How to cross the border between Ha Tien and Kampot?

Crossing the border between Ha Tien in Vietnam and Kampot in Cambodia is quite straightforward. I crossed the border of Ha Tien and Kampot in February 2023 and decided to write down my experience in this article. I hope this helps you to prepare for your border crossing.

Location border crossing Ha Tien – Kampot

First, I will tell you about the exact location of the border crossing. The official border crossing between the two countries is located at the Prek Chak International Border Check Point, approximately 45 kilometers from Kampot and 7 kilometers from Ha Tien.

How to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Kampot?

The best way to travel from Ho Chi Minh City to Kampot is to first take a bus to Ha Tien, then a taxi to the border and then a minivan to Kampot. There is no direct train service or flight linking Ha Tien and Kampot.

I took a Futa sleeper bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Ha Tien. This bus ride took about 7 hours and was very comfortable. You can book the sleeper bus directly at the Futa website. I paid 205,000 VND for 1 ticket. The ticket includes a bed, 1 bottle of water and 1 cold towel.

You can use the search box below to explore the different transportation possibilities to Ha Tien via 12ToGo:

I stayed the night in Ha Tien at Nhà nghỉ thanh thuy 2. This accommodation was very basic, but it was cheap, clean and had the perfect location. There was a (night) market nearby, plenty of restaurants and a money exchange service. The money exchange service is located in a small convenient shop and is not an official money changer. It was a weird place to exchange money, but it worked out perfectly. I had dinner at a vegeterian buffet restaurant, which I can really recommend. I don’t remember the name of the place, but it was somewhere here.

The next morning I took a taxi to the border. Grab is not working in Ha Tien, so I arranged the taxi via the hotel. The taxi ride from Ha Tien to the border took around 30 minutes and I paid $6.5 / 158.000.

After the border crossing, there are multiple mini vans available on the Cambodian side for your ride to Kampot. I bargained the price from $14 to $10 for a seat in a minivan. The ride took around one hour.

How to cross the border between Ha Tien and Kampot?

I first took a taxi from Ha Tien to the Ha Tien and Kampot Border Crossing. This took me 30 minutes.

Here, I had to walk over to the Vietnamese immigration office and present my passport for the exit stamping. After getting my passport stamped I walked across the border to the Cambodian side. Before arriving at Cambodian immigration, I had to show my passport and exit stamp at least three times to other officials.

Once on the Cambodia side, I had to obtain a visa for entry. I filled in the immigration card (see photos below) and paid the visa fee of $35. Sometimes you only have to pay $30. It totally depends on the customs official.

Then I had to give my fingerprints, a picture was taken of me and then I got my stamp for Cambodia. After this whole process I had to take another photo and pay another $1 for this, which was totally unnecessary in my opinion and just a way to make extra money from tourists. This entire process only took around 20 minutes. After completing the above steps, I was able to continue my journey to Kampot. 

The whole process of crossing the border between Ha Tien and Kampot took me around one hour. Depending on the time of day and the number of people crossing, it may take you longer.

Outside the Cambodian border, multiple mini vans were available. I bargained the price from $14 to $10 and took the minivan to Kampot. The journey was quite comfortable, as the roads were well-maintained and the scenery was breathtaking. The minivan dropped me at my super nice and clean hostel in Kampot; Monkey Republic hostel. I can really recommend this accommodation. Monkey Republic has a nice bar with hundred types of beer, high-quality food (see photos below) and a chill area where you can play pool. The entire journey took around one hour and I was relieved to finally reach Kampot.

Tip: another nice hostel in Kampot is Karma Traders Kampot. This hostel has a pool, nice rooftop bar and plenty of organized activities that are really fun to join. I also loved their taco Tuesday.

Conclusion

Crossing the border between Ha Tien and Kampot was a relatively straightforward process. The entire process from the start to finish took around one hour. The process involved queuing up for a Vietnamese exit stamp, applying for the Cambodian visa and finally waiting for the Cambodian entry stamp. It’s important to remember to bring your passport and USD for the visa fee.

If you have any questions about the border crossing, feel free to leave a comment in the comment section below. Enjoy Cambodia and safe travels!

Author: Daphne

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