Eventful Boarder Crossings – Cambodia

Crossing the border into Cambodia always seems to be an eventful experience.

On my first occasion, I made the crossing via boat from Chao Doc, Vietnam and this time, a 6-8 hour ride overland by bus from Ho Chi Minh City.

On each trip, the transport company employees’ have asked for my Cambodian visa (in broken English) prior to reaching the border. They said, “No visa, you must pay the money now – the price is $40 USD.” I succumbed to this the first time, not knowing any better and because everyone else on the boat had also paid up. This time on the bus, I said I would pay at the border, already knowing the tourist visa only costs $30 USD. Where that extra $10 USD goes from all the passengers will remain a mystery.

It’s hard to spot or know about this at first, but confusion is easily exploitable in South East Asia and Cambodia is no exception. If you are not paying attention or are unwilling to question things, you will be taken for a ride – pun intended.

When crossing overland from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh, I would highly recommend getting a sleeper bus. Sleeper buses are much more comfortable when travelling for durations longer than 4 hours (in my experience).

Coming from Ho Chi Minh, you will undoubtedly pass through the Moc Bai Border station. Your bus will stop, and you will present your passport at the Vietnamese gate, where you’ll get stamped exiting the country. Then, you will need to walk across the border in the blistering heat to the Cambodian visa office and border control. There are two visas on display: a tourist visa and an ordinary visa. The tourist visa permits 30 days of entry for $30 USD, with no employment allowed.

I am only visting for a few weeks this time so will opt for the tourist visa. I am asked to fill out a form and was told it will cost $35 USD… for the “express” service. I look up at the sign and say “I just want the $30 USD tourist visa.”, I am returned with a disappointed look and an “okay” from the official with a slight shoulder shrug as if to say “I gave you the choice… your visa could take all day”. I rationalise my decision out of principle and hope I’m not given a hard time. The officer hands me change from a crisp $100 USD bill and I notice some of the notes have creases and markings on them. I asked if the officer could change them, he smiled and obliged… We both knew that no one in Cambodia would accept them.

As I waited for my visa, I chatted with others also subjected to “ordinary” wait times. Akira, a Japanese girl, walked over and asked if she could exchange a $50 USD note with me, as the officials wouldn’t accept her’s due to it being too old (1998). Akira looked worried and explained she had no other money on her. I sympathized with her predicament but apologized and said, “If I do that, I would then have an unusable $50 note.”

Akira then told me she had Vietnamese Dong in her stowed suitcase on the bus, which had already crossed ahead. She described the bag to me, and I assured her I would inform the driver to bring it back. My visa was ready in no time, taking about 15 minutes (not sure how much faster the express service could have been), so I headed through to the border crossing. I am then instructed to fill out the same slip again, this time with my visa number included. As I get started, Akira walked through, handed over her passport to the border official, got her fingerprints scanned, and proceeded through the gate. I stood there scratching my head, Akira then half-turned and flashed me a look which suggested that she has no idea what was going on. She later explained that the bus company paid for her visa and that she was to reimburse them once on the bus again.

Check all your USD notes in Cambodia and do not accept anything less than perfect OR older than 2006. If you are planning on carrying USD, be sure to keep them in a safe place to avoid creases or tears. Better yet, use Riel where-ever possible, Cambodians will accept riel in any condition.

Insidesiemreap.com has a good article regarding what notes are and aren’t acceptable in Cambodia.

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