Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh is a popular route chosen by many people who plan to visit Vietnam and Cambodia. Let’s take a trip to see how getting to Phnom Penh from Ho Chi Minh. By the way, I would like to recommend some tips to make the best comfort for your trip.
There are a number of ways to travel between Ho Chi Minh and Phnom Penh. You can consider a flight, bus or speedboat (via Chau Doc). Detailed information is listed below, along with its pros and cons in my experience. First, let’s see how long it takes to travel from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh.
Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh distance and travel time
As far as you know, it’s not too far from Ho Chi Minh City (the largest city in Vietnam, commonly called Saigon, I will use both in my article) to Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia) . You will travel closely distance of 225 kilometers. As I mentioned above, your options are diverse and it depends on your budget and interests to choose which one is best among the options.
By plane, you will take a plane from Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City and then fly to Phnom Penh International Airport. The journey does not last more than 50 minutes, therefore, it is the fastest way between 2 locations.
In addition, if you want to travel further and if you have time, the bus will interest you. THE bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh is more or less 6 hours, which depends on traffic and whether the border is occupied or not.
If you still have more time, there is another choice which is to travel via Chau Doc to Phnom Penh in boat. However, you need to take the bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc first, and then take a boat ticket to Phnom Penh. You will need approximately12 hours for the entire trip.
How to travel from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh
There is 3 main routes to travel from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh:
- Air travel: It is easy to fly directly from Saigon to Phnom Penh. You can use the services of Vietnam Airlines, Cambodia Angkor Air, VietJet Air.
- Bus: many buses operate between Vietnam and Cambodia. Saigon to Phnom Penh is a popular route. Normally they use a seated bus equipped with air conditioning, the legroom is large and there will be an English-speaking guide who can help you at any time.
- Boat: The bus from Saigon to Chau Doc provides basic facilities such as air conditioning, water. They provide both sleeper boats and seating boats, choose the one that suits your budget. It’s not fast and you have enough time to enjoy the scenery along the banks.
I summarize the information of time, ticket and distance traveled in the table below. Let’s look at this.
| Transportation | Distance | Duration | Price |
| Air travel | 225 kilometers | 1 hour | 100 – 200 USD |
| Bus | 250 kilometers | 6 hours | 8 – 25 USD |
| Boat | ~ 330 kilometers | 12 hours | 43 – 81 USD |
Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh by plane
- Duration: 1 hour
- Ticket fees: 100 – 200 USD
- Program: direct transport
- Distance traveled: 250 km
This way, all you have to do is book your flight and then enjoy a cup of coffee or read a favorite book. After more or less 1 hour, you are able to set foot on the land of Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It’s such a short trip that it’s easy to move on.
You should check airlines that operate directly between Saigon (Vietnam) and Phnom Penh (Cambodia) to save time instead of costing you hours of transit in a third country. Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Cambodia Angkor Air are still available for flight tickets between Ho Chi Minh and Phnom Penh.
THE ticket prices are different among airlines and prices are also different on other days. Normally this goes from 100 – 200 USD per ticket. Let’s check their websites for a ticket or contact your travel agent for help with booking.
Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh by bus
- Duration: 6 hours
- Ticket fees: 12 – 18 USD
- Distance traveled: 250 km
- Program: direct transport
Giant Ibis, Mekong Express and Sorya buses are among the most famous bus companies that connect Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh. They all travel directly so you don’t have to change buses after crossing the border. Additionally, at the border they will help you complete the “exit” from Vietnam and enter Cambodia. These steps take a lot of time but it is much easier than doing it yourself with the help of bus staff.
| Bus company | Departure time | Duration | Ticket fees | Pickup point | Drop point |
| Giant Ibis | 8:00 a.m., 9:45 a.m. | 6am | $18 | Giant Ibis Office, Pham Ngu Lao Street, Ho Chi Minh City | Giant Ibis Bus Station, 90 Street, near Wat Phnom |
| Sorya | 6:30 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. | 6am | 230,000 VND ~ 10 USD | No. 301 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Ho Chi Minh City | Sorya Bus Station, Phnom Penh |
| Long Phuong | 6:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m. | 6am | 200,000 VND ~ 8.5 USD | No. 301 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Ho Chi Minh City | Olympic Stadium, Phom Penh |
| Mekong Express | 6:30 a.m., 7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m. | 6am | $13 | Mekong Express Office, No. 275F, Pham Ngu Lao, Ho Chi Minh City | Mekong Express Office, Route 5, Phnom Penh |
| Sapaco | 6:30 a.m., 8:00 a.m., 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m. | 6am | $10 | No. 325 Pham Ngu Lao Street, Ho Chi Minh City | Sapaco Bus Station, Phnom Penh |
Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh by boat
First, you join a bus from Ho Chi Minh to Chau Doc. Then you take a boat from Chau Doc across the river to Phnom Penh.
It takes a lot of time for this option, but if you have free time and want to explore the Cuu Long Delta and the lives of the locals, you must join a tour to visit the local destinations and then take a bus from Chau Doc to cross the border.
First, check the schedule of people who would be traveling directly. 2 steps with their details are listed below.
Step 1: You take the bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc.
- Distance traveled: 200 km
- Duration: 6.5 hours
Well, it’s very simple, you take a bus from Mien Tay Bus Station to Chau Doc. 6h30 for the journey to the border town.
The bus will depart every hour and it is normally a 40 berth bus with AC. The price is quite good at 150,000 VND. You have to take the time into account because the first boat leaves the dock at 7 a.m.
| Bus | Pickup point | Drop point | Ticket price |
| Seat bus / sleeper bus (departure every hour) | Mien Tay Bus Station | Chau Doc bus station | 150,000 VND – 370,000 VND (7 USD – 16 USD) |
If you don’t mind spending your money to save time and get a better option, let’s look at the private car option. I have to say it’s a lot more expensive than you might consider if you have a group of people for a quicker option.
| Car type | 4 places | 7 places | 16 seats |
| Ticket fees | $115 | $120 | $140 |
Step 2: You take the boat via the Mekong River.
- Distance traveled: 130 km
- Duration: 5 hours
| Outboard brand | Departure time | Arrival time | Ticket fees | Pickup point | Drop point |
| Hang Chau | 7:30 a.m. | 12:30 p.m. | $35 | Con Tien Floating Restaurant, Zone 5, Tran Hung Dao Street, Chau Doc Town | No. 103, Sisowath Street, Phnom Penh |
| Blue Cruise | 7:00 | 12:00 p.m. | $65 | Pier Cafe, No. 1, Le Loi Street, Chau Doc Town | No. 103, Sisowath Street, Phnom Penh |
