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sandinista445 · Joined: 30 Oct 2004 Posts: 136 Location: 世界

I'm planning a trip through South East Asia, and I have a question regarding transportation through Cambodia. I'm wondering if there is a safe and easy way to get across Cambodia (from Vietnam to Thailand) other than flying?

I've read that train travel in Cambodia is dangerous. Is there a safe alternative? Is there a bus line that crosses the (tiny) country?

I really want to see a little bit of Thailand after I see Vietnam, but my budget for transportation will be limited.

isanity · Joined: 05 Nov 2004 Posts: 179

It's impossible to take the train from the Vietnamese border anyway- the only passenger service runs west from Phnom Penh. Wink

There are no buses as such in most of the country: the local equivalents are pick-up trucks. I wouldn't go so far as to call them safe, but as long as you keep your luggage with you and don't flash any valuables, you're more likely to die in a car crash than to be robbed and murdered. For everything to know about travel in Cambo, see http://www.talesofasia.com/cambodia.htm .

busan · Joined: 18 Jan 2005 Posts: 7

i don't know if you've left yet, but you can get a bus from saigon to phnom penh, then to seam reap, and on to bangkok if you want. i did this the opposite way and it was very cheap. although, i was loaded like cargo into a hilarious "van" and made to stop at the drivers' friends' overpriced restaurant and persuaded to buy overpriced accomodation and overvalued currency, but if you just buy the cheap bus tickets and don't let anyone sell you anything it's an extremely inexpensive way to get around. i loved cambodia by road! don't wear anything that can't be thrown away after the trip.

it's easy to find a travel agent in SE asia to get you wherever you want to go. don't buy your tickets to get around online or anything, get everything there. also, i flew once from hanoi to bangkok for a hundred bucks. i think the price from saigon is about the same.

one more thing - if you go overland, don't get your visa at the border. it's convenient, but you can save twenty bucks by sorting it out in advance.