The more I read this thread the more I get the impression that the OP has an attitude problem with Laos...one wonders why he bothers to go there in the first place.

 

“We had done all the paperwork at the border” - obviously not - no insurance.

 

“The immigration laos people jumped on us at the border, i had to pay 300 THB to get the car into Laos, there was no mention of an insurance...”

“immigration”?  - Surely customs deal with the car.....and ignorance is no excuse as far as insurance is concerned

 

“the Lao police look like clowns, dirty and shapeless uniforms, unshaven, no socks in city shoes...”

 

On our last trip to Savannakhet, i drove the wrong way in a one way road and got stopped, they took the purple book

Should you really be driving yourself in Laos?

 

QED?

What this guy said ^^^.

 

Instead of doing a border run to Laos then maybe you should go somewhere else. Def sounds like an attitude problem.

I've driven in Laos many time and never had any trouble. Got a speeding ticket once, that was it. No drama.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

That said those are some of the worst roads I've ever driven on, absolutely not recommended after dark! And of course, the communist government is backward and totally corrupt and outside of Vientiane it's almost impossible to find a decent meal and the accommodations generally suck.