How do I get to Angkor Wat from Ho Chi Minh?

Question

What's the fastest way?

Are there low-cost carriers flying between Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh?

How much do plane fares cost?

How fast/slow are the buses?

Are there night trips for buses?

Are there trains between Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh?

Where can I get the trip schedules?

Thanks!!

Answer 1

I would encourage you to fly on the basis of speen and safety. There are still some somewhat unstable and lawless parts between HCMC and Siem Reap. I paid less than US$75 on Vietnam Airlines less than 2 years ago. There were a couple of flights a day then, now there could be more.

Overland there are options though these will be far longer. There is no train so it is a bus and boat combination. In the past one had to go via Phnom Penh which in my view is a wonderful city to see due to the security situation on more direct routes. Even overland to the Cambodian capital has some risk of a hold up. You really need to ask at your Embassy in Hanoi or Consul in HCMC for the latest advice.

There are multiple agents in HCMC who can offer you land options to reach Siem Reap but you should shop around. The agents I used 2 years ago may not be good now, best you ask travellers who have come the other way if you want the best up to date information. Be very sure to clarify what you are paying for but given the difference between a flight of under an hour and possibly 2 days hard travel I know my prefernce. As anywhere in Vietnam NEVER take the word of the first person you talk to, always as several for the best advice/deal - that even applies to the flight if you choose thar route.

Remember your photos and hard currency cash for the Cambodian visa if you don't have one and plan to fly or get that sorted through an agent if going overland to avoid nonsense at the border.

Good luck anyway.

Answer 2

I did this trip in reverse (Siem Reap  to HCMC), by bus. It was easy.

All travel agents in HCMC will be able to book you a bus ticket to Phnom Penn and the cost for these does vary greatly, so shop around, or better yet, ask some fellow travellers to recomend a reliable travel agent for you.

It takes about a day to make it to PP. From there, you will easily be able to book a ticket to Siem Reap for around $3.50. This leg of the trip takes about half a day.

All in all, the whole trip shouldnt cost more than $15.

The buses arent too bad for comfort other than they do get a little crowded. As for safety, it's luck of the draw. There is no risk of bandits or Khmer Rouge attacks on this route (some travel agents will tell you this to convince you to buy a more expensive ticket.) And the roads are quite good for Cambodian standards, but sometimes the bus drivers are a little reckless. The one thing I would recomend is that you watch your things in the border towns just inside Cambodia (They often stop for lunch there). These a sleazy dives that no one should stay in longer than they need to, and pickpockets and bag snatchers are not that uncommon.

Buses dont run at night in Cambodia either.

Also, dont book a trip direct to Siem Reap from HCMC in one go. This trip MUST be done in 2 sections in spite of what the travel agent tells you, and Ive heard of a lot of travellers being scammed this way, by being dropped off at a hotel in the middle of nowhere by this "Direct Bus" and being forced to pay over the odds for a nights accomodation. Go to PP and THEN go to Siem Reap, you cant avoid PP anyway.

Answer 3

catch a ride to chau doc , a boat to pheom phen and bus to angkor. not the fastest but a great experience