Posted by shaneaseymour on 3/1/2018 at 12:02

Traveling to Cambodia and Vietnam in February and would love to take my drone. Does anyone have advice/feedback based upon their own experience? I'm particularly concerned with customers entering Vietnam, where I've heard that your drone can sometimes be confiscated based upon the whim of the customs official.

#1 shaneaseymour has been a member since 10/1/2017. Location: Earth. Posts: 2

Posted by somtam2000 on 5/1/2018 at 19:26 admin

I'm not a drone user, but asked around and got the following information. I'm breaking this out by country and will add to it as I find out more information.

CAMBODIA
Summary: Drones are banned in the capital, but the ban is haphazardly enforced

1) Drones were banned in Phnom Penh in 2015, but practically this is generally not enforced.

2) An Australian has been in jail for over 6 months in Cambodia after being arrested after flying a drone over a political rally.

3) Drone flying over the capital, Angkor Wat and the surrounding ruins is prohibited.
Further reading:
Cambodia bans drones

THAILAND
Summary: Drone flying is legal but the drone must be registered, and the pilot licensed and insured

1) All drones must be registered with the NBTC (The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission) and the CAAT (Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand). See Richard Barrow’s detailed post on how to register your drone in Thailand.

2) If you are caught flying an unregistered drone, you face up to 5 years in prison in Thailand.

3) The registration process can take up to two months. This essentially makes it impractical for a casual traveller to fly a drone legally in Thailand.

4) Many areas, including religious sites, royal palaces and many many other tourist sites have already totally banned the flying of drones.

Further reading:
All drones in Thailand must be registered
How to register your drone.

VIETNAM
Summary: Flying a drone without permission is illegal

1) To be able to fly your drone in Vietnam, you need authorisation from the Ministry of Defence on a per-destination basis and each permission can take up to 3 weeks. This essentially makes it impractical for a casual traveller to fly a drone legally in Vietnam.

2) Do not fly into Danang with a drone—it will be confiscated and it may be confiscated at other ports of entry.

3) Practically, if you're out in the countryside, or a remote beach, then you may get away with it but don’t even think about it in the big cities.
Further reading
How to fly your drone in Vietnam ... legally.

I'll add more details in as I get more info!

#2 somtam2000 has been a member since 21/1/2004. Location: Indonesia. Posts: 8,065