Far East trip planning

[Martz]

Hi all, I am planning for my retirement gap year or two, with girlfriend back-packer, trip through the far east starting in Singapore with, hopefully, my own bike being shipped from UK to Singapore.
Trip to take in east coast Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, possibly Vietnam if its doable, doubling back via a different route back to Singapore.
The next bit I'm struggling with as we want to then go on to Lombok-Bali-Java-Sumatra and back to Singapore to then fly back to UK or France, shipping bike back again but unsure how to get from Singapore to Lombok at the moment.
This trip is to take place June/July 2025 - ????. No time frame

Questions.

* Is it better to buy a bike (under 3 years old) here and ship it or to pick one up once over in Singapore ?
* Bike to be 600-800cc, looking at Triumph Tigers as a possible..? Agility while loaded so thinking the 660cc options..
* What paperwork would I need to have with me to allow border crossings/police stops to go smoothly and where is best to obtain them from ?
* COE comes on bikes purchased in Singapore, would I need to purchase on UK bike ?
* Would I need an international drivers permit, I'm assuming YES, along with a couple of passport photos on white background I've heard..?
* Could we leave my bike in either Laos or Cambodia anywhere securely knowing it will still be there upon return a month or so later, then cross into Vietnam and rent a bike to do that country ?
* Will require nice hotels to stop over in so again if anyone can help in anything regarding this trip I will be eternally grateful.

Any help very much appreciated, never toured before so thought jumping in at deep end is best way and then post trip I'd hopefully be able to return the favour using the knowledge we pick up during OUR trip.
Cheers in advance
Martyn And Naomi

 

[blackwolf]

For the IDP - yes, you'll need that. If you settle down in one of the countries in the region, apply for a local license (including a car license), which will allow you to ride/drive around all ASEAN countries without an IDP. Cambodia offers a 10 year license, but to qualify you first need a 6 or 12 month extension of stay, go through a driving school (not compulsory, but makes the process easier) and if I'm not mistaken, there may be an upper age limit of around 60 or 70 (to be confirmed).

Not sure you can ship a bike to Singapore that isn't registered in either Malaysia or Thailand, unless you have a carnet de passage. Only Thai and Malaysian registrations are exempt here (though they would need to be driven into the country via one of the two checkpoints). Most riders / drivers ship their vehicles to Malaysia and go from there as Singapore isn't seen as worth the hassle.

If you're looking at purchasing a bike over here, try Malaysia. Definitely cheaper and easier than Singapore.

You may be able to take your bike on a RO/RO ferry between Malaysia and Sumatra (I think there's a ferry between Port Klang and Dumas). Island hopping between different Indonesian islands should be easy, especially Sumatra to Java and Bali (all three islands located very close to one another). Carnet de passage compulsory for all foreign registered vehicles entering Indonesia (exceptions being Malaysian vehicles entering from Malaysia to Indonesia in Borneo).

You can't leave your bike for extended periods in Laos. You might only receive 15 days on entry, with the possibility of a one time extension for a further 15 days. In 2023, they were granting 30 day permits, but these days, 15 seems to be the norm. Whether you can get a 30 or 45 day extension on a 15 day initial entry (rather than only 15 more days), I don't know. I've never needed to seek an extension in Laos; the longest I've ever had my vehicle in that country on any one trip was around 12 days. The sticker you receive on entry does state that you can only seek ONE extension. Normally, it's easier to cross over into Thailand then back to Laos than fumble around with in-country extensions. That said, as I've never done it before, I don't know how it works. Presumably, you'd need to go to the nearest border crossing you can find, talk to customs and see whether they can extend your paperwork for you.

In Cambodia, you can probably leave your bike parked for a few weeks, yes - but extend your temporary customs form on the app first. I'm not sure what the maximum length of stay for a foreign vehicle in Cambodia is, but the first time I used the new customs system, I received 60 days (2 months). The normal length is 30 days, which is extendable BUT the best thing to do is put whatever the longest length of time you think you'll need into the app, see if it accepts it, print the forms and show them to customs on arrival. Thus, if you need 60 days or even 90 days (including time parked) enter that. Always indicate more time than you'll actually need, as it's easier to seek more time when you first enter, rather than requesting this later. As I've indicated, it is possible to seek extensions on the app after entering, just that if you know you'll need more time, better to seek it prior to, or on arrival.

Parking at the border in Cambodia is a bit dodgy. Unlike at the Thai borders with its neighbors (including Cambodia), some of the larger Lao borders and Malaysia, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of parking at the Cambodian borders, certainly with Vietnam, there isn't anything trustworthy. There is no paid public parking at any of the borders with Vietnam that I've been to. The Cambodian border at Koh Kong seems to have some sort of parking area, but parking there wouldn't make any sense, as your intention is to come in from Thailand, travel around Cambodia then continue into Vietnam and back.

I used to park my car at Bavet customs (the largest and busiest border crossing with Vietnam) until one time, Cambodian customs told me I'm not allowed to park there. I then chose a casino right next to the border and paid the guard a little bit of money. I've done this twice, but to be honest, the vibes aren't good. On both trips, I only spent like 4 or 5 days in Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh); I don't think I'd feel comfortable keeping my vehicle parked there for a month. Especially if it's a motorcycle.

Other borders may be different (though from what I recall at another border further north, there's no public parking at the border at all and looks quite risky). Perhaps you could pay a hotel something to look after your bike, but I'd probably park at Phnom Penh airport and fly to Ho Chi Minh, as parking there is safe and secure. Also, most of the hotels at the border look shifty and hardly anyone speaks English, so it's difficult to communicate.

For Vietnam, see if you can do a tour, but if you don't like the sound or cost of that, just rent locally as you've indicated.

There are plenty of nice hotels in all SE Asian countries. However, depending on the country, don't expect any luxuries in rural areas or anywhere outside of tourist zones.

In Laos, nice hotels can be found in Vientiane, Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, UdomXai, Tha Khaek, Pakse / Bolaven, Nong Khiao, Luang Nam Tha, Savannakhet and Don Det / Muang Khong. With a couple of exceptions in a few other places (maybe Bokeo, Saiyabuli and Phonsavan), you won't find anything but basic Lao / Chinese or Vietnamese style hotels throughout the rest of the country.

In Cambodia, it's a similar story. Nice hotels are plentiful in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville, Koh Rong / Koh Rong Samlouen, Battambang and maybe Kampong Cham. The occasional nice ecotourism hotel in the Koh Kong area as well, other than that, you're looking at dodgy casino hotels (in border towns) or pretty basic stuff.

In Vietnam and Thailand, nice hotels can be found pretty much anywhere but the most isolated, rural hamlets.