Laos

Insurance
There is an insurance booth just beyond the customs shelter, on the right hand side, at the Vientiane border crossing.

The cost for 3rd party insurance for 20 days (15 days' cover - the length of the visa - is not available) was 433 Baht for my truck and trailer.

The trailer caused a slight concern, as they had not processed a private vehicle with a trailer before. A telephone call to another office resolved this.

A professional office, staffed by an English-speaking guy.

Lonely Planet Road Atlas - SE Asia
The Lonely Planet Road Atlas for SE Asia (1:1 000 000, ISBN 1-86450-102-2) is not entirely accurate for Laos. Especially when it comes to road numbering.

Despite the shortcomings of this publication mentioned in the Thailand information pages, as there are not many roads in Laos, this publication is still acceptable for this country.

Additionly, as most villagers in Laos will not be able to read, having place names in dual language, suitable for pointing out to locals is not really an advantage.

For Laos, as there are no better alternatives available, this altas is sufficient.