Cheapest time to fly to Vietnam | 9 hacking tips to get the best ticket

From Cambodia, you can either take the flight, bus, or boat to Vietnam. Check the below maps of the 3 airports and 5 international border checkpoints to get from Cambodia to Vietnam

By flight

There are 3 International airports in Cambodia offering the direct flights to Vietnam: Siem Reap International Airport in Siem Reap, Phnom Penh International Airport in Phnom Penh, and Sihanouk International Airport in Sihanoukville.

From Cambodia to Hanoi

To get to Hanoi on a plane, you can have option with both the airports in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.

From Siem Reap to Hanoi, you have the flight with Vietnam Airlines, VietJet Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, or AirAsia with at least 3 departures per day. The flight will take about 1 hours 45 minutes and cost $110-$150/ticket.

From Phnom Penh to Hanoi is a little different but still convenient enough. There is only the option with Vietnam Airlines with a short stopover in Vientiane (Laos), but you do not need to get out of the plane, and of course, your luggage is checked through to Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi. Of course, the flight will take longer of more than 3 hours 20 minutes (including stopover time) and cost more than $200/ticket.

From Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City

The route to Ho Chi Minh city from Cambodia is much easier than to Hanoi. All 3 international airports in Cambodia have the direct flight for you with multiple departures per day.

The flight from Siem Reap is operated by Vietnam Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air with at least 3 departures per day. The journey will take about 1 hour 30 minutes and cost $120-$150/ticket. 

From Phnom Penh, there is the direct flight to Ho Chi Minh with multiple departures during the day operating by Cambodia Angkor Air and Vietnam Airlines. The flight takes about 1 hour and costs $90-120/ticket.

From Sihanoukville, there are 2 to 3 departures per day operated by Cambodia Angkor Air and Vietnam Airlines, that takes about 1 hour and cost about $90-120/ticket

From Cambodia to Da Nang

There is only 1 departure per day to Danang from Siem Reap. The flight is operated by Cambodia Angkor Air which takes 1 hour 50 minutes, and costs $110-150/ticket.

From Cambodia to other tourist hubs

• Halong Bay: You need to fly to Hanoi, then join the bus transfer to Halong
• Hue: take the flight to Da Nang then take the 3-hour transfer to Hue
• Hoi An: There is no airport in Hoi An, the nearest airport is in Da Nang, which is just 1-hour transfer away
• Phu Quoc: You need to take the flight to Ho Chi Minh, then take another flight to Phu Quoc (PQC)

By bus

Cambodia and Vietnam share a long border, which leads to lots of land crossings between the borders. Among these, Bavet-Moc Bai crossing is the most popular for tourists to get to Ho Chi Minh City from Phnom Penh. The border crossings with Cambodia are officially open daily between 8am and 8pm. The bus will take about 6 hours and will drop tourists off on Pham Ngu Lao Street in Ho Chi Minh City, a great location at the center of all touristy things.

NOTICE: There is no visa-on-arrival at the border. So, you need to make sure that you get the Vietnam visa in advance

1. Le Thanh / O Yadao crossing (Google Maps)

The crossing here is very remote, and hardly used by foreign tourists. Connecting Ban Lung in northern Cambodia with Pleiku in Vietnam, and takes around six hours to travel. There are transports to the border on both sides, and the average cost for the whole trip is around US$ 25.

2. Hoa Lu / Snoul (Google Maps)

This border gate connects the remote northeast of Cambodia with the southwest part of Vietnam in Binh Phuoc Province. It is popular for the bus from Pakse (southern Laos) running to Ho Chi Minh city via Cambodia.
It is also the shortest route to the light of Ho Chi Minh city after the wildlife exploration in Cambodia.

3. Xa Mat / Trapang Thlong (Google Maps)

This is one of  the least visited border gate by tourists between the two countries. This border crossing is more popular among the local passengers from the two countries, especially for Vietnamese gamblers go to Cambodia and try their luck (most of them cannot make it)

4. Moc Bai / Bavet (Google Maps)

This is the oldest and still the most popular crossing point from Cambodia to Vietnam that is open to foreign tourists. There are regular buses that run daily from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, and they are fast and cheap. The average crossing time is normally around six hours, including the stopping time at the border for passport checks.

5. Tinh Bien / Phnom Den (Google Maps)

Lying around halfway between Ha Tien and Chau Doc, this border crossing is one that is rarely used by foreign tourists, although it does allow foreign transit. It is a couple of hours drive from the towns either side of the border to the crossing point, which makes it hard to get to by independent travelers.

6. Ha Tien / Prek Chak (Google Maps)

Set on the coastal border point between Cambodia and Vietnam, this crossing is now open to foreign tourists, and transport from Ha Tien to the border is frequent and cheap. On the Vietnam side, there are moto taxis waiting to transport passengers to the nearest town of Kep, which cost around US$ 7.

By Boat

7. Ving Xuong / Kaam Samnor  (Google Maps)

The seventh land border crossing is the river crossing that links Phnom Penh with the town of Chau Doc in Vietnam, using the Mekong River. There are regular ferry services that ply the route across the border, or if you are feeling adventurous, you can get a speedboat crossing. The speedboat crossing takes around four hours, while the regular ferry, while fast, still take 6-7 hours. When you get to the border point on the river, the boats pull to the shore, and a “fixer” will gather up all your documents to process the paperwork for you. You can accompany them if you wish, although it is not required.