Il est possible de passer du Vietnam au Laos en prenant le visa pour le Laos directement à la frontière. Nous venons de le faire en passant par Dien Bien Phu. Prix du visa: 30 dollars. Inutile donc d'aller s'embêter à aller chercher son visa à Saïgon ou à Hanoï
Très bonne question! La réponse doit être connue de tous.... et bien diffusée partout.
Au Laos, la durée du visa est de 30 jours... et pas un mois! Et cela change tout!
Au Cambodge, nous sommes rentrés le 20 novembre et ressortis le 20 décembre. Pas de problème.
Au Vietnam, nous sommes donc rentrés le 20 décembre et ressortis le 17 janvier, mais nous pouvions repasser la frontière le 20 janvier. C'était bien inscrit sur le visa.
Nous sommes donc rentrés au Laos le 17 janvier. Et là, nous n'avons pas vérifié le coup de tampon donné par les Laotiens. Dans notre esprit cela devait être comme dans les autres pays, donc du 17 janvier au 17 février...
Grave erreur! Ils avaient mis la date du 15 février, soit exactement 30 jours et pas une heure de plus... Nous sommes passés le 16 février du Laos en Thaïlande pensant passer naïvement avec un jour d'avance et en toute bonne foi. Quelle ne fut pas notre surprise de devoir payer 10 dollars chacun pour être resté un jour de trop au Laos!
Nos 15 secondes de rouspétance ont eu comme résultat immédiat le blocage de nos passeports et il a fallu payer 20 dollars (10 dollars chacun). Heureusement encore que nous ne sommes pas passés le 17, on aurait eu alors 40 dollars à payer.
On pense qu'ils doivent jouer sur cette ambiguïté et se faire de l'argent en plus avec ceux qui ne regardent pas de plus près les dates des tampons.
Donc, leçon à retenir: Toujours regarder ce qui a été tamponné (les Vietnamiens avaient fait une erreur qu'on pu corriger juste à temps) et surtout se rappeler que 30 jours ce n'est pas la même chose qu'un mois...
Encore une information. Les Laotiens nous ont collé un "pistolet" sur le front à notre passage pour prendre notre température... Ce contrôle est facturé 2000 kips, à rajouter aux 7000 kips qu'ils nous demandent pour une raison que nous ne connaissons pas...
En Fait j'avais vu sur le site france diplomatie qu'au Laos ils delivraient des Visas de 15 jours dans le cas d'arrivé terrestre par les postes frontières.......
BonjourNous arrivons a Hanoi mi avril et le but du voyage est le laos.
La frontiere de Dien Bien Phu ouverte c est une super nouvelle.
Nous n avons pas l habitude de programmer nos voyages et nous aimons bien l impro mais la on n'a pas beaucoup de temps. Et on se pose qq questions : nous voudrions dans un premier temps nous diriger vers le nord est ( Phongsaly).
Quel est le meilleur moyen d'aller de Hanoi et Dien Bien Phu, puis Dien Bien Phu frontiere Muang Khua, Muang Khua Phongsaly
Il y a le bus bien sur mais si j ai bien compris super long et fatiguant.
On est 4 : location de voiture mais peut on traverser la frontiere avec un vehicule de loc vietnamien et après partie en bateau ? en moto ?
Tout conseil bienvenu !
Y compris un avis pour savoir compte tenu que nous n avons que 2 semaines et que les trajets ont vraiement l air tres longs peut être faut il choisir entre le nord est et le nord ouest du laos.
Merci !!
Bonsoir,
Vous pouvez aller sur notre blog pour voir ce que l'on a fait dans cette région:
http://mounyetpapyluc3.canalblog.com/
Pour joindre Muang Khua depuis Dien Bien Phu, je ne pense pas que cela soit tellement plus rapide en voiture car le ralentissement est essentiellement dû aux travaux sur la route avec de très longs temps d'attente (2 à 3 h à 2 reprises...).
On ne sait pas si une voiture de location vietnamienne peut aller jusqu'à Muang Khua. En tout cas, les bus vietnamiens peuvent y aller. Nous n'avons pas changé de bus à la frontière. Il s'agit de petits bus qui peuvent se faufiler assez facilement sur les routes rendues difficiles par les travaux.
En tout cas, depuis Hanoï, un bus vous amènera directement à Dien Bien Phu en passant par Son La. Cela prendra une journée entière. Ne croyez pas certaines personnes à Dien Bien Phu qui vous disent qu'il n'y a pas de bus pour le Laos et qui vous proposent des motos ou des taxis. C'est totalement faux. Le bus part très tôt le matin, à 5 h 30 et a coûté 88 000 dongs par personne. Il nous amène rapidement à la frontière. Mais c'est du côté laotien que les choses traînent en longueur. Les gars en moto ou en taxi nous auraient laissé à la frontière où il n'y a rien... Pour repartir de là cela aurait été la galère! Et ils nous demandaient 150 000 dongs, pour faire seulement 30 km. C'est du n'importe quoi. Donc, surtout ne jamais croire ce qu'on vous raconte. Il faut toujours vérifier soi même, et en douce, sans se faire repérer, car ils s'entendent bien entre eux pour souvent nous mettre en situation d'"otages" et être finalement obligés de passer par eux pour pouvoir continuer notre chemin.
A partir de Muang Khua, pour gagner Phongsaly, le mieux est de prendre un bateau et de remonter la rivière, la Nam Ou. cela coûte plus cher que le bus, mais c'est plus rapide et cela change de mode de déplacement.
Les paysages du nord est du Laos sont plus beaux que dans le nord ouest. On vous conseille plus cette région de Phongsaly, Muang Khua et Nong Khiaw que de l'autre côté. Nous sommes descendus de Muang Khua à Nong Khiaw en bateau et cela reste un de nos plus beaux souvenirs.
Nous avons mis quelques photos de toute cette région sur le blog .
Bon voyage en tout cas.
J ai ete sur votre site, photos qui font envie, vivement le depart !
Comment avez vous circulé entre tous vos points de chute ? Toujours bus ou bateau ?
Je m inquiete un peu de la duree des transports, et envisage de réduire nos ambitions afin que ces deux semaines ne se transforment pas en marathon..
Un conseil d itineraire sur 2 semaines (je sais c est court on fera mieux la prochaine fois) sachant que j arrive a HANOI et repart HCM et que l idée était de passer un peu de temps au laos et traverser rapidement le Cambodge (sauf halte Ratanakiri ?)
Merci de vos avis
Oui, les transports sont très longs dans ces pays et 15 jours cela fait très court. Si l'arrivée est Hanoï et le retour Saïgon, je crois qu'il faut rester au Vietnam entre la Baie d'Halong, la région de Ninh Binh, Hué et Hoï An, puis Dalat, Saïgon et le delta du Mékong, il y a déjà beaucoup à faire et même 15 jours c'est un peu court pour tout cela.
Regardez sur notre blog le temps que l'on a mis pour chaque étape.
Difficile comme cela de faire le bon choix, mais faire toute la péninsule indochinoise en 15 jours en passant par le Laos et le Cambodge, ce sera un vrai marathon.
Bon voyage.
Je confirme que c'est toujours d'actualite, je viens de passer la frontiere aujourd'hui.
Depart de DBP a 5H30, arrivee a Muang Khua vers 13H30.
J ai donc meme pu prendre le dernier bus en partance pour Udomxai (15h30)
Par contre la station de bus est a 2-3 kms de Muang Khua mais un songthaew pres de la riviere vous y emmene pour 5000 Kips.
Nous voulons passer du Vietnam au Laos fin avril 2010. Nous terminons notre sejour au Vietnam par Hanoi. On aurait donc envie de passer par le 'nord': au choix…
Nous sommes actuellement au Laos et souhaitions entrer au Vietnam par le poste frontière de Sop Hun grâce à l'extension de visa de 15 jours pour ensuite aller…
La frontiere est elle bien ouverte a tay trang pour passer du laos au vietnam? J ai lu ca et la que la frontiere etait ouverte mais pas de discussion tres…
Je vais traverser la frontière du Vietnam au Laos de Dien Bien Phu à Muang Koua. - À quel prix dois-je m'attendre pour le bus? -En quelle devise puis je payer…
Du 05 janvier au 15 avril, nous partons avec mon épouse pour un tour d'Asie du su Est (Thaïlande, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodge). Nous devons passer la frontière…
Hi there,
I’m heading to Senegal in January for a month and was wondering if I just need my French driver’s license or if I should get an international permit?
Thanks!
JL
Hi,
I’m bringing Seresta, an anxiolytic (tranquilizer) from the benzodiazepine family,
to help me sleep.
I’ll have the prescription with me.
Will this be a problem at customs, and do I need to declare it?
Same question for antibiotics?
Thanks a bunch!
I’m heading to Laos next spring, but I have a question about the Thai arrival/departure form. I’ll be flying PAR-BKK, then taking the train to Laos (so exiting Thailand), and later re-entering Thailand by train to catch my return flight. Do I need to fill out two forms in this case?
Hi there,
I have a 9-seater passenger vehicle that I use for my business in Paris, transporting people.
I’m planning to go to Algeria with my family.
The vehicle registration lists my company as the owner.
Can I get a TPD (Temporary Admission Document)?
Will I need a KBis extract or a power of attorney?!?
Thanks for your help.
Worst case, I can add my personal name as a co-owner on the registration, but that would be a real shame!
Hi,
I’m writing to ask for some info—I’ve heard that you **must** have travel insurance to land in Zanzibar.
What’s the process, and which insurance should I get?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Best,
Seb
Hi there,
I’m a French citizen living in Switzerland, and I set up an RV LLC in Montana, USA. Through that, I was able to register 3 vehicles (an RV, a Jeep, and a Harley) with Montana plates.
I’d like to spend 3 months in Mexico, but it seems complicated—maybe even impossible—to cross the border from the US with all 3 vehicles.
Can anyone give me some advice?
Hi, are there any travelers who’ve recently crossed the border between Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan) and Beineu in Kazakhstan?
It was closed for a while.
Thanks for any info!
I bought a one-way flight (Ryanair) and a return flight (EasyJet) to spend a week in Morocco in April.
My passport expires 3 weeks after the return date.
Some websites say the passport must be valid for 3 months at the time of entry.
However, it will still be valid both on entry and return, but its validity will only be 1 month at the time of entry (and 3 weeks on the return date, everything prepaid).
It's an individual family trip.
The consulate can't give me an answer—they're still looking into it (really!)
Last year, we stayed for 3 months in Thailand, north of Khao Lak, and were able to benefit from the 2-month visa exemption, renewable for one month by going to Takua Pa to validate a 1-month extension (1,900 baht).
This year, it’s a disaster for us—not only were we planning a 4-month stay, adding a visa run in between (which some say is quite risky), but the law is apparently changing in the coming months with the return of the 1-month exemption (plus the usual 1-month option). So, we looked into applying for a 6-month multiple-entry visa, allowing a maximum of 60 consecutive days in Thailand. However, I can’t find anywhere the minimum time required outside Thailand between two stays—do any of you have an idea?
Thanks for the info! If you’d like tips on Khao Lak and the surrounding areas, we’ve got some experience, though things change fast!
Cheers,
Bruno.
My partner, our 8-year-old daughter, and I are going on vacation to Gex.
We’ve decided to spend one day in Switzerland and another in Italy. Will we need ID (national ID card or passport)? Do we also need ID for our daughter?
Hello,
We’ll soon be moving to Madagascar long-term.
As a French national, I need to obtain a short-stay visa that can be converted to a long-stay one. To do this, I have to send the required documents to the Madagascar embassy in Paris.
No issues with that procedure so far.
If I get this visa, once I arrive in Madagascar, I’ll need to provide the same documents to the Ministry of the Interior in Anosy. I’m trying to find an email address or website for the Ministry to check which documents I need to submit (I think they ask for additional ones).
If you have any info on this, I’d appreciate your replies.
Best regards,
M. Buisson Eric
I’d like to know if anyone has already applied for a private visa to Russia with an invitation from a Russian resident.
I traveled earlier this year with an e-visa, but since I want to stay longer, I’ll be visiting my friend who lives in eastern Russia.
For the visa application, does the invitation need to be on an official paper form issued by the Russian ministry? And most importantly, do I need to present the original for the application, or is there an electronic version that can be sent directly to the consulate in France?
Thanks for any info if you’ve gone through this process before!
I filled out the B2 form to apply for a visa, created an account on Atvis to pay the visa fees and schedule a meet-up, but every time I try to pay with my Boursobank Visa 1st card, they refuse the payment with a message telling me to check my details (address), even though everything is correct. Does anyone know why this is happening, or maybe they don’t accept Visa cards? Are you aware of this?
Thanks for your feedback!
Elisabeth
There are rumors going around about the ETA: it must absolutely be on your smartphone in the "ETA" app.
Paper documents might not be accepted.
Is this real or just a hoax?
Thanks, I’m leaving in 3 weeks. My passport is good to go and my ETA is still valid for a year, but I only printed the email I received.
Thanks everyone.
Hi there,
We need to apply for a B2 visa because we visited Iran in 2018. It currently costs $185, but they’re planning an additional $250 fee per person for the same visa—it’s been approved but not yet implemented. Does anyone know when this fee will take effect?
Thanks in advance!
Elisabeth
Hi there,
In November, we're heading off on a 4-month trip. We'll be landing in China and plan to leave the country via a land border into Vietnam.
I’ve read that China may ask for proof of exit within 30 days (flight ticket or other reservation). Since we’d be leaving by land, I’m wondering how this works in practice.
Has anyone here been in this situation recently?
Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding?
Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival?
Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient?
Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?
Hi there,
Just a question that’s probably been asked before (though usually the other way around for my situation :))
My wife and I are heading to the US.
On her ticket, it only has her maiden name (e.g., Martine DUPOND).
On her passport, it’s written as Martine DUPOND épouse AVRY.
No issues for travel, I hope I did the right thing with the ticket?
Then for the ESTA, is just Martine DUPOND enough, or do I need to include the "épouse AVRY" part like on the passport?
Thanks in advance!
Hi there,
I’m spending a few days in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) and would like to cross the Argentine border to make a loop toward Salta and then return to Chile to drop off the rental car.
I’ve heard that crossing the border can be tricky!
Is it possible with a rental company’s authorization? Which company, and at what cost?
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Best regards,
Arnale
I saw on the French Embassy in Peru’s website and the Peruvian Consulate in Paris’s site that the rule is to have a passport valid for 6 months *after the arrival date* (not the return date).
I arrive in Peru on August 13, 2019 (for about twelve days), and my passport is valid until February 16, 2020.
That’s 6 months and 3 days after my arrival date in Peru. In my opinion, I’m good to go.
But could I still be denied entry if they say I don’t cover the return date or that I’m too close to the 6-month mark?
I read on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that it’s possible to apply for a temporary driving permit in China, valid for 1 month.
I’m planning to rent a car (without a driver) to explore part of the country next August, so I was wondering:
Has anyone here already gone through this process upon arrival?
How long do the formalities take on the spot?
Is it possible to handle these steps in advance, before arriving in China?
Hi there,
My departure is slowly approaching, and now that I’ve got my Russian visa sorted, I’m fine-tuning the rest of my trip to Tajikistan. Since the Tajik visa is no longer required for stays under 30 days (for French nationals), I’ll need to visit the Ministry of Interior (OVIR) to register within 10 days of entering the country. No big deal, though, since I had to go there anyway to apply for my GBAO permit. 😉 However, I’ve *seen* several reports from travelers (mostly motorized) mentioning that you need an entry permit for Kyrgyzstan, which has to be arranged in advance at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) in Dushanbe. Otherwise, you’re *stuck* at the Kyzyl-Art border (with no Wi-Fi, of course, to try and sort it out). The most recent report was from a year ago, so I’d love to know if this is still the case and if it’s indeed at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) where you need to go for this pre-authorization.
Does anyone have any recent info on this?
Thanks in advance!
Hi everyone.
I’m leaving for almost 3 months in the Philippines (11 weeks total) starting in early May.
I already have my round-trip ticket.
The problem is, I don’t have time to get a 2-month visa because the process takes nearly a month.
From what I’ve read here and there, I need a return ticket valid for less than a month when I arrive in the Philippines to prove my good faith.
After that, I can apply for a 30-day extension at the immigration office.
I’m planning to either buy a fully refundable ticket to the nearest country or a fake ticket.
For 3 months, I’ll need to extend my visa two more times before my return date to France.
My question is this:
Will immigration ask me each time I extend my visa by one month to show proof of an exit ticket matching the new visa extension date?
Is it possible to extend directly by 2 months before the initial 30 days expire?
Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips! 😊
I’ve been to Thailand several times, but it was about 20 years ago…
There’s a new system in place now, it seems.
TDAC – Thailand Digital Arrival Card.
Before arriving, I apply for a TDAC, okay.
If during my stay I cross the border to spend a few days in Malaysia and then re-enter Thailand,
do I need to submit a new TDAC application?
Do I use the same TDAC as when I first entered the country?
Or do I initially have to pay for a Thai multi-entry visa?
Thanks in advance for your insights—I can’t find the answer online.
My partner (Mexican) entered France on January 21st as a tourist. She was therefore entitled to stay for 90 days in the Schengen Area. She’ll be leaving for Mexico on April 16th, so she’ll have “used up” 86 days.
She plans to return to France on July 18th. According to the European Commission’s Schengen calculator, this new stay “may be authorized for a maximum of 90 days.” That’s not very clear ("may be," "for a maximum of").
The text of Article 6 of the European regulation (2016/399) states that for a stay planned in the territory of the Member States, not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period, one must examine "the 180-day period preceding each day of the stay." That’s not very clear either.
My partner wants to return to France for a 90-day period starting on July 18th. Is this possible?
There are two ways to look at it:
1) The first day she spent in the Schengen Area was January 21st. That day will drop out of the calculation 180 days later, on July 20th.
From July 20th, she’ll get back 1 day of possible stay; on July 22nd, 2 days; and so on. All the days from her previous stay (January 21st–April 16th) need to be outside the 180-day rolling window.
The last day of her stay was April 16th. Looking 180 days ahead, that brings us to October 13th. From that date, she’ll be able to return for a full 90 days.
2) The number of allowed days is calculated for each day of the new stay. In other words: the 180-day window is recalculated every day, not fixed at the entry date.
If she re-enters France on July 18th, she’ll only have a “credit” of 4 days. But with each day of her new stay, one day from the previous stay (January–April) will drop out of the calculation. The rolling window allows her to “replace” days from the previous stay with those of the new stay, without ever exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period.
In this case, my partner could stay in France for 90 days starting on July 18th.
The Prefecture doesn’t provide any information, nor does Air France, and in the forums I’ve checked, opinions are divided. Thanks for any insights you can share!
Hello,
We’re planning to travel to Indonesia (Sulawesi with family) next July and August for a stay longer than a month (about 6 weeks).
I’ve seen that it’s possible to get a 60-day visa before departure, but I’ve also read about people having a lot of trouble getting it (some even didn’t manage and had to leave without it).
We absolutely need to have these 4 visas BEFORE leaving because once we’re in Sulawesi, I’m not sure we’ll be able to go to an embassy to request a visa extension after 30 days.
In short, how can we **100% guarantee** that we’ll get our 4 60-day visas before our trip this summer?
Hello, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026!
We’re heading back in October for a trip through Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
I have a question: for our route, we’ll need to cross the Zambia and Zimbabwe borders twice each. From experience, I know we won’t have any issues with Botswana.
But for the other two countries, I can’t find a clear answer.
All your tips are welcome!
I’m currently a student on a gap year, and I don’t plan to go back to school right away. That said, traveling really interests me. But I’ve been wondering: does being a student come with any perks when you decide to go abroad? The real question is whether I should re-enroll in a program just to keep that status without actually attending.
