Doc67 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:19 am As much as I like trains, a car from the front door to the border is looking like the best option. There are plenty of logistical challenges on the other side of the border to be dealt with.

On that note, has anyone done a road trip to PQ? What is the deal on the other side of the border viz a viz getting from the border to the port and then ferry boat crossing options?

kgbagent wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:20 pm

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:01 pm As someone who does not like minibuses in Cambodia, I would go to Psar Daemkor and negtiate a front seat in a decent-looking Highlander (or the whole car). I'd expect to pay about $50 for the whole car, or $15 for the front seat.
Vietnam has good ride hailing apps but I don't know if you can get a pick up at the border to go to Ha Tien. I have done it in reverse and it worked fine and cost peanuts. Once at Ha Tien pier you simply buy a ticket on the next boat to depart (also inexpensive) and then ride hailing app again from your pier in Phu Quoc to your hotel (also inexpensive). You will likely be asked for small tea money by the immigration at Ha Tien and you will be assailed mightily by touts at the border and again at the Ha Tien ferry port. I advise you to say nothing to them as once they know your destination, it can get tricky.
Buy dong in advance in PP.

Google says 3 hours 30 mins drive time to the border.

Did the trip 4x last year but from Kampot

Grab is geoblocked at the Ha Tien border and around the ferry terminals it seems. On the Cambodia side a moto tout will take you thru the borders and to the ferry terminal for about $6 and well advised to save a shadeless 500m walk thru no-mans land - same price in reverse to the border. A taxi from PQ ferry to the town area is $6-7 but cheaper going back as the Grab app works and is cheap.

If you offer $6-7 dollars then they wont be an issue the tout guys. On PQ u can taxi back to the pier for the same price but make sure you choose the right pier as they take you to the furthest one and then add a surcharge for the correct pier. Don't be late the boats leave bang on time. I prefer PQ Express boats as they are faster and newer and you can go upstairs and have a smoke or just take a seat in the VIP area - nobody cares.

Immigration on both sides have stopped asking for tea/coffee money for over a year but maybe cos they have seen all my stamps - however the Cambodian side actually has signs on the counters saying no money to be paid here.

Doc67 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 3:35 pm

kgbagent wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:20 pm

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:01 pm As someone who does not like minibuses in Cambodia, I would go to Psar Daemkor and negtiate a front seat in a decent-looking Highlander (or the whole car). I'd expect to pay about $50 for the whole car, or $15 for the front seat.
Vietnam has good ride hailing apps but I don't know if you can get a pick up at the border to go to Ha Tien. I have done it in reverse and it worked fine and cost peanuts. Once at Ha Tien pier you simply buy a ticket on the next boat to depart (also inexpensive) and then ride hailing app again from your pier in Phu Quoc to your hotel (also inexpensive). You will likely be asked for small tea money by the immigration at Ha Tien and you will be assailed mightily by touts at the border and again at the Ha Tien ferry port. I advise you to say nothing to them as once they know your destination, it can get tricky.
Buy dong in advance in PP.

Google says 3 hours 30 mins drive time to the border.

Did the trip 4x last year but from Kampot

Grab is geoblocked at the Ha Tien border and around the ferry terminals it seems. On the Cambodia side a moto tout will take you thru the borders and to the ferry terminal for about $6 and well advised to save a shadeless 500m walk thru no-mans land - same price in reverse to the border. A taxi from PQ ferry to the town area is $6-7 but cheaper going back as the Grab app works and is cheap.

If you offer $6-7 dollars then they wont be an issue the tout guys. On PQ u can taxi back to the pier for the same price but make sure you choose the right pier as they take you to the furthest one and then add a surcharge for the correct pier. Don't be late the boats leave bang on time. I prefer PQ Express boats as they are faster and newer and you can go upstairs and have a smoke or just take a seat in the VIP area - nobody cares.

Immigration on both sides have stopped asking for tea/coffee money for over a year but maybe cos they have seen all my stamps - however the Cambodian side actually has signs on the counters saying no money to be paid here.

I have never done a land border crossing anywhere, ever. So, the procedure... Google Maps shows the Cambo exit post and then some distance to the Viet entry post. Is this the long shadeless walk you are referring to? How do you get on a moto tout bike with a case? I am not getting on one anyway, but I just wanted to ask.

Once through Viet Immigration, how much should a taxi (Car/doors/AC etc) and just me in it** cost to the ferry port? And how much will they try to rip me off for? I would just like to know what is the correct bid and stick to my guns. Google maps show it as 8km so I assume we are talking ~$8/200,000VND or thereabouts?

Once at the Ferry terminal I have seen the place I think I should go to:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ha+ ... ?entry=ttu
I will get the PQ express and have found out the times.

What is the approximate time from walking up to the Cambo exit point and arriving at the ferry port? I am trying to time the journey so I get the 11:45 crossing without waiting around for ages.

Thanks for your help so far.

**I don't want to negotiate a good price, pay him and then be left sitting in a hot car while the bloke tries to find 6 more people to shove inside it.

• 1: Arrive Prek Chak border post where you show your passport to the dudes at the gate
  2: Walk thru to the building on the left - go almost to the end of the building and present your passport making sure you have the yellow form still attached to your passport
  3: Walk about 50m where your passport will be checked again
  4: Walk about 300m to the Viet border post on the right present passport and evisa if you need one
  5: Keep to the right and enter the building and present passport/visa - locals will try to push in so glower at them and stand your ground
  6: Before leaving the counter check carefully what the visa stamp says - if you visa exempt you should get 90 days but ppl online complain they only got 15
  7: Sometimes a dude in a white coat will take your temperature - they used to scam you a dollar or 2 but lately that has stopped
  8: Put your bag thru the scanner collect it and exit the building and walk down to the final checkpoint where they check your passport again
  Note you will reverse this process coming back but on the Cambodian side go to the desk behind the passport guys and fill in that yellow form fist before presenting your passport

kgbagent wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:34 pm As you wont be in a tour or have a hotel limo waiting then you have another sunny walk down the pier about 400m. There will be taxis there - show them where your hotel is on google maps - I have it ready on my phone. Again just wave 200k at them and be firm - thats about the right price to the Duong Dong main area.

dirtymacca wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:18 pm You might want to be aware that the visa rules for VN are all crazy. If you fly from PP to Phu Quoc you do not need a VN visa as it is a visa free island.... HOWEVER, if you enter VN via Ha Tien you will need a VN visa. (E-visa)
This is a pain in the arse as it is close to Lunar New Year and the Immigration Dept will shut down for about 7 days. If you are from a lucky country you may get a 45 day free option.
I suggest you check this out.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/vietnamvisaadvice

Also the visa process takes 3-5 WORKING

kgbagent wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 5:30 pm I certainly wouldnt go to PQ over Tet - lots of workers there come from the mainland and will have gone home so lots will closed for business.

kgbagent wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:34 pm

Doc67 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 3:35 pm

kgbagent wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:20 pm

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:01 pm As someone who does not like minibuses in Cambodia, I would go to Psar Daemkor and negtiate a front seat in a decent-looking Highlander (or the whole car). I'd expect to pay about $50 for the whole car, or $15 for the front seat.
Vietnam has good ride hailing apps but I don't know if you can get a pick up at the border to go to Ha Tien. I have done it in reverse and it worked fine and cost peanuts. Once at Ha Tien pier you simply buy a ticket on the next boat to depart (also inexpensive) and then ride hailing app again from your pier in Phu Quoc to your hotel (also inexpensive). You will likely be asked for small tea money by the immigration at Ha Tien and you will be assailed mightily by touts at the border and again at the Ha Tien ferry port. I advise you to say nothing to them as once they know your destination, it can get tricky.
Buy dong in advance in PP.

Google says 3 hours 30 mins drive time to the border.

Did the trip 4x last year but from Kampot

Grab is geoblocked at the Ha Tien border and around the ferry terminals it seems. On the Cambodia side a moto tout will take you thru the borders and to the ferry terminal for about $6 and well advised to save a shadeless 500m walk thru no-mans land - same price in reverse to the border. A taxi from PQ ferry to the town area is $6-7 but cheaper going back as the Grab app works and is cheap.

If you offer $6-7 dollars then they wont be an issue the tout guys. On PQ u can taxi back to the pier for the same price but make sure you choose the right pier as they take you to the furthest one and then add a surcharge for the correct pier. Don't be late the boats leave bang on time. I prefer PQ Express boats as they are faster and newer and you can go upstairs and have a smoke or just take a seat in the VIP area - nobody cares.

Immigration on both sides have stopped asking for tea/coffee money for over a year but maybe cos they have seen all my stamps - however the Cambodian side actually has signs on the counters saying no money to be paid here.

I have never done a land border crossing anywhere, ever. So, the procedure... Google Maps shows the Cambo exit post and then some distance to the Viet entry post. Is this the long shadeless walk you are referring to? How do you get on a moto tout bike with a case? I am not getting on one anyway, but I just wanted to ask.

Once through Viet Immigration, how much should a taxi (Car/doors/AC etc) and just me in it** cost to the ferry port? And how much will they try to rip me off for? I would just like to know what is the correct bid and stick to my guns. Google maps show it as 8km so I assume we are talking ~$8/200,000VND or thereabouts?

Once at the Ferry terminal I have seen the place I think I should go to:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ha+ ... ?entry=ttu
I will get the PQ express and have found out the times.

What is the approximate time from walking up to the Cambo exit point and arriving at the ferry port? I am trying to time the journey so I get the 11:45 crossing without waiting around for ages.

Thanks for your help so far.

**I don't want to negotiate a good price, pay him and then be left sitting in a hot car while the bloke tries to find 6 more people to shove inside it.

So the procedure is as follows:

• 1: Arrive Prek Chak border post where you show your passport to the dudes at the gate
  2: Walk thru to the building on the left - go almost to the end of the building and present your passport making sure you have the yellow form still attached to your passport
  3: Walk about 50m where your passport will be checked again
  4: Walk about 300m to the Viet border post on the right present passport and evisa if you need one
  5: Keep to the right and enter the building and present passport/visa - locals will try to push in so glower at them and stand your ground
  6: Before leaving the counter check carefully what the visa stamp says - if you visa exempt you should get 90 days but ppl online complain they only got 15
  7: Sometimes a dude in a white coat will take your temperature - they used to scam you a dollar or 2 but lately that has stopped
  8: Put your bag thru the scanner collect it and exit the building and walk down to the final checkpoint where they check your passport again
  Note you will reverse this process coming back but on the Cambodian side go to the desk behind the passport guys and fill in that yellow form fist before presenting your passport

The moto guys are used to cases and boxes so it is no problem. It is worth putting aside your fears on the moto as they guide you thru the whole process and the road to the ferry terminal has buggerall traffic and mostly motorbikes.

You cant get a taxi until you exit the Viet border where they will be waiting - tell them PQ Express ferry/boat and wave 200k note at them pretending you know the score - tell them you come often and thats all you ever pay and they will relent. You will be the only passenger in the taxi.

The time it will take depends on how busy it is - several vans of backpackers and tourists can slow it down and you wont know till you get there. I usually catch that ferry and aim to be at the Cambodia border by 10am latest. If it is quiet then no matter as there are some places to have your first cafe sua / beer and a bahn mi while u wait for the boat.

On the boat they will stack your bag on the front with everyone else so put something on it to make it easy to spot. I head straight upstairs and check the suns direction then grab a a shady spot to sit and smoke and drink the beers I brought aboard - they don't sell beer on the boat. They stopped selling beer at the shops on PQ ferry area for some reason so bring a couple from your hotels freezer for the trip back.

Depending on day of the week and how full the boat is it can take 10-15 mins to disembark. As you wont be in a tour or have a hotel limo waiting then you have another sunny walk down the pier about 400m. There will be taxis there - show them where your hotel is on google maps - I have it ready on my phone. Again just wave 200k at them and be firm - thats about the right price to the Duong Dong main area.

The baht bus Munsters like electric cars go up and down the main road - just hail one and hop in - they are cheep but I have never used one. Grab works fine on the island and really cheap.

That PDF I sent you has some good info.

When you get back to Ha Tien the taxis and motos will be waiting so just tell them Kampuchea and offer 200k

Metphone/Vietel is the best SIM for Vietnam in terms of coverage and roaming is cheap there with Metphone.

All done?

Doc67 wrote: ↑Tue Feb 06, 2024 7:38 am

kgbagent wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:34 pm

Doc67 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 05, 2024 3:35 pm

kgbagent wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:20 pm

armchairlawyer wrote: ↑Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:01 pm As someone who does not like minibuses in Cambodia, I would go to Psar Daemkor and negtiate a front seat in a decent-looking Highlander (or the whole car). I'd expect to pay about $50 for the whole car, or $15 for the front seat.
Vietnam has good ride hailing apps but I don't know if you can get a pick up at the border to go to Ha Tien. I have done it in reverse and it worked fine and cost peanuts. Once at Ha Tien pier you simply buy a ticket on the next boat to depart (also inexpensive) and then ride hailing app again from your pier in Phu Quoc to your hotel (also inexpensive). You will likely be asked for small tea money by the immigration at Ha Tien and you will be assailed mightily by touts at the border and again at the Ha Tien ferry port. I advise you to say nothing to them as once they know your destination, it can get tricky.
Buy dong in advance in PP.

Google says 3 hours 30 mins drive time to the border.

Did the trip 4x last year but from Kampot

Grab is geoblocked at the Ha Tien border and around the ferry terminals it seems. On the Cambodia side a moto tout will take you thru the borders and to the ferry terminal for about $6 and well advised to save a shadeless 500m walk thru no-mans land - same price in reverse to the border. A taxi from PQ ferry to the town area is $6-7 but cheaper going back as the Grab app works and is cheap.

If you offer $6-7 dollars then they wont be an issue the tout guys. On PQ u can taxi back to the pier for the same price but make sure you choose the right pier as they take you to the furthest one and then add a surcharge for the correct pier. Don't be late the boats leave bang on time. I prefer PQ Express boats as they are faster and newer and you can go upstairs and have a smoke or just take a seat in the VIP area - nobody cares.

Immigration on both sides have stopped asking for tea/coffee money for over a year but maybe cos they have seen all my stamps - however the Cambodian side actually has signs on the counters saying no money to be paid here.

I have never done a land border crossing anywhere, ever. So, the procedure... Google Maps shows the Cambo exit post and then some distance to the Viet entry post. Is this the long shadeless walk you are referring to? How do you get on a moto tout bike with a case? I am not getting on one anyway, but I just wanted to ask.

Once through Viet Immigration, how much should a taxi (Car/doors/AC etc) and just me in it** cost to the ferry port? And how much will they try to rip me off for? I would just like to know what is the correct bid and stick to my guns. Google maps show it as 8km so I assume we are talking ~$8/200,000VND or thereabouts?

Once at the Ferry terminal I have seen the place I think I should go to:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Ha+ ... ?entry=ttu
I will get the PQ express and have found out the times.

What is the approximate time from walking up to the Cambo exit point and arriving at the ferry port? I am trying to time the journey so I get the 11:45 crossing without waiting around for ages.

Thanks for your help so far.

**I don't want to negotiate a good price, pay him and then be left sitting in a hot car while the bloke tries to find 6 more people to shove inside it.

So the procedure is as follows:

• 1: Arrive Prek Chak border post where you show your passport to the dudes at the gate
  2: Walk thru to the building on the left - go almost to the end of the building and present your passport making sure you have the yellow form still attached to your passport
  3: Walk about 50m where your passport will be checked again
  4: Walk about 300m to the Viet border post on the right present passport and evisa if you need one
  5: Keep to the right and enter the building and present passport/visa - locals will try to push in so glower at them and stand your ground
  6: Before leaving the counter check carefully what the visa stamp says - if you visa exempt you should get 90 days but ppl online complain they only got 15
  7: Sometimes a dude in a white coat will take your temperature - they used to scam you a dollar or 2 but lately that has stopped
  8: Put your bag thru the scanner collect it and exit the building and walk down to the final checkpoint where they check your passport again
  Note you will reverse this process coming back but on the Cambodian side go to the desk behind the passport guys and fill in that yellow form fist before presenting your passport

The moto guys are used to cases and boxes so it is no problem. It is worth putting aside your fears on the moto as they guide you thru the whole process and the road to the ferry terminal has buggerall traffic and mostly motorbikes.

You cant get a taxi until you exit the Viet border where they will be waiting - tell them PQ Express ferry/boat and wave 200k note at them pretending you know the score - tell them you come often and thats all you ever pay and they will relent. You will be the only passenger in the taxi.

The time it will take depends on how busy it is - several vans of backpackers and tourists can slow it down and you wont know till you get there. I usually catch that ferry and aim to be at the Cambodia border by 10am latest. If it is quiet then no matter as there are some places to have your first cafe sua / beer and a bahn mi while u wait for the boat.

On the boat they will stack your bag on the front with everyone else so put something on it to make it easy to spot. I head straight upstairs and check the suns direction then grab a a shady spot to sit and smoke and drink the beers I brought aboard - they don't sell beer on the boat. They stopped selling beer at the shops on PQ ferry area for some reason so bring a couple from your hotels freezer for the trip back.

Depending on day of the week and how full the boat is it can take 10-15 mins to disembark. As you wont be in a tour or have a hotel limo waiting then you have another sunny walk down the pier about 400m. There will be taxis there - show them where your hotel is on google maps - I have it ready on my phone. Again just wave 200k at them and be firm - thats about the right price to the Duong Dong main area.

The baht bus Munsters like electric cars go up and down the main road - just hail one and hop in - they are cheep but I have never used one. Grab works fine on the island and really cheap.

That PDF I sent you has some good info.

When you get back to Ha Tien the taxis and motos will be waiting so just tell them Kampuchea and offer 200k

Metphone/Vietel is the best SIM for Vietnam in terms of coverage and roaming is cheap there with Metphone.

All done?

That was excellent, exactly what I wanted. The PDF's were very good too, thanks.

I have SMART as my carrier, and they have a $2 a day all-you-can-eat roaming deal in Thailand, will they offer something similar in Vietnam? Do the bars and restaurants on PQ freely give their WiFi?

I will use Grab while on the island for long journeys but it is good to know they have a baht-bus type public transport.

The initial plan is to leave Central PP at around 6am allowing 4 hours to reach the border, which ought to be plenty. A bit of spare time at the port with the tickets in hand is fine, the hard work will be over by then.

I have a UK passport and understand I get 45 days visa-free so was surprised to see that you said other UK passport holders got 90 days. Is it definitely the case for border crossings that I will not require a visa? A 15-day allowance will do the trick.

A direct flight from PP would be great, but I won't hold my breath.