A trial caravan tour across Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam has been successfully organized but the new form of tourism faces two major obstacles that should be jointly resolved by the three governments. 

The tour, which ended in Ho Chi Minh City Friday, was a pointer to the many opportunities that existed to develop caravan tourism, or cross-border traveling by road, between Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam, the organizers told a news briefing Thursday.

However, visa exemption and permission to use right-hand drive (RHD) and left-hand-drive (LHD) vehicles in the countries are issues that need to be addressed.

Vietnam only allows the use of LHD vehicles while in Thailand it is mostly RHD vehicles. Cambodia allows the use of both.

According to the Thai consul in HCMC, the governments of Thailand and Vietnam have agreed in principle to sign a bilateral agreement to resolve this problem.

A Cambodian Ministry of Tourism representative told the news conference his government waived visas for visitors from Singapore, the Philippines, Malaysia and Laos and expected to add Vietnam and Thailand to the list very soon.

The trial caravan tour began in Bangkok December 18, traveled through Siem Reap to Phnom Penh before entering Vietnam via the Moc Bao checkpoint in Tay Ninh Province.

Some 160 tour agents, members of the media, and business people from the three countries joined the motorcade comprising 30 cars and three buses.

Reported by Trung Binh – Compiled by Thu Thuy