Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) - Bus - Minor Crash

Due to the success of our last journey with Giant Ibis, we decided to book our transport with them again by visiting their booking office near the night market in Phnom Penh. However, a few days prior to this, we arranged to have our Vietnam visa sorted with a local travel agency. They were located on Preah Sisowath Quay (riverfront) but I’m unsure of their name, it cost $40 dollars for a 30-day UK citizen visa and took a couple of days. It’s important that you sort out your Vietnamese visa in advance! There is an exception to this though as a lot of countries can get a free 15-day visa.

Scenic bus ride

We booked onto the 8am bus departing to Ho Chi Minh City for $18 dollars per person. We arrived half an hour early and boarded the bus in good time and received a complimentary bottle of water and Blue Pumpkin pastry. The first leg of the journey to the border crossing takes around 4 hours with a brief stop during this where they collect all your passports to get the appropriate stamps and to check you have a visa if required. The rep will also get the passports stamped at the Cambodian border control to speed up the process.

There was then a quick stop between each border at a duty-free shop and restaurant for around 15 minutes. This bit got a little confusing as we had a quick look around and decided to wait back on the bus. The bus then left with only half the people on it and it caused a lot of confusion and stress for those who had someone not on the bus! No answers were given when asked to go back and we were dropped off at the Vietnamese border control. I presume they then went back to get the others however I don’t understand why they just didn’t initially wait.

Vietnamese passport control then took a very long time to get through as many people were waiting and only a few members of staff were working. Unfortunately, this room was very hot and it took a good hour to get through this process! Next is the x-ray machine for luggage which again is busy and then you all line up to have your passport checked again. This took a while as only one person was doing this and most Vietnamese people seemed to think they could walk to the front of the queue!

After all of this we got on the bus again and headed for Ho Chi Minh City. We were now driving on a much better dual carriage way to those in Cambodia and were making good time until… As most people know-the buses here don’t hang around. We were driving down a dual carriage way alongside a lorry and both seemed to want a race! However, a minute later, the inevitable happened and we collided with the lorry. Thankfully this was only a small crash, a lost wing mirror and some scrapping of the side but it could have been a lot worse! This highlighted the true danger of travelling on buses in Asia, so please be aware of the risks before travelling around.

Very busy in Ho Chi Minh City!

We carried onto Saigon centre and got dropped near the Giant Ibis agency which is round the corner from the main backpackers street! From here you can get a taxi or walk to a local hotel or hostel, we chose the latter.

In conclusion, this journey was certainly an experience and we were glad to finally arrive! I still believe that Giant Ibis is still a good company to use but be aware of the dangers of travelling on roads in South East Asia.

2 out of 5

Kampot to Phnom Penh - Minibus

After a few fun days exploring Kampot on scooters, we were on the move again back to Phnom Penh where we briefly stopped earlier. We decided to book our minibus with Giant Ibis this time after reading various positive reviews online! They have an office in Kampot and we booked onto the 14.45pm minibus the day before departure with no problem. There is also the choice of a minibus leaving at 8am. This journey cost $9 dollars each which is quite pricey for a 3-hour bus drive (in South-East Asia at least!).

Leaving Kampot

We arrived at the Giant Ibis office half an hour before departure and left on time for Phnom Penh. Onboard the bus you get a free small bottle of water and a pastry from Blue Pumpkin. These were both a nice little something to keep you going. The minibuses are quite big and styled more like a regular bus with an aisle down the middle. Plenty of room for everyone and the air con was very much appreciated!

The final part of the journey heading into Phnom Penh was quite busy and took a little longer than anticipated. You get dropped off at the Giant Ibis office in Phnom Penh that is located next to the night market. Beware that plenty of tuk tuk drivers await you as you depart the bus! We decided to walk instead with only staying ten minutes away.

Time for a cheap beer in PP!

All in all, another hassle-free minibus journey and we would definitely recommend using Giant Ibis.

4 out of 5 

Sihanoukville to Kampot - Minibus

After a few days of relaxing on Otres Beach, Sihanoukville it was time to move on again with our travels. Our next stop along the coast of Cambodia was Kampot!

We decided to book bus tickets at our final hotel as we weren’t too near to any travel agencies. We were staying at the Heart of Venice which was lovely for a couple days by the pool. We picked the bus leaving at 10.30am for $6 dollars per person.

Not a bad price to pay

The company we had booked with were called Champa Tourist Bus and they offered the standard ‘hotel to hotel service’ which was usually never true! We were the last people to be picked up and had to settle for the front two seats of the minibus. The inside of the minibus wasn’t to the standard of other companies such as Mekong Express however, it wasn’t a problem for such a short journey!

It took around 1 and half hours to reach Kampot with some more top speed driving! Driving in Cambodia seems to be like one big race! We got dropped off in the centre of Kampot near most of the main hostels/hotels, we were staying at Captain Chim’s. Overall a relative quick minibus journey for Asia with no problems.

The road keeps going and going...

4 out of 5

Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville - Minibus

We stayed in Phnom Penh for only a couple of days as a layover on our way to Sihanoukville with the plan of returning at a later date. We stayed at the RS Guesthouse, not far from the river front and within easy walking distance of the main tourist sites such as the Royal Palace.

For our next minibus journey to Sihanoukville, we decided to just take our chances and book with a travel agents along the river front (road - Preah Sisowath Quay). We decided to pay slightly more to use Mekong Express again and picked to depart at 8.30am the following morning. This cost $10 US dollars each which seemed reasonable for a 4 and half hour journey. Of course, you can find much cheaper deals with other companies but we have had fairly pleasant experiences with Mekong Express.

The following day we were picked up from our hotel around 8am and departed for Sihanoukville. We quickly discovered this wasn’t a Mekong Express bus and we had been conned into using another bus company even though Mekong Express was printed on our ticket. Luckily, the journey itself wasn’t too bad as the minibus was air conditioned and comfortable. The journey took just under 5 hours with one stop, before we pulled up into the middle of Sihanoukville.

Quick stop for a drink!

We were opposite a North Face shop with plenty of taxis waiting for us. With us planning on staying in Otres beach, the drivers quoted us $10 for the short taxi journey. This was way too high and we decided that we would walk off to find another one. Thankfully, one of them agreed to a $6 taxi fare in a pickup/tuk tuk that drove us to our booked accommodation in Otres Beach.

Not a bad journey however I’m unsure what the bus company was called. Make sure you have maps downloaded on your phone for when you arrive otherwise you’ll have to use an expensive taxi!

3 out of 5

Battambang to Phnom Penh - Minibus

After exploring Battambang for a couple of days, we moved onto Cambodia’s capital city, Phnom Penh. After a good experience using Mekong Express, we decided to use them again for our next journey and booked tickets at their office. They had a range of times for the journey leaving at 7.00, 8.30, 9.30, 11.00, 14.30 and 17.00 for 12 US dollars. We only booked a day in advance and the 8.30am minibus was already full and there were only a couple of seats left on the other morning minibuses. We opted for the 9.30am departure and had to be at the office 30 minutes beforehand.

That morning we arrived at the office and boarded the minibus- as before, it was a VIP 11 seater minibus with plenty of room for everyone. We picked up a few other people and then made our way towards Phnom Penh. The roads are quite poor in Cambodia and the 300km drive took nearly 7 hours with a couple of breaks along the way. The final roads heading into Phnom Penh are very busy and in a real mess but they are currently being improved.

On the road to Phnom Penh

We pulled into a car park near the Mekong Express office North of Phnom Penh on National Highway 5. From here it is a 3.5km walk or drive to the Royal Palace. We decided to jump in a tuk tuk which cost us 4 dollars (which is still overpriced!). Of course, this tuk tuk service at the office is in place as at the time you don’t know how far away from anything you are.

Overall, we had no problems on the journey and had another good experience using Mekong Express. They do have a website if you want to find bus schedules/prices but I don’t know how secure it is for making bookings.

4 out of 5

Siem Reap to Battambang – Minibus

After a great few days exploring Angkor Wat and Siem Reap, it was time to leave and head towards Battambang. I had read about a few different bus companies in Cambodia online and opted to give Mekong Express Limousine Bus service a go. I located their office in Siem Reap (see photo below) and booked two seats for the 2pm departure at 8 dollars per person. They also have a minibus leaving at 8am.

Office address

We were picked up from our hotel at 1pm in a basic minibus and taken across to their office to wait for our departure time. Just before 2pm we boarded the minibus with our bags and we set off for Battambang. The minibus was very nice inside with leather seats and plenty of room for a maximum of 11 people although we only had 6 people for our journey. With no direct route between the two locations it does take nearly 4 hours with a 30-minute stop in the middle. The journey was fine with no major issues, the roads aren’t in great condition and expect plenty of overtaking on small main roads!

Terms and conditions

Once in Battambang we were dropped off near their office in the centre and plenty of tuk tuk drivers and hotel hosts were there waiting. I would advise not rushing into any decisions on the spot. We had already booked our hotel in advance and located it just around the corner.

Very quick and hassle free journey with Mekong Express, I would definitely use them again and recommend them to anyone!

4 out of 5

Bangkok to Siem Reap - Day Bus

With only a couple of days back in Bangkok, we quickly booked our bus tickets to leave before our visa’s expired. Our next country was Cambodia and we were heading 400km east to Siem Reap! Staying near Koh San Road again, we visited the travel agents we had previously used (see blog Bangkok to Koh Tao) which is located on Chakrabongse Road next to Boots. We booked onto the earliest bus for 800 baht each and had to be at the office for 8am the next morning for pick up. We knew that we could get visas on arrival as British citizens, however make sure your nationality allows this.

The next day we turned up at the travel agents around 15 minutes early and waited there for a good half an hour until our tickets were checked. We briskly walked around the corner to a single decker bus waiting to collect us and boarded. It was quite basic compared to other buses we had been on and we proceeded to head out of Bangkok on the highway with the bus was about three quarters full. I also noticed it was a left-hand drive bus which meant it must have been from Cambodia.

An hour into the journey, one of the guys at the front came walking down the bus saying we would stop in 30 minutes and everyone needed to pay 1,400 baht or $40 US dollars each for the Cambodian visa upon arrival at the border. We were told they would get our visas on our behalf but I knew it was $10 cheaper for each of us to do it ourselves at the border. He said quite clearly, we couldn’t. With little cash, I paid to withdraw more money from a cash machine when we stopped to cover the visa costs.

When we set off again for the final part of the journey in Thailand to the border at Krong Poi Pet, the guy went around collecting everyone’s money and passports from them. This time he said we could do it ourselves but it would take much longer and we would have to get off the bus. Me, my girlfriend and another traveller were the only ones who decided to take this option out of about 30 people on the bus.

When we pulled into the border, everyone on the bus had to disembark from the bus to walk through Thai customs. I’m not too sure what the others did after this but we walked over to the visa building on the right-hand side (read this on other blogs) and saw signs inside for Cambodian visas. Here they cost the standard $30 and a 100 baht processing fee, everyone seemed very nice and gave us the relevant forms to fill in. I had read previously of bad experiences but we had no problems, nobody tried to scam us and it was a very smooth process. Make sure you have the correct change and a current passport photo for the visa.

After this we headed to the Cambodian immigration point where everyone from the coach was already queuing to get stamped into the country. We filled in the entry forms and waited 5 minutes to present our visas and get stamped in Cambodia!

Some final points on the visa process; 

• Everyone must get off the bus to leave Thailand and enter Cambodia.
• It took us only about 5/10 minutes longer to get the visa on our own.
• We saved at least $10 dollars.
• Those who took the quicker and easier visa option had to wait for the others anyway.

After this it took around 2 hours to reach Siem Reap, the roads in Cambodia were much worse than in Thailand yet this was expected. We got dropped off at Neakpoan square (just south of pub street) and got told that we would have a free tuk tuk service to our hotel.

The tuk tuk driver spent a good 15 minutes trying to sell his services for transporting us around Angor Wat the next day, but with only just arriving we had no intention of committing to any plans. It got a little frustrating that he continued to try and in the end, we had to say no and sorry. If you say you’ll think about it, they will turn up at your hotel the next day and wait to talk to you. He then said the tuk tuk was no longer free and we would have to pay… We ended up having to pay $2 but we could of easily of walked. All part of the experience!

Angkor Wat

2.5 out of 5