Thailand restricts tourists from driving themselves from Vietnam

New regulations restrict Vietnamese, Chinese, Myanmarese, and Cambodian tourists from driving to Thailand. To get a license, tourists need to apply 10 days in advance and pay 500 baht.

Bangkok Post reported on March 15 that international tourists were restricted from driving motorbikes and cars from their home countries to Thailand. Accordingly,Only cars with nine seats or less and trucks with a gross vehicle weight of no more than 3.5 tonnes are allowed in Thailand. Motorcyclists need a license and their vehicles must be inspected by the authorities.

The new rule applies to tourists from China, Myanmar, Cambodia and Vietnam. "Many Chinese tourists like to drive themselves in Thailand, but this will no longer be the case in the future," CDirector of the Roads Department Sanit Phromwongsaid.

Due to issues related to vehicles such as accidents and environmental impacts, Director General Sanit Phromwong said the ban is mandatory and only allows certain types of vehicles to move in certain areas during certain times.This is one of the measures to control the flow of tourist vehicles in Thailand, especially in the North.

A tourist car in Chiang Mai has a "welcome" sticker. Photo: Bangkok post

Tourists who want to use self-driving vehicles must request a vehicle inspection from Thai tour operators at least 10 days before their trip. Transport officials will check border provinces to consider issuing permits.

These cards must be placed in the vehicle in a visible place for inspection by Thai officials. To obtain the card, tourists must pay a fee of 500 baht (more than 310,000 VND). Vehicles are allowed to circulate only in the provinces that tourists enter. The permitted period is 30 days for each trip, and the permitted period is no more than 60 days in a year.

"If any international tourists break the law, the violation will be recorded and forwarded to the Ministry of Transport to consider whether to allow them to return to Thailand or not. However, the regulation does not apply to vehicles from Laos, Malaysia and Singapore because Thailand has a common treaty on the use of international cars," Mr. Sanit added.

According to VNE