We need to know how to get travel visas on our loop through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia.... anybody done this before? Do you have to show evidence that you are going to leave their country?
Hello all!
My girlfriend and I are arriving in Bangkok on Jan. 7 and then winding our way north to Cheng Mai to hang for a while. Then we are going to travel into Laos, then wind our way into Vietnam, and then onto Cambodia (we want to go to Ankor Wat and visit the South Coast); then we are planning to follow the south coast of Thailand and have some lazy days on the beaches. I am planning 5 months for this adventure. We may even continue down into Malaysia and then go onto Austrailia. I have a couple questions:
1. Can we enter these countries without proof that we are leaving on a given date (I've heard stories of travelers being detained or fined for not having return or exit tickets)?
2. Can we obtain travel visas at the border crossings of these countries, or do we need to go to a specific place, i.e. travel agency, consulate office, etc.? I would like for the border crossings to be as quick and painless as possible. What do I need to know about crossing from: a) Thailand to Laos, b) Laos to Vietnam, c)Vietnam to Cambodia, d)Cambodia to Thailand?
Cheers, Alex
Reply to this Hi Alex
We didn't have onward travel booked for exiting any of the countries you mention and had no issues.
Thailand to Laos
The border crossing north of Chiang Mai into Laos at Huay Xai was no problem at all. Basically you get an exit stamp from the Thai immigration and then go down to the beach to catch a boat across the river, get a standard form to fill in, pay your money and get a Laos stamp. The only thing to mention about this crossing is that they have certain hours where they charge you an extra 'overtime' fee - it actually turned out that this was for most parts of the day and there were only a couple of windows of opportunity where they didn't charge it! Basically any time that could be construed as early, a meal break or a tea break, they charge more. It's not a huge amount though and if it bugs you, you can always hang about until it isn't charged anymore - on the Thai side they had a notice up stating when the overtime fee applied.
Laos to Vietnam
We didn't cross from Laos to Vietnam so can't comment on that one I'm afraid.
Vietnam to Cambodia
We had heard that the Cambodian border guards could be very corrupt and were prone to charging high prices for visas on arrival so we got our Cambodian visas in Ho Chi Min (Saigon) at the embassy but there were a couple of people on the same bus as us that got theirs at the border and they had no issues - they paid the same price as ours but theirs were processed in about 5 minutes as opposed to the 2 days ours took! We got a bus from HCMC to Phnom Penh which was very slick and even included free drinks and snacks : )
Cambodia to Thailand
This one was really easy too but a lot busier than the others. We got a bus from Battambong to the border (Poipet - I think it's a really dodgy place from what I've read) queued to get our exit stamps, walked across a bridge, filled in the Thailand immigration form, got a stamp and were in. We then walked a few minutes to the bus depot and caught a bus to Bangkok. No problemo!
The only other tip I would give is to take a good supply of passport photos with you as you often need them for the visa applications and it saves you having to trawl round looking for photo booths - they are definitely easier to find in some countries than others!!
Hope this helps... have a great trip
Vikki
Reply to this Thanks for the info, Vikki! First-hand advice like this is invaluable to us right now and I can't thank you enough! It's good to know that the border crossings aren't too difficult, but I will watch out for dodgy folks and "overtime fees" (didn't know about that one). We are so excited about our upcoming trip! Thanks, again.
Reply to this FlipACoin,
I'd agree with Vikki's post... especially the part about bringing extra passport photos. I would add to her list to pack along some fresh, crisp US dollars in small increments to pay for random stuff... $1s, $5s, and $10s.... all useful!
The crossing Vikki describes for Cambodia and Thailand is inland quite a ways from the beach... it's the option if you want to return to Thailand from Siem Reap/Angkor.
If you're going to cross to Thailand from the beach, check out the crossing at Koh Kong (on the Cambodia side) and Trat (on the Thailand side). A bit of shuffling around on short bus/taxi rides right to and from the border, but it was actually quite easy.
Also, there's a four-hour boat ride directly from Sihanoukville to Koh Kong. There are probably other more leisurely ways to get north to Koh Kong if you've got the time and you're interested in checking out the Cambodian beach scene.
Enjoy!
- Rachel
Reply to this Hi Alex,
It is not so complicated to get a visa. As far as I know, you should visit Vietnam embassy or consulate to apply. Visa is not issued at the boder gate.
If you transfer from Laos to Vietnam, you may have to get through Lao Bao boder gate, it is in Quang Tri province (I mean in central Vietnam).
If you visit Ho Chi Minh, then it is easy to get visa to Cambodia. You visit Cambodia consulate in Ho Chi Minh to make a simple application and pay 25$ for the visa/ person. Then you can get your visa within the same day. Very easy.
You can visit Cambodia by getting through Moc Bai border gate in Tay Ninh Province, not very far from Ho Chi Minh city. There are some coaches from Ho Chi Minh - Cambodia. So it is up to you to choose how to transfer to Cambodia.
IT is all I know. Hoping it is useful for your trip.
Phuc Thinh
Reply to this Thanks everyone for all the great tips! Thanks especially to Rachel, Already There, Vikki, and Phuc Thinh. Phuc Thinh, are you saying that you can't get a Vietnam visa "on the spot" at the Lao Bao border crossing in central Vietnam....because if I can't get one at the border crossing, do I need to get one in Bangkok or where? I'm a little unsure about this leg of the journey and I don't want to find myself at a border crossing without the necessary documentation and unable to cross. A.K.A.--screwed. Thanks very much for your help.
I'm getting a lot of mixed info on whether I need to have proof of exit when I enter Thailand.... Right now, we're planning on bringing a detailed itinerary, credit cards, a fair amount of cash, and we're trying to decide on a 60 day Thai visa (even though we're gonna be in Laos in less than 30 days). Do I need an exit flight booked? Because I don't have that right now.
Cheers,
Alex
Reply to this I believe that with Thailand it's a bit hit or miss as to whether you have to provide proof of exit. When I arrived in Thailand from Malaysia no-one asked me for proof of onward travel but I have heard people flying in often get asked on airlines but not always.
If you have an itinerary and an exit flight from somewhere else then it is easy to explain you are travelling overland to get to wherever and will be flying out from another country and as they get a lot of backpackers they are quite use to this sort of travel.
Reply to this Hi
I've just finished a month in s.e asia. Thailand - Laos - Vietnam - Cambodia - Thailand ... so pretty much what you're planning!
We were able to buy all the visas on the stop except for vietnam as someone else has mentioned. Just make sure you've got some US dollars and passport photos and you'll be fine.
While you are in Cambodia you need to get to a travel agent and they'll take your passport and get a vietnamese visa sorted for you. The longer you give them to sort it the cheaper it is (for example we gave them our passport for 4 days and paid $35usd but if you only have 2 or 3 days then they'll charge a bit extra). And theres a travel agent pretty much on every corner so its easy enough. I was never asked about onward travel, its pretty unorganised in most border crossings and most just look you up and down then give you a stamp!
The best advice I could give you is to expect the unexpected! We had some crazy crazy experiences but as long as you go with the flow and don't get stressed then you'll be grand. Learn how to say 'No thank you' in all four languages... you'll say it lots!
I dont know if you've figured out your itinerary yet but I would say definitely go to Luang Prabang in Laos and Sihanoukville in Cambodia, definitely don't go to Danang in Vietnam (theres nothing there, it took us about 2 hours just find somewhere to eat!) - Hoi An which is nearby is apparently alot better! In Phnom Penh there are a bunch of guesthouses by the lake which are really cheap but bad... my friend fell through the floor of one of the guesthouses! There are others by the river which are a bit more expensive but we decided it was worth splashing out for a night or two!
Have a great time! Good luck!
Reply to this You can get visas prior to your trip through each countries embassy websites or you can get them at each countries international airports.....If you get caught in these countries without a visas your in for hell. And NO! you must get seperate visas for each country. and i found a informational website for these cities
Discoverasia.org Reply to this 
