Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Crossing the border from Vietnam to Cambodia

5am is too early for us but we've no choice coz our bus going to Pnhom Penh Cambodia will be picking us up at 6am. Never mind, we can continue our sleep with the 6 hours travel time we have.

Bus tickets cost us $ 12/person/way Saigon to Pnhom Penh and back Saigon. Total $ 24/person 2way. I originally wanted to book Mekong Express bus but our hotel receptionist sold us Kumho bus company. Maybe he has more commission for Kumho than Mekong express but what the heck. All buses plying the route from Saigon and Pnhom Penh is just same same. They're all comfortable with reclining seats and toilet inside the bus.

One thing funny though, everytime the conductors announces something , like we have to go down for immigration or stopover, he always talk in cambodian language which leaves every passenger dumbfounded. Hahahaha how in the hell can we follow what he says?

Finally, after 4hrs or travel , we arrived at the Vietnam border of Moc Bai .


The Moc Bai (Vietnam) to Bavet (Cambodia) is the longest established border crossing which is mainly used as bus route between HCMC and Pnhom Penh.

The bus parked in front of Moc Bai immigration office and us passengers had to go down for checkpoint and for our passport exit stamp.
In this picture, the bus is now leaving the Moc Bai border to go to the Bavet border.

Upon entering the Cambodian Border (Bavet) you will see a big sign.

And this is how the Cambodian Immigration office looks like.


And the road just after exiting the Cambodian border is a haven for casino lovers.
There is a stopover for lunch at the Cambodian border but if you're not that hungry don't bother eating there at all . Food is crap and overpriced. Tip:Better yet bring something to snack on before boarding your bus going to Pnhom Penh. Bottled water is served free of charge inside the bus.

One hour before getting to Pnhom Penh City, the bus will have to cross a river by barge.
I was taking this picture while i was inside the bus. You may get off the bus during this 10 minute ride but you will be hounded by beggars and street vendors.

No comments:

Post a Comment