Leaving a bike in LAOS forever /coming in via Vietnam @ Nam Phao International border

[clemo]

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and sorry if its in the wrong section .
A change of plan ( i think) i will now fly into Vietnam and buy a moped there .
6 of us aim to cross NAM PHAO INTERNATIONAL CHECKPOINT .

I assume as it says international we will be ok to bring Vietnamese plated mopeds in ?

We do not plan on Leaving LAOS with the mopeds rather we hope to sign them over to charity ( honestly! we really do) . and then to fly out from Pakse to Vientaine the to Bangkok then home .

Will we be able to just leave the bikes in Laos ? Or does this carry an import tax / fine

This seems like an important thing to think of as it will alter our route if we have to ride back into Vietnam .

Many thanks for you reply

Dave in England

 

[Phil TK]

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and sorry if its in the wrong section . A change of plan ( i think) i will now fly into Vietnam and buy a moped there .6 of us aim to cross NAM PHAO INTERNATIONAL CHECKPOINT .I assume as it says international we will be ok to bring Vietnamese plated mopeds in ?We do not plan on Leaving LAOS with the mopeds rather we hope to sign them over to charity ( honestly! we really do) . and then to fly out from Pakse to Vientaine the to Bangkok then home .Will we be able to just leave the bikes in Laos ? Or does this carry an import tax / fine This seems like an important thing to think of as it will alter our route if we have to ride back into Vietnam .Many thanks for you replyDave in England

This doesn't sound like a good idea Dave. I'm riding around the region next year and during my research I found that the only way to take a bike from Vietnam into Laos is under a temporary export/import permit. The permit is valid for a month in Laos after which the bike is liable to a daily fine of around £20 until you take it out of the country (either back into Vietnam or on to Thailand etc.) So, if you give the bikes away you could be lumbering some people with an illegal bike that shouldn't be there (after one month) and they might be accumulating big financial penalties to boot.
Another downer is that they simply might not let you take the bikes into Laos in the first place, I was refused entry a couple of years ago on a Vietnamese moped on the grounds that 'it might be stolen' (not my name in the bike's papers). But it's not unusual for border officials to pluck any reason out of thin air to stop you taking a bike through -it's a fickle business.
If I was you I'd restrict my ride to one country, have a look at Flamingo Travel's website (they are based in Hanoi) I've used them for a few trips and they are excellent, you wouldn't be disappointed and you'd avoid the bother of buying a bike and the hassle that goes with it,
Good luck, I'm sure you'll sort something out.

 

[clemo]

Thank you for your reply Phil TK , I am having so many ideas / problems with trying to get into Laos . We did 2 x moped rallies round Vietnam in previous years . HCM trail and the Top gear route .. Both completely different . So i don't really want to do Vietnam again (although i may have to if i get refused entry).

I have listened to what you have said ( but will ask more what appear to be daft questions) so sorry for that and i appreciate any further input , though i understand you might think .... I've told he already !.

I will now adjust my plans and will exit Laos .. Thats if we actually get in.

Did you have a temporary export/import permit last time ? if not could this be the answer?
of course this would fall flat if they don't like the bike not being in our names ( which is not even possible right?)
Can you remember which border refused you entry ?
Was it a flat NO or could a financial bung have eased the way ?
Would a letter written by the bike dealer have helped ?
Or maybe a letter of invitation saying we are bringing gifts to our charity in Laos for the new year ?

Clutching at straws here i know ... i guess the financial bung thing would either work or could get me into a situation , which i guess would only reconfirm a NO .

Any thoughts? thanks once again .

Dave

 

[Lone Rider]

Not sure why you want to buy bikes either in Laos or Vietnam but the rental option is something which might work. You can rent scooters in Luang Prabang, Phonsavan, Vientiane, Thakhaek, Savannakhet, Pakxe and most probably also in the smaller cities. Almost all guest houses in these cities have for rent or know where to rent scooters (about 100-150 thousand Kip or about 12-18 USD per day). For instance in Thakhaek Mad Monkey rents out all kind of small bikes (http://madmonkey-thakek.com/category/bikes/) and these bikes are taken on the Thakhaek loop as well as parts of the HCM trail.

A nice story about buying a bike in Luang prabang can be found here: Trying to Find a Motorbike in Luang Prabang

 

[Phil TK]

Thank you for your reply Phil TK , I am having so many ideas / problems with trying to get into Laos . We did 2 x moped rallies round Vietnam in previous years . HCM trail and the Top gear route .. Both completely different . So i don't really want to do Vietnam again (although i may have to if i get refused entry).

I have listened to what you have said ( but will ask more what appear to be daft questions) so sorry for that and i appreciate any further input , though i understand you might think .... I've told he already !.

I will now adjust my plans and will exit Laos .. Thats if we actually get in.

Did you have a temporary export/import permit last time ? if not could this be the answer?
of course this would fall flat if they don't like the bike not being in our names ( which is not even possible right?)
Can you remember which border refused you entry ?
Was it a flat NO or could a financial bung have eased the way ?
Would a letter written by the bike dealer have helped ?
Or maybe a letter of invitation saying we are bringing gifts to our charity in Laos for the new year ?

Clutching at straws here i know ... i guess the financial bung thing would either work or could get me into a situation , which i guess would only reconfirm a NO .

Any thoughts? thanks once again .

Dave

In answer to your questions:-


Did you have a temporary export/import permit last time ? if not could this be the answer?
This is issued at the Laos border office on the day –if they are going to let you in of course, it’s not something that you get hold of beforehand.


Can you remember which border refused you entry ?
Lao Bao, just North West of Hue.

Was it a flat NO or could a financial bung have eased the way ?
‘Tried a bribe of $50 but they wouldn't be having it.

Would a letter written by the bike dealer have helped ?
Probably, I’ll be getting this next time when I buy a bike in Hanoi.

Or maybe a letter of invitation saying we are bringing gifts to our charity in Laos for the new year ?
Might help, but it would never be a good enough reason on it’s own to get you through.