Ho Chi Minh City to Siem Reap: 7 days via Phnom Penh

Seven days, with one room in each Cambodian city

The seven-day count begins when you board in Ho Chi Minh City; it includes no Vietnamese hotel night. In Phnom Penh, compare Daun Penh near the palace and riverfront with the Street 242 area used in the private-room budget. In Siem Reap, the Old Market or Wat Bo areas work for town evenings and hotel pickups. The model uses private ensuite doubles at Mad Monkey in both cities; these are social party hostels, so choose another property if quiet evenings matter more.

This is a short Phnom Penh stop. Choose the palace and National Museum as your principal cultural visits, with Tuol Sleng given time of its own. Four Siem Reap nights then provide two full temple days and a town day. The detailed city guides offer longer stays: Phnom Penh travel guide: 3 nights, palace and memorial sites, and Siem Reap travel guide: four nights beyond the temple rush.

• Day 1 — Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh. Take the daytime Giant Ibis through Moc Bai–Bavet. After the hotel transfer, walk the riverfront; visit the National Museum only if the border journey leaves a comfortable afternoon. Phnom Penh night 1.
• Day 2 — Phnom Penh. Visit the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda in the morning. Give the afternoon to Tuol Sleng, or to the National Museum if you prefer an art-focused day; fit the remaining visit before a later bus on day 3 only if it stays comfortable. Phnom Penh night 2.
• Day 3 — Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The example morning bus reaches Siem Reap in the afternoon. Transfer from the bus terminal to the same room you will use for four nights, then have a quiet town evening. Siem Reap night 1.
• Day 4 — Angkor’s Small Circuit. Start with Angkor Wat, then Bayon and Ta Prohm using the booked hotel-pickup car. Siem Reap night 2.
• Day 5 — the Big Circuit. Explore Preah Khan, Neak Pean and the other stops on the second car itinerary. Siem Reap night 3.
• Day 6 — Siem Reap at a gentler pace. Have a noodle breakfast, walk the Old Market and riverside, and leave room for lunch and rest. The Angkor National Museum is an additional paid option. Siem Reap night 4.
• Day 7 — fly out. Take the prebooked hotel–SAI car around your airline’s check-in deadline. No intercity bus or temple outing is scheduled before the flight.

The international bus and the Moc Bai–Bavet crossing

Giant Ibis’s dated booking results, checked on 16 October 2026, listed 17 November 2026, 06:00–13:00, from 303 Phan Ngu Lao, Ho Chi Minh City, to Road 106, Sangkat Doun Penh, Khan Doun Penh, Phnom Penh. The seat was US$28; its online booking calculation adds US$1 per passenger per direct leg, making US$58 for two. This named service has a seven-hour scheduled journey, including the border process; traffic and immigration can lengthen the day. Use the stops and time on your own ticket.

Book Giant Ibis directly on its website, choose your departure and seat, and check the fare for your date before paying. Arrive at the terminal 35 minutes before departure. Electronic tickets are accepted. The operator’s luggage wording is: ‘Each passenger is permitted 1 carry on and a maximum of 2 pieces of stored luggage not exceeding 25kg.’ Its tickets are non-refundable; it permits one exchange within a year, with contact at least 24 hours before departure. Timetable changes can bring an alternative service or refund under its terms.

Arrange your Cambodian entry permission before buying the bus. Check Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs visa-exemption list for your nationality and passport type. Its table dated 28 February 2025 lists normal-passport stays of 14 days for Brunei, Myanmar and Thailand; 30 days for Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and the Maldives; and 15 days for Seychelles. For a tourist visa, carry a passport with at least six months remaining when you enter Cambodia. A standard Cambodian tourist visa permits a single entry, with three months to use it after issue and a stay of 30 days after entry.

Cambodia’s e-visa is accepted for entry at Bavet: the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Berlin lists Bavet International Checkpoint (Svay Rieng Province) among the entry points that accept it, and the official application portal is evisa.gov.kh. Check the portal’s eligibility list for your nationality, and print the approval: Giant Ibis asks eVisa holders to bring a printed approval and offers printing at its terminals. Cambodia does not publish Bavet’s counter hours; ask Giant Ibis when booking.

Travel out of Vietnam within your existing permission, on the same passport used to enter. Vietnam’s national tourism authority lists Moc Bai among the land gates at which foreigners may enter and leave using an eVisa; the selected exit gate on an eVisa matters. Vietnam entry rules: 45 days visa-free, e-visa, passport, arrival card gives the nationality and document details for the Vietnamese part of your trip.

At Moc Bai, follow the crew through Vietnamese exit formalities. Giant Ibis describes a 30-minute restaurant stop in the duty-free zone afterwards. Meals at this stop are not in the budget. At Bavet, the attendant takes passports for Cambodian processing, then passengers collect them and luggage is scanned. Keep the passport’s visa and entry stamp accessible before continuing. Giant Ibis’s own route page quotes US$35 for tourist-visa processing plus US$5 for its batch-processing service. These are operator-listed amounts, not a universal government fee; an exemption or an advance visa changes what you need. Cambodia entry: visas, e-Arrival and airport choices covers the separate visa products.

Phnom Penh: royal roofs, Khmer sculpture and Tuol Sleng

The Royal Palace brings gilded roofs and gardens together beside the river. The Throne Hall and open-air Chan Chaya Pavilion set up the ceremonial side of the visit; the Silver Pagoda, with its silver floor and jewelled Buddha, offers a different scale of detail. Part of the compound remains a royal residence. Cambodia Tourism Board’s listing, checked on 15 October 2026, gave visiting sessions of 08:00–11:00 and 14:00–17:00, with US$10 admission for international tourists. Use the morning session on day 2 rather than arriving during the midday break.

The National Museum of Cambodia adds sculpture, ceramics and other Khmer objects from prehistory through the Angkorian and later periods. Seeing the figures close up makes a useful introduction to the reliefs and statues at Angkor. On 15 October 2026 its admission page listed 08:00–17:00 daily, last ticket 16:30, and US$10 for foreigners aged 18 and over; foreigners aged 10–17 pay US$5 and the Cambodian rate is KHR500. It belongs beside the palace in your plan, rather than between several cross-city rides.

At Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, former classrooms and cells, prisoner photographs and the courtyard make the history of S-21 personal. This is a memorial visit with disturbing material: leave the rest of the afternoon light. The museum listed daily opening 08:00–17:00, with US$5 admission for foreign adults aged 18 and over and US$5 for the non-Cambodian audio guide on 15 October 2026. Foreign visitors with a qualifying K-VISA are exempt from admission and must show their K-VISA confirmation. The museum takes cash in riel or US dollars. The budget includes admission and audio for each adult. The two-night plan does not add Choeung Ek on top of the palace, museum and bus transfer; use the longer Phnom Penh guide if both memorial sites are central to your trip.

Keep the riverfront as the flexible part of the capital stop. It works for the arrival evening even if the bus is delayed. Palace and museum tickets and Phnom Penh local rides are additional to the model budget, so choose how much of this short stop to fill after settling into your room.

The daytime bus to Siem Reap

Giant Ibis’s published daytime schedule, checked on 16 October 2026, listed 08:45, 09:45 and 12:30 from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The dated fare example is from an earlier check: on 15 October 2026 its results for 1 November 2026 showed the 08:45–14:45 Universe Luxury service at US$17 per seat. Adding the US$1 online charge gives US$36 for two. These two bus fares are price examples for different dates, rather than a single dated through-ticket.

Board at Road 106, Sangkat Doun Penh, Khan Doun Penh. In Siem Reap, the stop is Behind Old Stadium, Khmer Pub Street. Use Giant Ibis’s direct booking flow for your travel date and arrange the final ride to your hotel separately. Keep this arrival afternoon free of airport connections. Cambodia transport: airports, buses, island boats and Vietnam explains the wider bus and airport network.

Two Angkor drives and a day back in town

At Angkor Wat, the moat and towers make the first impression, but the carved galleries deserve the slower part of the morning. The temple-mountain and rising galleries were built for Suryavarman II and dedicated to Vishnu before the temple became Buddhist. Bayon, in the centre of Angkor Thom, replaces that long approach with smiling stone faces above closely packed towers and reliefs showing both stories and ordinary life. Ta Prohm brings roots and masonry into the same view; follow the open paths through the temple rather than scrambling over the stones.

The budget uses Angkor Friendly Driver’s Small Circuit Option 1, an air-conditioned private car for up to three passengers at US$50 per vehicle, checked on 15 October 2026. It collects you at your hotel at 04:30 or 05:00 depending on season, visits Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm among its circuit stops, and finishes around 16:00 with hotel return. Book directly on the operator’s Small Circuit page. The driver, vehicle, fuel, parking, water and towels are included; the temple pass, temple guide and meals are separate.

For day 5, its Big Circuit Option 1 was also US$50 per car for up to three, with hotel pickup at 08:30 and finish around 15:00. The route visits Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon and Pre Rup. Preah Khan’s galleries give the day a different rhythm from Angkor Wat’s skyline. At Neak Pean, the large central pond and four smaller connected ponds make water the main feature of the visit. Ta Som brings the trees back into view: a fig tree envelops its eastern gate. East Mebon adds stone elephants at the corners of its lower tiers, while Pre Rup rises as a brick temple-mountain. These smaller stops change the texture of the day rather than repeating Angkor Wat’s long approach. Book the named Big Circuit option on the same operator’s site; the same transport inclusions and pass, guide and meal exclusions apply.

On 15 October 2026, Angkor Enterprise listed an Angkor pass at US$37 for one day, US$62 for three visiting days with expiry in seven days, or US$72 for seven visiting days with expiry in 30 days. This model buys the three-day pass for the two circuit days, leaving one visiting day available if you extend your temple time; an extra drive costs more. Buy your Angkor pass on Angkor Enterprise’s official website, select the pass and visit date, enter the quantity and nationality, and pay by credit or debit card or KHQR. Save the emailed e-ticket; digital and printed copies are accepted at entry.

Cover your shoulders and knees at sacred sites, follow restricted-area signs, and keep off loose stones and fragile structures. Do not touch carvings, remove objects, smoke or litter. Ask before photographing monks, and do not give money or sweets to children.

Day 6 is deliberately a Siem Reap town day: the Old Market, the riverside, a proper lunch and time to rest. Add the Angkor National Museum if you want another indoor visit, paying its admission separately. Angkor temple guide: passes, sunrise and four nights in Siem Reap gives more detail for extending the temple visit without changing hotels.

Six room nights and selected meals: the price model for two

This published-price model is for two paying foreign adults without a K-VISA admission exemption, sharing one private double room, starting at the Ho Chi Minh City bus terminal and ending at SAI. It prices all six recommended hotel nights, both buses, two Angkor car days, the passes, Tuol Sleng with audio, the airport car and six two-person meals. Cambodian businesses quote their dollar prices in US dollars, so every amount below is in US$ and the total is US$650.48. The model uses prices checked on 15–16 October 2026 and is a starting-rate example rather than a continuous-date availability quote.

The room inputs are Mad Monkey’s own Standard Double in Phnom Penh, sleeping two with an ensuite, from US$35 per room per night in its 20–22 November 2026 display; and its Superior Double in Siem Reap, sleeping two with an ensuite, US$105.50 for four nights in the 16–20 November 2026 display. The latter displays US$26.38 per night after rounding, but the model uses the exact four-night total. Those date windows run in the opposite order to this route: they supply the hotel’s starting rates, not a reservation for this sequence. Taxes, service, breakfast and any occupancy-dependent supplement are outside the model; the room booking supplies those charges.

The six selected meals are one pork-rice breakfast and one lok lak meal at Malis in Phnom Penh, then one noodle breakfast and one saraman lunch at SPOONS, plus an amok dinner and a lok lak dinner at HAVEN in Siem Reap. HAVEN includes 10% VAT and adds no service charge. The other restaurant tax and service charges are outside the subtotal.

• Rooms, six nights: Phnom Penh 2 × US$35 = US$70; Siem Reap four-night room total US$105.50. Room subtotal US$175.50.
• Intercity buses: Ho Chi Minh City–Phnom Penh 2 × (US$28 + US$1) = US$58; Phnom Penh–Siem Reap 2 × (US$17 + US$1) = US$36. Bus subtotal US$94. The exact dated examples are in the transport sections.
• Angkor: two three-day passes 2 × US$62 = US$124; Small Circuit car US$50 + Big Circuit car US$50 = US$100.
• Tuol Sleng and departure: two admissions with audio 2 × (US$5 + US$5) = US$20; Royal Angkor Tours hotel–SAI car for 1–3 passengers US$45.
• Six meals for the pair, menu prices: Malis grilled-pork rice 2 × US$5 = US$10 and lok lak 2 × US$13 = US$26, subtotal US$36; SPOONS num banh chok 2 × US$3.50 = US$7 and saraman 2 × US$8.99 = US$17.98, subtotal US$24.98; HAVEN amok 2 × US$7.50 = US$15 and lok lak 2 × US$8 = US$16, subtotal US$31. Meals subtotal US$91.98.
• Total: US$650.48 for two (175.50 rooms + 94 buses + 124 passes + 100 circuit cars + 20 Tuol Sleng + 45 airport car + 91.98 meals).
• Not included: all meals beyond the six two-person meals listed, drinks, restaurant rides, terminal–hotel rides, Phnom Penh sightseeing transport, hotel taxes/service/breakfast, SPOONS and Malis tax/service, Royal Palace and National Museum admission, a temple guide, any extra temple drive, Ho Chi Minh City rooms/sights/local travel, the extra nights in the ten-day version, flights (including SGN–KTI and the SAI departure), visas and visa services, insurance, mobile data and any Chau Doc extension.

Add Saigon days, fly the first leg, or leave from SAI

For a ten-day, nine-night route, spend nights 1–2 in Ho Chi Minh City, take the international bus on day 3, stay Phnom Penh nights 3–4, then Siem Reap nights 5–9 and fly on day 10. The added Siem Reap night can be a museum day or the third visiting day on your Angkor pass, with transport additional. The six-night budget above excludes these three extra room nights and their meals.

Use the two Vietnamese days for places you would miss by going straight to the terminal. Pair the Central Post Office, with its wooden telephone booths and historic wall maps, with Dong Khoi and the Opera House exterior, then walk Nguyen Hue towards the Bach Dang riverfront. Give the Independence Palace its own visit for the presidential rooms and basement command centre. On the other day, the War Remnants Museum brings war photographs and the effects of Agent Orange into focus; its material is graphic, so leave time afterwards rather than following it with another hard visit. Ho Chi Minh City travel guide: days, districts, food and day trips covers hours, tickets and additional neighbourhoods. Cu Chi or the Mekong Delta needs extra time beyond these two city days.

Fly instead of taking the international bus: Vietnam Airlines’ own route page, checked on 16 October 2026, offers Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)–Phnom Penh (KTI). Book Techo International Airport, not the old PNH airport. Choose a flight and baggage allowance on the airline’s site; the one-way fare and flight time depend on the service you book. On arrival, Techo’s own page listed airport-to-city taxis and apps including Grab, WowNow and PassApp, with an approximate US$10–20 fare on 15 October 2026. Use the official counter or an app with your hotel address. Air fares and this arrival ride replace the international-bus component and cost extra.

For arrival by air, complete Cambodia e-Arrival even if you already have a visa. Submission is free and opens seven days before arrival; the immigration department also permits submission on arrival. Use arrival.gov.kh, reached from the immigration department’s official site. This is the flight-arrival procedure; on the bus, the attendant handles passports at Bavet, as described in the border section.

End at Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (SAI). Royal Angkor Tours lists a one-way car from your Siem Reap hotel at US$45 for 1–3 passengers, checked on 15 October 2026. Book its SAI transfer page with the hotel and flight details. It operates door to door with 24/7 availability. Airport operator YACA places SAI 50 km from the provincial town, so leave a substantial road-transfer margin before the airline’s check-in deadline. The model uses this hotel-direct car.

The Chau Doc river option needs a separate plan. Hang Chau’s own schedule, checked on 16 October 2026, advertises a daily 07:00 Chau Doc–Phnom Penh boat, taking about 6.5 hours, at VND1,640,000 per person from June 2026 to June 2027. Hang Chau does not publish its passenger piers or border checkpoint; ask the operator when booking. This guide keeps the through-bus as its recommended crossing. For planning, allow connecting road travel and an overnight in Chau Doc before the 07:00 sailing, with extra spending; the operator’s office address is not a passenger-pier instruction.

Keep the route away from the Thai border

On 16 October 2026, France Diplomatie formally advised against travel within 30 km of Cambodia’s land border with Thailand. Our planning rule excludes stops and land continuations within 50 km of that border; this itinerary uses an air departure; it offers no Thailand–Cambodia land continuation. In Vietnam, France calls for enhanced vigilance throughout the country, and border-area visits can have additional restrictions: use the established international bus crossing without border sightseeing. Check your own government’s advice before booking.

Mines and unexploded ordnance remain a hazard away from cleared routes in Cambodia. Stay on marked paths at temples and in the countryside; do not follow an informal trail into fields or woodland.