Travelling from Vietnam to Cambodia (By Bus)

The best thing about travelling in Asian cities is the possibility of going to neighboring countries by bus. Because of Asia's geographical features, it's easy and cheap to hop from one city to another. Three of the cities that I've been eyeing on to visit can easily be reached through a bus. Just recently, I got a chance to visit the major cities in Vietnam and Cambodia in three days!

travelling to Cambodia from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam

I first arrived in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and booked a bus bound for Phnom Penh. I would have prefered a bus direct to Siem Reap but there were no trips available. The tour agent assured that getting a bus going to Siem Reap was a piece of cake despite the holidays and he didn't dissapoint me. Upon arrival in Phnom Penh, I booked a bus to Siem Reap which departed in about 10 minutes. I even had to hasten to get my things in the bus luggage compartment. No sweat! 

District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City is a haven of tour agencies offering different tour packages. They also accommodate sleeper bus trip reservations to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh. From Ho Chi Minh, it takes around 6-7 hours to reach Phnom Penh this is because the immigration queue may be a little unpredictable. Usually it takes 30 minutes to an hour of wait time at the immigration. 

Upon reaching Phnom Penh, passengers are usually dropped off at the tour agency office. From there you can either hire a tuktuk to go to your hotel or get bus tickets for Siem Reap. Buses bound for Siem Reap depart every hour. While there are also vans, buses are more comfortable for another six-hour bus ride. 

From Siem Reap going back to Phnom Penh or Ho Chi Minh City, it is even easier to book a bus ticket. In my case, I booked on the same bus company I took from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap . You can also ask help from hotel staff to in reserving bus tickets. They are often more reliable since they've somehow created partnerships with these companies.

Night buses are really comfortable so I always choose to travel at night. It spares my day time for exploring tourist spots instead of spending it for travelling. 

Part of Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh travel time should also include the time spent for queueing in the immigration. Normally, the bus conductors collect the passports of all passengers and prepare them for immigration. The passengers are asked to go down and wait. You literally don't need to do anything since it's the bus driver/conductor who takes care of the rest. Once all passports are stamped, everyone is asked to go back to the bus. Just after a couple of minutes, you'll be asked to disembark again to cross the borders. For most Asians, entering Cambodia for up to 30 days is visa free. 

Transportation in Cambodia

Tuktuk is the major means of transportation in Cambodia. It's the most popular public ride in the city. Most of the tuktuk drivers though, prefer tourist services so their rates are tour package based. Although I took a tuktuk ride from the bus dropoff to my hotel for a fixed rate which was around 2 USD but really, my hotel was actually just a 5-minute walk from the tour agency office.



Getting to Phnom Penh airport by tuktuk was my worst nightmare. I had to take the tuktuk ride for lack of option. It was slow but sure; I know I'll get to my destination safe and sound but I didn't expect that traffic in Phnom Penh to be really bad. I had to rush like I was running for my life but still ended up missing my flight. Sad story, I know right? Lessons learned.

Don't worry about money exchange

One of the things I like about travelling to both major cities in Cambodia is that I didn't have to exchange my USD with Cambodian Riel. Even small store owners would prefer USD. I just had a few riel bills from change. Sometimes, I ask for riel instead of dollars  so I could keep at least one bill for my travel collection. Some parts of Phnom Penh also accept Vietnamese Dong especially those stores near the borders. Vendors just do a quick conversion which I'm not sure if it was accurate. If you're travelling from Ho Chi Minh and you'd want to spend your remaining VND, you can spend it with food in Phnom Penh. The bus actually stops for dinner in a restaurant with a convenience store few minutes after crossing the borders.

The only thing that I noticed though was that everywhere you go, in Cambodia, a dollar (1USD) seemed to be the cheapest price even for a small bottled water. It was kinda expensive compared to the 5VND (.22USD) bottled water in Vietnam.

Worth it?

The long hours of travel were all worth it. Just an advice though, travel at night so you won't waste day time by travelling. If you aren't a budget traveller, a plane ride could be a much more convenient option. There are international airports both in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Just don't miss your flight especially in Phnom Penh Airport; it's not open 24 hours. Yes, it's closed from 12 (midnight) to 6 AM.

Despite the unpleasant circumstances I had in Cambodia, I definitely want to come back in the future. Cambodia is a plethora of culture and history. I'd say you've never really toured Asia unless you've stepped on the historical grounds of Cambodia.