Thailand > Lao > Vietnam > Cambodia > Thailand

[JamesCRT93]

Hi All,

Me and my best mate are heading over to SEA to embark on a massive 4,809km ride across all 4 countries. The main reason for the post is that I really want 1st hand knowledge from experienced riders who have done similar and any info you could provide would be massively appreciated!

I've attached a copy of the overall journey to give you an idea of what we're doing, my main questions are;

1. What documentation do I need for the border crossings if I buy a bike in Thailand?

2. We're looking at Honda XR150's - would you recommend these bikes?

3. Would it be better to rent a bike for the entirety of the trip or to buy one and sell it on after? – I’ve read that certain borders don’t allow rentals across and that it may be best to buy one ( if I do that then my friend has a Thai national that can make it happen)

4. If I go with the standard 30 day free entry visa can I re-enter Thailand on the final leg or do I need to look at multi visa’s?

5. We're going in November from the 1st to the 24th - mainly is this a realistic time frame? (I've worked out the distance against the time and we'd need to clear 250km - 350km some days, the entire idea of the trip is to ride early in the morning and have the rest of the day and evening to enjoy each stop)

6. I'm taking the full riding kit out there with me (Helmet, Jacket, Gloves, Kneepads & Boots), planning on getting a light set of tools in case we need to work on the bikes or get a puncher, taking a first aid kit etc etc but is there anything else that is essential for any of these countries?

Again, any info or experience you could arm us with would be greatly appreciated as this is something that is completely new to both of us!

Hope to hear from some of you soon.

Best,

James

 

[Dodraugen]

1. Bike registration - the socalled Green Book and your valid passport.

2. Honda XR150 are most probably great bikes but afaik they are not available in Thailand. So you will need to chose another bike model.

3. Rentals shouldnt be any problem to take over the borders but it requires a good bit of extra paperwork. The rental companies that allow you to take their bikes into Laos should provide this paperwork however - so it shouldnt be a problem for you.
Buying a bike and get the registration in your name in Thailand is not as straight forward as you might think. You need a certificate of recidensy and that can be a PITA to get take some time too. Then depending on the province it can take quite long time to get the plates and documents in your name. It took 2,5 months to get this in Lampang province 3 years ago. It might be quicker in Chiang Mai and it might be quicker if you buy a brand new bike from a dealer as dealers can speed up that process. However I dont think you will be able to take the bike over any borders until you have the registration in youre name.

Personally for 4 weeks I would have rented a bike I think.

4. The standard 30 days you get when arriving in Thailand is called a visa excemption. And you can re-enter Thailand 2 times pr year through a landborder and get a new visa excemption. So it shouldnt be any problem for you.

5. Its gonna be quite a lot of riding in places where you because of road conditions and traffic will be moving quite slowly. And not much time for sightseing and relaxing. But if you dont get any major problems I think its doable.

6. Remedies for foodpoisoning and mosquito repellant. Plenty of water and rehydration remedies. Cellphone with offline maps, its quite essential me thinks. And papermaps for planning as well.

Edit: I now see the map you attached and that you plan to get through Vietnam as well. It is afaik very very difficult to get a thai plated bike into Vietnam, either rented or owned - unless you get a quite costly permit in advance.
You should at least do some thorough research about this issue. Maybe skip Vietnam and concentrate on doing the other 3 countries. It will be plenty to see and experience in these countries and you will only see very small fractions of these countries even when you skip Vietnam.
Or you could of course just go for Vietnam only, 3-4 weeks will give a little taste of Vietnam.

 

[DavidFL]

To familiarise yourself with border crossing info.Take a look at this one on GTR

Border Crossings

It's not that straight forward & varies.

Getting into Vietnam requires going via a tour company

Getting a Viet plated bike into Thailand is difficult.

Best to keep Vietnam separate.

The distances you propose

Its not realistic to cover the distances you propose in 3 weeks, unless you have experience & what to ride non stop. You're just skimming the surface of everything. You might as well go on a blue rinse bus tour for 3 weeks.
You could easily spend 2 or 3 weeks in the north of Thailand
2-3 weeks in Laos.
2 weeks in Cambodia.
3 weeks in Vietnam.
Pick just one or two countries and give yourself time to learn something, then come back again another time & pick off another country. With the trip you propose you will only want to go back to the same places, because you actually saw so little. On the move every day. Take your time, linger longer & soak it up.

 

[JamesCRT93]

Hey Dodraugen,

Firstly, thanks for taking the time to jot all of that down for me - really appreciate it.

I think based on what you've mentioned we are going to remap the route - will keep you updated once it's been looked at thoroughly!

All the best,

James

 

[JamesCRT93]

Hey David,

Amazing stuff - thanks for getting this over to me.

as mentioned above I think we're going to remap the route and take Vietnam altogether for now. (That'll save us something like 8 days from what I've already worked out)

It's looking like Thailand, Lao and maybe Cambodia but we're going to map out a route for Lao to either continue over to Cambodia and back to Thailand or just loop straight back into Thailand from Lao.

If you don't mind i'll keep in touch to run through any objections we receive.


Many Thanks,

James

 

[blackb15]

Just to wish you luck and agree with David’s comments.
Particularly in Laos the high mileage per day is very difficult and not enjoyable.I have done a lot of rides in Europe (Iron Butt etc) and you have to recalibrate your mileage ideas in some countries in Asia.
Safe riding

 

[Deano747]

Don't plan on anything greater than 50kph as an average moving speed in Thailand & 30 kph in Vietnam (though I see you are dropping Vietnam).

300kms is a full days riding in Thailand, unless you are just looking at a transport leg on a motorway - but then why bother coming at all

300 Kms assumes an 8am getaway and a 4pm arrival with time to actually stop & look at the scenery, and assumes staying off the motorways as much as possible. Oh, and that is on 650cc bikes - your 150's will be slower again.

As David says, 2 weeks is a minimum time to do just the top little bit of Thailand (everything inside the Thai border North of a line east/west through Chiang Mai).

As is also mentioned, buying a Thai registered bike basically not possible on a 30 day tourist visa (visa waiver) so you are going to have to buy it in Cambodia or rent it in Thailand. If you rent it, it will be inordinately difficult to take it out of the country as you need the rego papers.

And just one last little note - if you rent a bike in Thailand - it will not be able to be insured. You break it you pay for it.

With all of that - I really hope you have a great trip and look forward to hearing how it goes. I love riding up that way ........

 

[JamesCRT93]

Just to wish you luck and agree with David’s comments.
Particularly in Laos the high mileage per day is very difficult and not enjoyable.I have done a lot of rides in Europe (Iron Butt etc) and you have to recalibrate your mileage ideas in some countries in Asia.
Safe riding

Thanks Blackb15, much appreciated - i've given it alot of thought and I think me & my mate are just going to travel around Thailand, soak up the country as much as we can and come back to the others another time.

All the best,

James

 

[JamesCRT93]

Don't plan on anything greater than 50kph as an average moving speed in Thailand & 30 kph in Vietnam (though I see you are dropping Vietnam).

300kms is a full days riding in Thailand, unless you are just looking at a transport leg on a motorway - but then why bother coming at all

300 Kms assumes an 8am getaway and a 4pm arrival with time to actually stop & look at the scenery, and assumes staying off the motorways as much as possible. Oh, and that is on 650cc bikes - your 150's will be slower again.

As David says, 2 weeks is a minimum time to do just the top little bit of Thailand (everything inside the Thai border North of a line east/west through Chiang Mai).

As is also mentioned, buying a Thai registered bike basically not possible on a 30 day tourist visa (visa waiver) so you are going to have to buy it in Cambodia or rent it in Thailand. If you rent it, it will be inordinately difficult to take it out of the country as you need the rego papers.

And just one last little note - if you rent a bike in Thailand - it will not be able to be insured. You break it you pay for it.

With all of that - I really hope you have a great trip and look forward to hearing how it goes. I love riding up that way ........

Hey Deano,

Firstly, thanks for all the information - as I mentioned to Blackb15 we've decided to park the massive trip for a later date and are gonig to focus solely on Thailand, starting in Bangkok and making our way up North to Chiang Mai before looping down and spending time in the South. - either way it's still going to be amazing and for sure, i'll update you all once we return.

Thanks again,

James

 

[Rocketfahrer]

I have read something on the page of the Foreign Office of Germany

Auswärtiges Amt - Vietnam: Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise

Aufgrund eines Abkommens von November 2007 gilt für in Thailand und Laos zugelassene Fahrzeuge ein vorgeblich vereinfachtes Verfahren, das sich in der Praxis als äußerst umständlich erweist. Die Genehmigungen können in Thailand bzw. Laos eingeholt werden und gelten für die Einreise.

Translated by Google:
Under a November 2007 agreement, vehicles registered in Thailand and Laos are subject to a presumably simplified procedure, which in practice proves to be extremely cumbersome. The permits can be obtained in Thailand or Laos and are valid for entry.

 

[Eoin Christie]

Thanks Blackb15, much appreciated - i've given it alot of thought and I think me & my mate are just going to travel around Thailand, soak up the country as much as we can and come back to the others another time.

All the best,

James

Smart move, James - Quality over quantity. There is a lot of information on the GTR forums about rides in Thailand that will have you still wishing for more time.
Vietnam is a great Country to ride in on its own, too, and easy to rent or buy / sell a bike within its borders (plenty of XR150’s available).
I hope you and your mate have a great adventure, and that you post about it on GTR.