it was common sense and the rest of the world, en mass, followed suit. JFYI it's never been the correct side, it's just been the side that was chosen until common sense took over.. The common sense applied was automobiles requiring shifting in their early development and most of the worlds population being right handed shifting with the left is uncoordinated and hazardous.

^^It is very dangerous driving on the opposite side of the road from the driver placement, just because it's done does not mean it should be done.. Ever driven in China? It is unimaginable to drive there with a RHD car and the regs for foreigners they're even worse in some senses and that's with a LHD drive car not to mention the craziness of the drivers.

Edited November 24, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[mark131v]

Same argument applies that most people are Rt side dominant so your dominant hand should be in control of the vehicle Ie steering, changing gear with the left hand requires no great skill or co-ordination as a very large percentage of the world can demonstrate

oh by the way reference using your left hand to steer and control a vehicle by the logic you have spouted that should be dangerous and un co-ordinated as for the vast majority of the time most peoples weaker or less dominant side is in control, I don't really think you thought that through

I don't have any figures to back it up but the vast majority of UK drivers drive manual whilst the vast majority of US don't or cant strange that....

Edited November 24, 2013 by mark131v

[WarpSpeed]

^Coming from a pure novice with no real experience driving them both in the most demanding environment of motorsports where rhythm is absolutely necessary as without it only one mistake can end your engine and your race. I know you're a novice because if you weren't there is no way you'd make such a fallacious statement.. You're right you don't have the numbers because they don't exist, you're talking out of your posterior based on no reality what-so-ever and is completely irrelevant to the point made..

Steering is also easier done with the left hand, it is a fixed point of movement unlike shifting which is not and the gears are opposite 1st is in 5th position and so on when shifting..

JFYI I don't need to THINK anything of this topic through, though I have analyzed it beyond your comprehension, I've practiced it first hand so my info isn't based on something I read on a blog some where..

Edited November 24, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[mark131v]

Warp Speed you do come across as a bit of a self righteous pillock mate, so physics is wrong and the fact most people are right side dominant is wrong, oh and you have analyzed it beyond my comprehension, fair one... if I could be arsed I would have a proper look but I cant to so here is a quick to find one for you concerning the fact most UK and European drivers drive manual and a lot of US cant or wont, don't worry it is written in American:

http://travel.usatoday.com/tips/2010-08-03-businesstravel03_ST_N.htm

and another bit that is more relevant to why the US chose to drive on the wrong side

"One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in a 1908 catalog: the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the curb, "especially ... if there is a lady to be considered"

"The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA, which was anxious to cast off all remaining links with its British colonial past."

so in summary bugger all to do with racing driver's or safety then and actually much more to do with throwing off the colonial past or putting Lady passengers onto the curb, I will leave you to it but just wanted to leave you with a few figures for manual transmission in the UK that I have just pulled out of my posterior, toodle pip!!

Whats the percentage of manual to automatic cars in the uk and america?

No statistics found for the USA, however approximately 84% of private vehicles in the UK have a manual rather than automatic transmission.

report this answer

Updated on Friday, February 03 2012 at 10:02AM GMT

Source: www.motability.co.uk/

Edited November 24, 2013 by mark131v

[mark131v]

A very interesting read if you are not too arrogant to learn something new, in brief most people drove on the left until Napoleon and Hitler changed it Britain never changed as they were never conquered by them, Henry Ford had some weird ideas about which side to drive on (nothing at all to do with safety or racing drivers WS!) couple that with the amount of European Immigrants and anti British feelings and it aint suprising the Yanks drive on the wrong side, couple that with the fact all US Exports where LHD in the early days and you have an answer but still sod all to do with safety or racing drivers though or any compelling reason why left is right (see what I did there) as our resident racing driver and all round expert seems to believe....!!

"Almost always, in countries where one drives on the right-hand side of the road, the cars are built so that the driver sits on the left-hand side of the car. Conversely, driving on the left-hand side of the road usually implies that the driver's seat is on the right-hand side of the car. It used to be different, though.

All early automobiles in the USA (driving on the right-hand side of the road) were right-hand-drive, following the practice established by horse-drawn buggies. They changed to left-hand-drive in the early 1900s as it was decided that it was more practical to have the driver seated near the centreline of the road, both to judge the space available when passing oncoming cars, and to allow front-seat passengers to get out of the car onto the pavement instead of into the middle of the street.

Ford changed to left-hand-drive in the 1908 model year. A Ford catalogue from 1908 explains the benefits of placing the controls on the left side of the car:
“The control is located on the left side, the logical place, for the following reasons: Travelling along the right side of the road the steering wheel on the right side of the car made it necessary to get out on the street side and walk around the car. This is awkward and especially inconvenient if there is a lady to be considered. The control on the left allows you to step out of the car on to the curbing without having had to turn the car around.
In the matter of steering with the control on the right, the driver is farthest away from the vehicle he is passing, going in opposite direction; with it on the left side he is able to see even the wheels of the other car and easily avoids danger.”

http://www.worldstandards.eu/driving%20on%20the%20left.htm

Edited November 24, 2013 by mark131v

[Skint]

I fail to see what Motorsport experience has to do with everyday driving? Let's be honest the Thais are not changing, there is no need it's called dealing with it.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[WarpSpeed]

Warp Speed you do come across as a bit of a self righteous pillock mate, so physics is wrong and the fact most people are right side dominant is wrong, oh and you have analyzed it beyond my comprehension, fair one... if I could be arsed I would have a proper look but I cant to so here is a quick to find one for you concerning the fact most UK and European drivers drive manual and a lot of US cant or wont, don't worry it is written in American:

http://travel.usatoday.com/tips/2010-08-03-businesstravel03_ST_N.htm

and another bit that is more relevant to why the US chose to drive on the wrong side

"One of the final moves to firmly standardize traffic directions in the U.S. occurred in the 20th century, when Henry Ford decided to mass-produce his cars with controls on the left (one reason, stated in a 1908 catalog: the convenience for passengers exiting directly onto the curb, "especially ... if there is a lady to be considered"

"The drive-on-the-right policy was adopted by the USA, which was anxious to cast off all remaining links with its British colonial past."

so in summary bugger all to do with racing driver's or safety then and actually much more to do with throwing off the colonial past or putting Lady passengers onto the curb, I will leave you to it but just wanted to leave you with a few figures for manual transmission in the UK that I have just pulled out of my posterior, toodle pip!!

Whats the percentage of manual to automatic cars in the uk and america?

No statistics found for the USA, however approximately 84% of private vehicles in the UK have a manual rather than automatic transmission.

report this answer

Updated on Friday, February 03 2012 at 10:02AM GMT

Source: www.motability.co.uk/

Good then you're getting the point, I have a right to be self righteous as I know what I speak of from first hand experience and not something I read..

[WarpSpeed]

I fail to see what Motorsport experience has to do with everyday driving? Let's be honest the Thais are not changing, there is no need it's called dealing with it.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Yes this a common problem when people can't relate.. It has EVERYTHING to do with it...

[mark131v]

You prove your ignorance every time you open your mouth and I do find it amusing, easier and better- why? is it because you say so? sorry I don't see it that way and from your response I think you are a little bit full of it really. By the way are you thinking of the same ASEAN that includes, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Australia as well as Thailand because if it is I really don't reckon they will be changing anytime soon. I will leave it there as it is my bed time but I will leave you with another little snippet that you can take or leave though seeing as you know it all it is probably a waste of time but hey ho you never know:

• According to research done in 1969 by J.J. Leeming, keep-left countries have a much lower collision rate than keep-right countries. It is thought the reason behind this is that most people’s right eye is their dominant eye. Thus, the right eye in keep-left traffic is the one closest to oncoming traffic and so should reduce collisions. Another theory as to why this might be is that most people are right handed, so when driving a manual transmission car in a keep-left country, most people’s dominant hand is on the steering wheel; this could help in a person’s ability to maneuver accurately.
• The people of Timor drive on the right in East Timor and the left in West Timor… Ambidextrous drivers.
• Most horse riders and cyclists will naturally mount the horse or bike from the left hand side. In the cyclist’s case, this is why most bike chains and gears are on the right side of the bike so that the rider can walk along on the left side of the bike and not worry about getting pants or shoe laces caught in the gearing while walking beside the bike.

I took that from the link below to a site called today I found out.com which I bet is not something you manage to say very often Warp <deleted> anyway night night :

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/why-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-countries-drive-on-the-left/

[funcat]

From my experience,driving for over 40 years in both L and RH traffic,I still prefer to have a steering wheel on the left,as it is much easier to do everything else with my right hand,of course....

[IMHO]

By the way are you thinking of the same ASEAN that includes, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Australia as well as Thailand because if it is I really don't reckon they will be changing anytime soon.

Australia and Japan are not part of ASEAN.

http://www.asean.org/asean/asean-member-states

[CTO]

<<The people of Timor drive on the right in East Timor and the left in West Timor… Ambidextrous drivers. >>

Have you been there and driven from east to west or versa visa?

I don't think there is any side to a road there - just goat tracks pretending to be roads

[mark131v]

By the way are you thinking of the same ASEAN that includes, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Australia as well as Thailand because if it is I really don't reckon they will be changing anytime soon.

Australia and Japan are not part of ASEAN.

http://www.asean.org/asean/asean-member-states

Cheers IMHO, every day is a school day, it is interesting to see the L/R breakdown in SE Asia and ASEAN is quite close really and in fact the majority of the more powerful nations and economically succesful countries in ASEAN are LHD including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei as well as many of the other powerful economies in the region such as India, Japan, Pakistan, Australia and NZ, I don't think anything is going to change anytime soon no matter how much WS pouts about it

[mark131v]

<<The people of Timor drive on the right in East Timor and the left in West Timor… Ambidextrous drivers. >>

Have you been there and driven from east to west or versa visa?

I don't think there is any side to a road there - just goat tracks pretending to be roads

Wouldn't imagine it is a lot different from driving from Thailand to Laos really.....

[mark131v]

Duplicate post!!

Edited November 25, 2013 by mark131v

[i claudius]

Girls drive automatic cars ,well them and Americans , but us butch Brits drive a real car where you change gear with your left hand and drive on the right ,

[Tomtomtom69]

You prove your ignorance every time you open your mouth and I do find it amusing, easier and better- why? is it because you say so? sorry I don't see it that way and from your response I think you are a little bit full of it really. By the way are you thinking of the same ASEAN that includes, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Australia as well as Thailand because if it is I really don't reckon they will be changing anytime soon. I will leave it there as it is my bed time but I will leave you with another little snippet that you can take or leave though seeing as you know it all it is probably a waste of time but hey ho you never know:

• According to research done in 1969 by J.J. Leeming, keep-left countries have a much lower collision rate than keep-right countries. It is thought the reason behind this is that most people’s right eye is their dominant eye. Thus, the right eye in keep-left traffic is the one closest to oncoming traffic and so should reduce collisions. Another theory as to why this might be is that most people are right handed, so when driving a manual transmission car in a keep-left country, most people’s dominant hand is on the steering wheel; this could help in a person’s ability to maneuver accurately.
• The people of Timor drive on the right in East Timor and the left in West Timor… Ambidextrous drivers.
• Most horse riders and cyclists will naturally mount the horse or bike from the left hand side. In the cyclist’s case, this is why most bike chains and gears are on the right side of the bike so that the rider can walk along on the left side of the bike and not worry about getting pants or shoe laces caught in the gearing while walking beside the bike.

I took that from the link below to a site called today I found out.com which I bet is not something you manage to say very often Warp &lt;deleted&gt; anyway night night :

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/why-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-countries-drive-on-the-left/

I'm pretty sure all of Timor drives on the left now - maybe East Timor used to drive on the right, but the Indonesians changed that in 1975 when they took over. Even since independence, the East Timorese aren't going back to right-hand driving now. There's no point and it would waste tons of money the country doesn't have. Not only that, but being an island, the exercise would be completely pointless.

Also, you're right about Thailand and other countries that drive on the left not going to change now (despite the April Fool's Joke we read on TV earlier this year). Changing over now would be ridiculously expensive and completely pointless. There will never be enough foreign registered vehicles driving inside Thailand for example, to justify such a move. Even if there were, the changeover would be too expensive, too complicated and too dangerous. Consider the example of England vs. France, where large numbers of vehicles from England cross over to France and vice versa. It seems to work OK even though it's not entirely ideal to have the steering wheel on the wrong side, but for temporary driving it's OK and besides, if there are 2 or more lanes in each direction it doesn't make much of a difference. Also, as I have driven a left-hand drive Lao car into Thailand many times, I find it's not much different from driving a normal RHD vehicle on the left. It takes a little getting used to at first, but it's not hard, nor is it dangerous.

Anyway, I think the point of my article has been lost. This thread seems to have become a battleground for discussing the merits of RHD vs. LHD which is not the point of the article, but rather that Vietnam is now moving backwards by making it more difficult to drive ANY foreign registered vehicle into Vietnam, even if it's LHD and registered in a neighboring country. I was expecting countries to open up more, but in this case Vietnam is moving in the opposite direction.

Edited November 25, 2013 by Tomtomtom69

[wilcopops]

You prove your ignorance every time you open your mouth and I do find it amusing, easier and better- why? is it because you say so? sorry I don't see it that way and from your response I think you are a little bit full of it really. By the way are you thinking of the same ASEAN that includes, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Australia as well as Thailand because if it is I really don't reckon they will be changing anytime soon. I will leave it there as it is my bed time but I will leave you with another little snippet that you can take or leave though seeing as you know it all it is probably a waste of time but hey ho you never know:

• According to research done in 1969 by J.J. Leeming, keep-left countries have a much lower collision rate than keep-right countries. It is thought the reason behind this is that most people’s right eye is their dominant eye. Thus, the right eye in keep-left traffic is the one closest to oncoming traffic and so should reduce collisions. Another theory as to why this might be is that most people are right handed, so when driving a manual transmission car in a keep-left country, most people’s dominant hand is on the steering wheel; this could help in a person’s ability to maneuver accurately.
• The people of Timor drive on the right in East Timor and the left in West Timor… Ambidextrous drivers.
• Most horse riders and cyclists will naturally mount the horse or bike from the left hand side. In the cyclist’s case, this is why most bike chains and gears are on the right side of the bike so that the rider can walk along on the left side of the bike and not worry about getting pants or shoe laces caught in the gearing while walking beside the bike.

I took that from the link below to a site called today I found out.com which I bet is not something you manage to say very often Warp &lt;deleted&gt; anyway night night :

http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/06/why-some-countries-drive-on-the-right-and-some-countries-drive-on-the-left/

I'm pretty sure all of Timor drives on the left now - maybe East Timor used to drive on the right, but the Indonesians changed that in 1975 when they took over. Even since independence, the East Timorese aren't going back to right-hand driving now. There's no point and it would waste tons of money the country doesn't have. Not only that, but being an island, the exercise would be completely pointless.

Also, you're right about Thailand and other countries that drive on the left not going to change now (despite the April Fool's Joke we read on TV earlier this year). Changing over now would be ridiculously expensive and completely pointless. There will never be enough foreign registered vehicles driving inside Thailand for example, to justify such a move. Even if there were, the changeover would be too expensive, too complicated and too dangerous. Consider the example of England vs. France, where large numbers of vehicles from England cross over to France and vice versa. It seems to work OK even though it's not entirely ideal to have the steering wheel on the wrong side, but for temporary driving it's OK and besides, if there are 2 or more lanes in each direction it doesn't make much of a difference. Also, as I have driven a left-hand drive Lao car into Thailand many times, I find it's not much different from driving a normal RHD vehicle on the left. It takes a little getting used to at first, but it's not hard, nor is it dangerous.

Anyway, I think the point of my article has been lost. This thread seems to have become a battleground for discussing the merits of RHD vs. LHD which is not the point of the article, but rather that Vietnam is now moving backwards by making it more difficult to drive ANY foreign registered vehicle into Vietnam, even if it's LHD and registered in a neighboring country. I was expecting countries to open up more, but in this case Vietnam is moving in the opposite direction.

Certainly agree with your comments here.

This regressive step by Vietnam is puzzling though, as it has to sooner or later fall foul of the aims - and probably regulations - of ASEAN. If they are serious about free trade they are ALL going to have to simplify their approach to international road transport......basically along the lines of Europe.

[WarpSpeed]

By the way are you thinking of the same ASEAN that includes, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Indonesia and Australia as well as Thailand because if it is I really don't reckon they will be changing anytime soon.

Australia and Japan are not part of ASEAN.

http://www.asean.org/asean/asean-member-states

Cheers IMHO, every day is a school day, it is interesting to see the L/R breakdown in SE Asia and ASEAN is quite close really and in fact the majority of the more powerful nations and economically succesful countries in ASEAN are LHD including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei as well as many of the other powerful economies in the region such as India, Japan, Pakistan, Australia and NZ, I don't think anything is going to change anytime soon no matter how much WS pouts about it

Ermm those are RHD countries (steering on the right side) of you can't even get the terminology correct how do you hold any credibility and since when are any of those countries more economically successful then China or South Korea? Need a link on RHD versus LHD to demonstrate the incorrect terminology not just because "I said so" here it is

Straight from Toyota: http://toyota-gib.com/English/Vehicles/RHD%20LHD/RHD%20-%20LHD%20Guide.htm

As for it changing, I could give a rats tail, I live in a country that drives on the correct side of the road and in spite of some current economical difficulties is still the #1 economy.. Ignorance is it? Not understanding the correlation between daily driving and performance driving is displaying the ultimate in ignorance.

Let's recap

-Wrong on the Asean matter, IMHO corrected you on.

-Wrong on the LHD/RHD terminology

-Wrong on who is the strongest economies in ASEAN

-Wrong on my pouting about anything related to driving in Asia

-Clueless about how performance driving relates to daily driving

= No credibility and specious debate. Next?

Hard to argue a point intelligently and refer to others as "ignorant" when one displays so much themselves...

[Ace of Pop]

As long as its got a steering wheel , i couldn't care less..In fact i enjoy USA and Thai driving.

[Issanman]

Here is a map which lays it out so it is plain to see who is driving on what side of the road:

[IMHO]

Here is a map which lays it out so it is plain to see who is driving on what side of the road:

Edited December 18, 2013 by IMHO

[WarpSpeed]

While I know those are common wealth countries, ironically most of those countries in N/A I.E. Canada are also LHD though.

Edited December 19, 2013 by WarpSpeed

[IMHO]

While I know those are common wealth countries, ironically most of those countries in N/A I.E. Canada are also LHD though.

Basically, it's the British vs rest of world, with smaller opposing neigbors forced into local customs

[WarpSpeed]

Yes agreed but the countries like Canada, and points north are still LHD like the rest of N/A... Takes another huge chunk out of the equation.

Edited December 19, 2013 by WarpSpeed