Remote Vietnam and Laos by Bike

Passports and Visas

Please see the visa options for our Laos tours below:

“Hidden Tribes and Trails of Laos”: You can apply for an e-visa in advance, or obtain a visa on arrival at the Luang Prabang airport.

When applying for a visa on arrival, be sure to have cash in the amount of USD $50 per person or equivalent in THB, LAK, or EUR, in clean, pristine bills.

“Southern Laos by Bicycle” and "Remote Vietnam and Laos": Visas on arrival are obtained at the Laos border on Day 2 of the tour. E-visas are not available for this crossing.

When applying for a visa on arrival, be sure to have cash in the amount of USD $50 per person or equivalent in THB, LAK, or EUR, in clean, pristine bills.

“Cycling Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang”: Visas on arrival are obtained at the Laos border on Day 6 of the tour. You can also apply for an e-visa in advance.

When applying for a visa on arrival, be sure to have cash in the amount of USD $50 per person or equivalent in THB, LAK, or EUR, in clean, pristine bills.

“Biking Hanoi to Luang Prabang” and "Remote Vietnam and Laos": Visas on arrival and e-visas are not accepted for these border crossings (Pang Hok-Sop Hun and Nam Soy).

We would like to summarize your options to obtain your visa in advance:

1 - The most straightforward way is to get the visa from a Laos embassy or consulate near you. Please contact them directly. Please do this as soon as possible, as processing time can vary.

2 - We know that Laos embassies/consulates may not be within a reasonable distance of where you live. If that is the case, you may consider using a reliable Travel Visa agency such as CIBT who will take care of the process for you. Please do this as soon as possible, as processing time can vary.

3 - We can help to obtain your visa at the Laos embassy in Hanoi. This would require you to be in Hanoi before the beginning of the tour, and it cannot fall on weekend or national holiday. You need to submit the visa before 09:00 AM and will receive it in your passport in the afternoon of the same day. You need to prepare a passport-sized photo and your passport. The cost for this service is 45 USD/per person including the visa fee and transportation to the embassy. This needs to be paid in cash and in USD.

Further visa information:

The full list of entry points indicating where e-visas and/or visas on arrival are and are not accepted. https://immigration.gov.la/checkpoints/

The list of countries with visa exemptions for Laos (please see the column on the right-hand side, “Ordinary Passport”, for the visa exemption period): https://immigration.gov.la/visa-exemption/

Digital Immigration Registration:

The Laos government is piloting a Digital Immigration Registration arrival card system starting 1 September, 2025 at the following points of arrival:

Luang Prabang International Airport
Vientiane (Wattay) International Airport
Pakse International Airport
First Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge (Vientiane–Nong Khai)
Nationwide roll-out is expected 1 January 2026

Arrival:

1. Please submit Arrival registration within 3 days prior to arrival (you cannot submit before this time period). This will provide you with a QR code which should be saved on your phone or printed.
2. Show the QR code at immigration. Paper cards are not required at these pilot checkpoints.

Departure:

1. Please submit Departure registration within 3 days before departure and save or print QR code.
2. Show the QR code at immigration

Please note that the digital arrival card system does NOT replace the Laos visa or e-visa process detailed above. If you do not qualify for visa-free entry to Laos, you must still have a visa to enter the country.

Health

We recommend that you visit a travel medical doctor and ask about the following vaccinations: typhoid, polio, tetanus and hepatitis A. A certificate for Yellow Fever is required when arriving from an infected area within six days.

Weather

Laos has a tropical climate with fairly high humidity. There are three seasons: from March to June it is hot and dry, with temperatures between 27C and 40C (80-104F), with night temperatures in the 20C/75F). The rainy season is from June to October. The cooler season, is from November to February, with average temperatures between 20C and 30C (70- 86F). It can get a little cold at night at higher elevations year round so bring a light fleece for the evenings.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D =dinner. Most meals are local Laos food and feature noodles, curries and soups. Lao cuisine is very similar to Thai food and we make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Drink

Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere, but is NOT included in the price.

Solo Travelers

SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for travelling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveller of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.

Extra Expenses

We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$10, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive. As a general guide we suggest US$3-4 per person per day is appropriate.

Money

The official national currency in Laos is the kip, however, Thai baht and US dollars are also used, especially in larger cities and towns. In smaller towns and villages, kip is usually preferred. There are now a few ATMs in Laos, but they are not widespread and are operational only sporadically. The best overall exchange rates are those offered at the BCEL (Banque pour le Commerce Extérieur Lao). Licensed moneychangers rates are similar to banks Spend all your kip before you leave as no one will exchange it for you once you leave the country!

Passports and Visas

E-Visa

The Vietnam e-visa is now available to almost all nationalities. You can apply for a single or multiple-entry visa valid for up to 90 days. Application is through the Vietnam visa portal. Please note that e-visas cannot be used if you are joining Road Biking from Saigon to Angkor (more information in the Visa on Arrival section below).

Please carefully fill out the form and check the information you have entered. Even minor spelling errors will render the visa invalid and your entry to Vietnam will be denied.

For peace of mind, we suggest applying for your e-visa as early as possible, and no later than 2 weeks before your expected arrival in Vietnam. While processing time is generally no more than 1-3 working days (not including weekends and Vietnamese holidays), it is wise to give yourself some buffer time in case there are any issues.

If you are joining a multi-country trip beginning in Vietnam, please be sure to select the correct exit point from the list below:

• Saigon to Bangkok by Bicycle and Biking Saigon to Angkor Wat: Vinh Xuong Landport
• Remote Vietnam and Laos by Bike: Na Meo Landport
• Biking Hanoi to Luang Prabang: Tay Trang Landport
• Cultural Road from Hoi An to Angkor Wat: Le Thanh International Border Gate

If your SpiceRoads trip will end in Vietnam, please choose your point of exit as the airport, port or land border through which you have arranged to leave Vietnam.

Please keep a printed copy of your e-visa with you at all times, as it may be requested at some exit points.

Visa Exemption

Citizens of certain countries (including many European and Asian nations) can enter Vietnam visa-free for up to 45 days. Please check if your nationality is exempt here before applying for an e-visa. If you are on the exemption list, you still need to make sure that your passport is valid for at least 6 months from your date of entry and has at least two blank pages. You do not need to apply for anything in advance; you will simply receive an entry stamp at immigration upon arrival.

Visa on Arrival

If you are joining "Road Biking from Saigon to Angkor", e-visas are not permitted for the exit through the land borders we cross during the tour. Before the tour, our sales team will collect your passport and flight information from you, and we will provide you with the Visa on Arrival letter within 10 business days.

When you arrive in Vietnam, you will need to present the following at the Visa on Arrival counter:

• a printed copy of the Visa on Arrival letter, which we will have sent to you by email. You will also likely need this printed letter to check in and board your flight to Vietnam.
• the visa stamping fee (USD $25 for a single-entry visa). Please prepare the visa fee amount in cash, using USD or the equivalent in Vietnam dong to avoid unfavourable airport exchange rates.
• two printed passport photos.

Your Visa on Arrival will be processed quickly, and you may then proceed to immigration to enter Vietnam.

Please ensure that you update our sales team if your passport or flight details change before the tour, as mismatched information will result in entry to Vietnam being denied. Changes to this information when a Visa on Arrival letter has already been issued will result in a charge for a new letter to be processed.

Health

See here for recommendations and detailed information.

Weather

Weather in Vietnam is divided into 4 main regions - the far north, north, central and south.

The far north can get very cold in December and January while the dry season runs from October to late March and the wet season between April to September.

In Hanoi & the north, it is hot, wet and humid from May to October while November to April is cooler and dry.

Central Vietnam experiences hot, dry weather between January & August with temperatures ranging in the mid 30°C. High levels of rainfall are during September - November.

Southern Vietnam is dry and hot from November to April, and warm and wet between May & October, with the highest rainfall in June, July & August.

Food

Meals are included as per the itinerary where B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner. Most meals are Vietnamese food and features noodles, rice curries and soups. Vietnamese cuisine is world famous and we make sure you sample as much variety as possible. Any special dietary requirements can also be catered for as well. Please let us know at the time of booking.

Drink

Keeping you completely hydrated is a job we take very seriously. Cold water, some energy-restoring local fruit, and soft drinks are included in the tour price while riding. Soft drinks and other beverages during meals are not included. Beer is freely available everywhere in Vietnam but is NOT included in the price.

Solo Travelers

SpiceRoads does not require you to pay a surcharge for traveling alone. We will arrange for you to share accommodation with another traveler of the same gender and if we can not match you up we will provide a single room at no extra charge. If you prefer not to share a single supplement is payable to guarantee your own room. The cost of the single supplement is listed above.

Extra Expenses

We recommend that you tuck away a few extra dollars, perhaps US$10, for incidentals. It is customary to tip local tour guides and drivers, however, the amount you give should be dependent on the level of service you receive. We will send you a tipping guideline before the tour begins.

Money

The official national currency is the Vietnam dong (d), but the US dollar is widely accepted in tourist centers. However, in smaller towns and villages the dong is preferred. ATMs are available in all major tourist destinations and big cities. Vietcombank has the best network with a single withdrawal limit of 2,000,000d (about US$125). Most major currencies can be exchanged at leading banks in Vietnam, but the US dollar is preferred away from the tourist centers. Changing US$100 will make you an instant millionaire! You cannot legally take the dong out of Vietnam but you can reconvert reasonable amounts of it into US dollars on departure.