Hi all,

I am travelling from hanoi down the coast to Ho Chi Minh (hoi an and Nha trang on the way) from 23rd July to 4th August. I am planning to do this by train. But when I get to Ho Chi Minh I am unsure of how to travel to Phnom Phen in cambodia. Can anyone give me advice on how to do this? i.e. by bus, or boat... how much it will cost and can i get the visa at cambodia border or do i need to apply for anything in advance? any other advice yo ucan give on this trip would be appreciated.

Cheers
Chris

Ps if your about lets get a party on the go! :)

Hi there
Why not try the bus from HCMC to PP? It took us about 6 hours on a private tour bus so the regular bus can't take much longer and I've heard it's quite cheap to travel this way - think it was about $12 - I'm sure others will have a more concrete answer! Had a chance to take some great photos on this bus journey - fried tarantulas at the market, giant pigs on the back of motorbikes, houses on stilts - which we would have missed if we went by plane. Not sure if the regular bus stops at these places of course, but hope it does! We got the e-visa for Cambodia in advance online which was really easy and was approx. $25 ($20 with $5 admin fee) but no probs to get the visa at the border. Are you going to Siem Reap after PP to see the Angkor temples? Have a great time! One of my best holidays!

sounds great! thanks. Will keep all this in mind.

Yeah we are only staying in Phnom Phen for one night then going straight to siem reap for a few days before going back down to Phnom Phen for a few days. Any advice for siem reap?

Thanks

Well, stayed at a really nice hotel called "Casa Angkor" which looked 4 star and only cost about £20-30 a night - that's if you are looking for a change from hostels. Hire a tuk-tuk driver to take you around the Angkor temples as you can hire the driver for the day, or hire a bike if you are fit for $2 a day or less! Be warned though, that the temples can be far away from each other and it may be very hot when you are there (it was in March!!). Make sure you visit the jungle temple Ta Phrom where Tombraider was filmed - great tree roots for photos! sounds strange but you'll see what I mean when you get there. Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei and Angkor Thom Temples also nice. There's a balloon you can go up in too (which was good) and they do helicopter rides, but didn't do this. Chong Kneas Floating Village - nice to visit too, but a bit out of SR. Lots of bars/restaurants to visit. Dead Fish Tower Restaurant has crocodiles in it and is quite unusual. We really liked Red Piano and Soup Dragon too. Food and drink is v. cheap compared to back home. Make sure you see the apsara dance show - Temple Bar and restaurant has a free show upstairs twice a night.

Get either the Sapaco or Mekong Express Buss (both these are non stop, not changing at the border). The ticket is US12, and the visa at the border is US20. The bus company charges an extra $5 for them to process, which I reccomend as it saves a load of time
Jonny

Ah cheers guys. very helpful! any recommended bars/clubs in Hanoi/hoi An/Nha trang/ho chi minh/phnom phen/siem reap?

Bars eh, I know a thing or two about that: Hanoi check out Le Pub (Matt the owner will point you in the right direction on whats going on up there). Saigon you have Vascos, great on the weekends, Lush nightclub, probably the most popular about now. Apocalypse is well what it is, you'll know what I mean when you get there. For Pubs try Sheridans Irish House, No 5, Underground, and the Saigon Le Pub, in the backpacker area and of course Go2 in De Tam.
You can get addresses from my tips or the web link on my home page

JonnyVN

Oh and in Phnom Penh try Green Vespa, Sharkys, up market Metro, touristy Press Club, expat hangout Rising Sun (great breakfast)
Jonny

Nice sounds like you know the bars and clubs places pretty well lol. Thanks for the advice!