How to Travel Cambodia from Vietnam.

Vietnam and Cambodia are in Southeast Asia and the territories are adjacent. Their border is long and has many crossing points that can be used to enter from and into these neighboring countries. Due to their proximity, the idea of going from one to the other in any order is not something uncommon. There are many similarities as well as differences between the two countries, and make the trip interesting in their own way.
As trips go, travelling to Cambodia from Vietnam is definitely a great idea, no matter if you’re a foreigner or if you reside in Vietnam and feel like taking vacations but close to home. Either way, both countries offer good tourist attractions and places to go sight-seeing. If you are a traveler, it is important that you remember to plan and research as much as you can. You need to keep yourself updated about the requirements for this trip. Consult books and visit as many web sites as you can so you can make an informed decision. Many take this for granted, but careless planning might ruin a trip. So, what do you need to know to travel from Vietnam to Cambodia?

Vietnam and Cambodia Visa Requirements

Many countries around the world require visas to allow their tourists in. And you will need one to travel to Cambodia from Vietnam. This might be considered a bit of a pain in the neck as the methods for obtaining them range from fairly easy to nearly impossible. However, we must understand that visas, in the first place, represent a security measure for the country as it regulates who can enter and who can’t. In the second place, visas makes it easier for the government to plan the annual budget for public transportation, road maintenance, and other important sectors related to the tourist industry. These two among other things that visas help with.

Generally, when you want to obtain a visa to travel from Vietnam to Cambodia you’ll need:
• A valid passport that won’t expire in the next six months and that has at least two blank pages available.
• Travelers will also need to submit a visa application form along with a couple of passport-size photos.
• When applying for visa from a country which is not your home country, you have to present the documentary proof that qualifies you as a temporary resident of that country from where visa application will be processed.

Luckily obtaining a visa to travel to Cambodia from Vietnam is relatively easy. There are three ways of doing it:
• Embassy: This is not the most commonly used method as there aren’t many Cambodian Embassies or Consular Offices outside Southeast Asia. Moreover, in this era of technology, if you’re planning your travel from Vietnam to Cambodia, having to make the application in person is definitely in the con side of the list when you’re comparing options.
• Visa on Arrival Service: As the name hints, with this service, you can obtain your visa when you arrive to the airport or to the land crossing point. The requirements and processing fee are the same as when doing the application through an embassy. The only difference is that if you do not have the passport-sized pictures, you’ll have to pay a fine. It is recommended that people wanting to travel to Cambodia from Vietnam process their visa before arriving as they might be overcharged by some of the less responsible border guards.
• E-Visa Service: This is by far the most popular option for the travelers as it is very fast and can be processed from anywhere with an internet connection. However, this choice has its cons too. This visa is only valid when using Phnom Penh and Siem Reap international airports to travel from Vietnam to Cambodia, or the land crossing point of Bavet/Moc Bai. Another con is that this type of visa can only be paid with a MasterCard or VISA credit card, no other payment method is available.

Travelling Methods
There are three ways to travel to Cambodia from Vietnam:

? Flight to Cambodia from Vietnam

– Cambodia features three airports which facilitate international flights. The flights can take off from several airports all over the country of Vietnam. Prices can vary, but in general, it is understood that this method is not one of the cheapest. It is, however, one of the fastest options (one to two hours) to travel from Vietnam to Cambodia, which might be important to consider if you’re planning a short trip.

? Travel Cambodia form Vietnam by Buses

- If you are planning a long-ish trip to Cambodia you should definitely consider this option as it is cheaper than the others. There are five border crossing points in the Cambodia/Vietnam frontier. The most popular and the oldest is the Bavet to Bai Moc crossing point since it is the closest to Ho Chi Minh. It is also near the cities of Phnom Penh and Saigon. It takes around six hours to travel to Cambodia from Vietnam when you use this method. There are other crossing points, but they are out of the normal tourist attractions. The only one that might be relatively useful when planning to travel from Vietnam to Cambodia is the Prek Chak to Xa Xia which is very close to the beaches of Sihanoukville, famous for their prettiness.

? Mekong river Cruises

This, too, is a good option for those planning long to long-ish trips. The trip to travel from Vietnam to Cambodia takes around six to seven hours and the ferries run several times a day. The cruise travels the Mekong River, which goes from north to south across Cambodia and ends in Vietnam.

You can go through the Visa on Arrival Service when the boat gets to the Kaam Samnor which further leads to the Ving Xuong crossing point. You can have your visa and passport inspected by the border guards that board the boat. However, there is also an option for those wanting speed: the speedboat service runs the same route and takes around four hours. It might not be as cheap as the bus service but the sights when travelling to Cambodia from Vietnam are prettier.

Make sure not to make a decision at the drop of a hat especially when it is about planning a trip to another country. You need to consider various factors including state laws, regulations, weather conditions, and most importantly, the budget. The selection of the travelling mode mainly depends on your budget. I’m sure that above information will help you in planning for your trip. Why you consider between Vietnam and Cambodia for your next trip while you can get both.