| Day 5 Chau Doc, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia Boat trip up the Mekong River from Vietnam to Cambodia |
| Cycle Touring Routes > Vietnam > The Mekong Delta > Map > Day |
The last destination on the tour of the Mekong Delta is Chau Doc.
Our goal is to get on the speedboat that sails into Phnom Penh.
We had hoped to purchase a ticket to sail out the following day but
the speedboat was full so we purchased a ticket for the 9th of
March. Our Vietnamese visa expires on the 10th of March.
We booked the speedboat with Sinh Travel. Their office is in the
lobby of the Hang Chau II hotel.
Cost was $17.00/person and $8.00/bike.
The speedboat leaves at 8:30 a.m. from a ramp that is through the
hotel lobby of the Thuan Loi Hotel on Tran Hung Doa street. The
hotel is in the north end of town just after the central market on the
river.
The Boat to Phnom Penh - The boat ramp to get on the speedboat
to Cambodia is located through the Thuan Loi Hotel lobby. The
ramp is attached to their riverside restaurant.
There is a steep flight wooden stairs, plus a slanted and wobbly
wooden ramp to get down to the boat ramp.
We unloaded our packs at the hotel level and Rich carried the
bicycles down to the dock. Hotel staff helped with the panniers even
though we had not been guests. Very gracious.
The speedboat arrived early. It is a small craft with a hard roof. The
ceiling is low and covered in life jackets. There is airplane style
seating for 13 passengers. The boat seems a bit cramped. There
is a bench area in the back of the seats where the luggage is piled.
No a/c, only windows that manually open. There is no toilet on the
boat.
The bicycles are tied outside on the back deck against the railing.
The boat departed early at 8:19 a.m. The Sinh Tour representative
on board collected our passports and departure cards just before
arriving at the Vietnamese border about 1 hour later. The border
area is a couple of buildings with restroom facilities. The Sinh Rep
handles all the formalities. The passengers just sit around in a
gazebo while the Cambodian vendors walk around selling
pineapple, peanuts and water.
After the Vietnamese border, the Sinh Rep returns all our passports
and hands us Cambodia declarations cards and arrival cards to fill
out before the Cambodian border.
The border is just about 2 minutes away by boat.
The formalities at the Cambodian border are taken care of by each
passenger. There is a table with a Cambodian official for
purchasing visas for $20.00.
Can only pay with USD. The process is simple and quick. We
needed a picture when we got our Cambodian visa in Vientiane, so
make sure you have 1 just in case.
We already had our visa so we went straight to the immigration
window.
There are restroom facilities next to the immigration building.
The entire border crossing takes about 1 hour. The entire boat trip
took 4 (approximately) to arrive in Phnom Penh, as opposed to the
slow boat that takes double the time.
Going through immigration is all a part of the trip and included in the
travel time. We got our Cambodian visas in advance in Vientiane,
Laos.
The boat docks right in the heart of Phnom Penh, just across the
street from the Riverside Hotel on Sisowath Quay street.
There is a steep metal ramp at the boat dock to climb up to the
street.
Plenty of tuk-tuk drivers and taxis are around or all hotels are within
walking distance.
The boat trip is relaxing and fun a unique way to enter a capital city.
We were very happy we had the opportunity to do this.
Phnom Penh, is a touristy city with most of its main attractions close
to the river. The river road has a wide promenade with a lovely view
of the river. A good variety of elegant restaurants, bakeries and
coffee shops, some with outside seating are across the street from
the river. There are plenty of hotels, bars, markets, historical sites,
trendy shops with handicrafts, plus several large, well-stocked
supermarkets to keep a deprived traveler here for a period of time.
Some streets are narrow, chaotic and traffic is hectic with mostly
cars, some scooters, tuk-tuks and bikes. Other city streets are wide
avenues with traffic circles, monuments and less traffic. Drivers
seem a bit apprehensive and unsure of themselves. Only a few
major intersections have traffic lights and other intersections are in
need of traffic lights.
The sidewalks are crowded with vendors and merchandise set out
for display from the shops. There are a high number of children
selling books and postcards and adults selling and asking for food
and money.
Many merchants quote in US dollars. We see this in shops,
restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops and supermarkets. The city has
several well stocked supermarkets that cater to ex-pats and NGO
personnel. The Paragon and Pencil Supercenter on P124, behind
the Royal Palace, just meters from each other, carry an extensive
selection of Thai, Western and Cambodian products. They have
prices in US dollars.
Phnom Penh is a great city to stock up on US dollars if you are
running low on your cash stash. There are over 20 ATM machines
in the city that dispense US dollars with no surcharge. The ANZ
Royal Bank has 13 dispensing machine locations, Cambodian
Public Bank, has 5 locations, SBC Bank and Canadia Bank, 5
locations. ANZ Royal Bank has a booth on Sisowath Road just
south of Indochine Hotel.
There is one bike shop on 31 Street 302 that does repairs and
rentals. Website www.phnompenhbike .com.
For current information on where everything is in Phnom Penh get a
hold of a FREE copy of the ASIALIFE, What's On Guide to Phnom
Penh. It's a great source of information, not only for Phnom Penh
but for the entire country.
Slept - Indochine Hotel
Location - 251 Sisowath Quay. Across the river in the center of the
tourist area just steps from the Royal Palace.
Cost - $20.00. Less expensive rooms have 1 double bed and no
window at about $10.00.
Amenities - Huge window with great river view, large room with two
double beds, en suite bathroom with shower over toilet. Hot water,
a/c, fridge, fan, TV with several channels in English.
Breakfast not included. No restaurant attached. Great location on
the river road in the center of all the activity.
Bikes are locked inside the hotel in the back of the lobby just
beneath the stairwell. Very safe.
Day Trip
The Killing Fields - Bicycle Tour
Entire trip round trip - 15.4 kilometers (9.4 miles)
Easy bike ride on a sealed and flat road.
Take Charles de Gaulle south out of town. It turns into Monireth St
217.
After the bridge it is 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to the fork in the road
at the SOKIMEX gas station.
At the SORIMEX gas station take the left road.
After 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) you get to the turn off road toward
the Killing Fields. Go left. There is no sign.
After the turn off to The Killing Fields the entrance is 500 meters on
the left.
The traffic as you pedal out of the city is hectic and busy until you
reach the SORIMEX gas station. After the gas station the road is
two-lanes with a thin shoulder. The traffic is light. The road is
sealed,
Just before the turn-off toward to Killing Fields the road becomes
rough. It is sealed but not well maintained, but fine.
Entrance is $2.00. Secure parking for bicycles next to the ticket
booth. Water and some food are sold at the entrance.
Our goal is to get on the speedboat that sails into Phnom Penh.
We had hoped to purchase a ticket to sail out the following day but
the speedboat was full so we purchased a ticket for the 9th of
March. Our Vietnamese visa expires on the 10th of March.
We booked the speedboat with Sinh Travel. Their office is in the
lobby of the Hang Chau II hotel.
Cost was $17.00/person and $8.00/bike.
The speedboat leaves at 8:30 a.m. from a ramp that is through the
hotel lobby of the Thuan Loi Hotel on Tran Hung Doa street. The
hotel is in the north end of town just after the central market on the
river.
The Boat to Phnom Penh - The boat ramp to get on the speedboat
to Cambodia is located through the Thuan Loi Hotel lobby. The
ramp is attached to their riverside restaurant.
There is a steep flight wooden stairs, plus a slanted and wobbly
wooden ramp to get down to the boat ramp.
We unloaded our packs at the hotel level and Rich carried the
bicycles down to the dock. Hotel staff helped with the panniers even
though we had not been guests. Very gracious.
The speedboat arrived early. It is a small craft with a hard roof. The
ceiling is low and covered in life jackets. There is airplane style
seating for 13 passengers. The boat seems a bit cramped. There
is a bench area in the back of the seats where the luggage is piled.
No a/c, only windows that manually open. There is no toilet on the
boat.
The bicycles are tied outside on the back deck against the railing.
The boat departed early at 8:19 a.m. The Sinh Tour representative
on board collected our passports and departure cards just before
arriving at the Vietnamese border about 1 hour later. The border
area is a couple of buildings with restroom facilities. The Sinh Rep
handles all the formalities. The passengers just sit around in a
gazebo while the Cambodian vendors walk around selling
pineapple, peanuts and water.
After the Vietnamese border, the Sinh Rep returns all our passports
and hands us Cambodia declarations cards and arrival cards to fill
out before the Cambodian border.
The border is just about 2 minutes away by boat.
The formalities at the Cambodian border are taken care of by each
passenger. There is a table with a Cambodian official for
purchasing visas for $20.00.
Can only pay with USD. The process is simple and quick. We
needed a picture when we got our Cambodian visa in Vientiane, so
make sure you have 1 just in case.
We already had our visa so we went straight to the immigration
window.
There are restroom facilities next to the immigration building.
The entire border crossing takes about 1 hour. The entire boat trip
took 4 (approximately) to arrive in Phnom Penh, as opposed to the
slow boat that takes double the time.
Going through immigration is all a part of the trip and included in the
travel time. We got our Cambodian visas in advance in Vientiane,
Laos.
The boat docks right in the heart of Phnom Penh, just across the
street from the Riverside Hotel on Sisowath Quay street.
There is a steep metal ramp at the boat dock to climb up to the
street.
Plenty of tuk-tuk drivers and taxis are around or all hotels are within
walking distance.
The boat trip is relaxing and fun a unique way to enter a capital city.
We were very happy we had the opportunity to do this.
Phnom Penh, is a touristy city with most of its main attractions close
to the river. The river road has a wide promenade with a lovely view
of the river. A good variety of elegant restaurants, bakeries and
coffee shops, some with outside seating are across the street from
the river. There are plenty of hotels, bars, markets, historical sites,
trendy shops with handicrafts, plus several large, well-stocked
supermarkets to keep a deprived traveler here for a period of time.
Some streets are narrow, chaotic and traffic is hectic with mostly
cars, some scooters, tuk-tuks and bikes. Other city streets are wide
avenues with traffic circles, monuments and less traffic. Drivers
seem a bit apprehensive and unsure of themselves. Only a few
major intersections have traffic lights and other intersections are in
need of traffic lights.
The sidewalks are crowded with vendors and merchandise set out
for display from the shops. There are a high number of children
selling books and postcards and adults selling and asking for food
and money.
Many merchants quote in US dollars. We see this in shops,
restaurants, hotels, souvenir shops and supermarkets. The city has
several well stocked supermarkets that cater to ex-pats and NGO
personnel. The Paragon and Pencil Supercenter on P124, behind
the Royal Palace, just meters from each other, carry an extensive
selection of Thai, Western and Cambodian products. They have
prices in US dollars.
Phnom Penh is a great city to stock up on US dollars if you are
running low on your cash stash. There are over 20 ATM machines
in the city that dispense US dollars with no surcharge. The ANZ
Royal Bank has 13 dispensing machine locations, Cambodian
Public Bank, has 5 locations, SBC Bank and Canadia Bank, 5
locations. ANZ Royal Bank has a booth on Sisowath Road just
south of Indochine Hotel.
There is one bike shop on 31 Street 302 that does repairs and
rentals. Website www.phnompenhbike .com.
For current information on where everything is in Phnom Penh get a
hold of a FREE copy of the ASIALIFE, What's On Guide to Phnom
Penh. It's a great source of information, not only for Phnom Penh
but for the entire country.
Slept - Indochine Hotel
Location - 251 Sisowath Quay. Across the river in the center of the
tourist area just steps from the Royal Palace.
Cost - $20.00. Less expensive rooms have 1 double bed and no
window at about $10.00.
Amenities - Huge window with great river view, large room with two
double beds, en suite bathroom with shower over toilet. Hot water,
a/c, fridge, fan, TV with several channels in English.
Breakfast not included. No restaurant attached. Great location on
the river road in the center of all the activity.
Bikes are locked inside the hotel in the back of the lobby just
beneath the stairwell. Very safe.
Day Trip
The Killing Fields - Bicycle Tour
Entire trip round trip - 15.4 kilometers (9.4 miles)
Easy bike ride on a sealed and flat road.
Take Charles de Gaulle south out of town. It turns into Monireth St
217.
After the bridge it is 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) to the fork in the road
at the SOKIMEX gas station.
At the SORIMEX gas station take the left road.
After 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) you get to the turn off road toward
the Killing Fields. Go left. There is no sign.
After the turn off to The Killing Fields the entrance is 500 meters on
the left.
The traffic as you pedal out of the city is hectic and busy until you
reach the SORIMEX gas station. After the gas station the road is
two-lanes with a thin shoulder. The traffic is light. The road is
sealed,
Just before the turn-off toward to Killing Fields the road becomes
rough. It is sealed but not well maintained, but fine.
Entrance is $2.00. Secure parking for bicycles next to the ticket
booth. Water and some food are sold at the entrance.