Hi!

I have a B1 visa and need to do the visa run next month but wanted to do it this time through Myanmar, finding that the Phu Nam Ron border is the nearest option to Bangkok.

I did find an article detailing the logistics of how go to the border from Kanchanaburi, but wondered if anyone had any recent experiences to advise on the process?

Would one only need to get the Myanmar visa here in BKK, go to Kachanaburi, and then make a 1-day trip to the border to go back to Kachanaburi (maybe stay a bit to see the river kwai)? Or does one necessarily need to go all the way to Dawei?

Will greatly appreciate any kind advise or experiences shared! Thanks so much in advance!

All the best,

Max

PS: the article referred to is this one: http://www.southernmyanmar.com/transportation/phu-nam-ron-border-crossing-blog/

You are right, I hear that now a visa is required to cross at that crossing. A 1 day crossing would be fine, but why not go down to Dawei if you're already going to the trouble of getting a visa and doing "the run"? It seems puzzling to me why anyone would go all the way to a border crossing only to turn around and come back 10 mins later. Make a trip out of it, go to Dawei, spend say 2 nights there, then come back. You'll be glad you did. While the River Kwai is OK, it's a bit overrated. Personally I think you'll find Dawei and surrounds are far more interesting and an overall more worthwhile experience. I'd rather spend more time in Myanmar and then just quickly rush through Kanchanaburi before going back home - apart from the River Kwai and the war memorial it's much the same as any other provincial Thai city. Ugly shop houses, hardly any trees, lots of traffic, nothing special at all.

Very, very few foreigners have ever been to Dawei and you can also be one of only 3 or 4 TV posters who have, if you decide to go. So just go and have fun.