Misinformation: The Bangkok Embassy and the Lonely Planet Guide say that Visas are not available at any land entry points. This is not true. 23-12-2001

LAND.
International Overland Border Crossings
See CAMBODIA Border Crossings Map

Cambodia shares overland border crossings with Thailand (Poipet, Koh Kong, O’Smach, Pailin, and Kamreang district), Vietnam (Moc Bai and Chau Doc) and a semi-official crossing with Laos (Voeung Kam). The Thai crossing at Poipet is the closest to Siem Reap, Koh Kong is closest to Sihanoukville and the Vietnamese crossing at Moc Bai is most convenient to Phnom Penh.

Visas at Overland Border Crossings
Border crossing with Laos: This is a semi-official crossing. Border policies are not stable. Neither Cambodian nor Laotian visas are available at the border.

Border crossings with Vietnam: Cambodian visas are available at the border. Vietnamese visas are not available at the border.

Border crossings with Thailand: Cambodian visas and 30-day Thai transit visas are available at all Thai/Cambodian border crossings. Thai transit visas are free of charge. Other types of Thai visas are not available. At the Poipet and Koh Kong crossings, Cambodian immigration is charging 1000 baht for a tourist visa and 1500 baht for a business visa. Unlike the rest of the country, they usually refuse dollars. At current exchange rates, the price in baht is significantly more expensive than the official prices of $20 and $25. Some people have had some success paying the official price in dollars by being politely insistent.
From Sihanoukville, it is only two hours in a share taxi to Kampot and then about an hour in another share taxi to Kampong Trach, and then about an hour to the border crossing just outside Ha Tien. It is not yet possible for foreigners to take the ferry from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc, the boat dock for Phu Quoc is 3 or 4 kilometers south of Ha Tien town, boats from here may be irregular, like every second day. Vietnamese consulate in Sihanoukville issues while-you-wait, USD30 for "C" class visa (always double check that you get "C", not "D", not matter where you apply) and is open Saturdays and Sundays too .
Border Crossing Scams
Be prepared for minor scams from the Cambodian border guards, especially at Koh Kong and Poipet. Scam #1: Drivers and touts will insist that you need their help to obtain a visa. This is not true. They want to charge an extra fee. The visa process is easy, straightforward and do-it-yourself. Scam #2: The guards may charge 50 baht for a SARS form. The form may in fact be required, but it is also supposed to be free. Scam #3: Immigration police may try to overcharge 100-300 baht for the visa, or charge 100 baht for the normally free exit/entry stamp. Try asking for a receipt.

When dealing with officials, there is usually room for polite explanations and bargaining. One sometimes-successful approach is to smile, say "no, thank you", smile some more, perhaps act like you don't understand and walk away. This technique may or may not work but it has a greater likelihood of success than simply refusing or, even worse, becoming argumentative.

Border Crossings with Vietnam
Bavet Checkpoint: Moc Bai (Vietnam) - Bavet (Cambodia) (Route 1 to Phnom Penh)
Cambodian visas available at the border. Vietnamese visas NOT available at the border
Transport between Phnom Penh and HCM via Moc Bai includes the following: 1) The direct Ho Wah Genting bus is a large, air-con bus, which departs Phnom Penh from the station at the southwest corner of the Central Market T/T/Sat at 6:30AM. $12/person. Departs HCM at 6:00AM. $9 per person. 2) A bit cheaper are the daily minivans from Capitol GH and Neak Krorhorm Travel in Phnom Penh for around $5-$6. 3) Cheapest, local taxis depart from Market Chhbar Ampeou. 10,000R for a cramped and harrowing ride to the border. With the exception of the direct bus, you will taxi as far as the border, walk across and pick up another vehicle on the other side.

Kha Orm Nor Checkpoint: Chau Doc (Vietnam) On the Mekong River.
Cambodian visas available at the border. Vietnamese visas NOT available at the border
(To/from Phnom Penh) The crossing at Chau Doc on the Mekong is open to foreigners. In Ho Chi Minh, Saigon Tourism can make transport arrangements to Chau Doc in which you will boat up to the border, enter Cambodia and change to a speedboat that goes from the border to Neak Luong. At Neak Luong, disembark and take a taxi to Phnom Penh along Route #1. In Phnom Penh, guesthouses and travel agencies such as Capitol Guesthouse and Neak Krorhorm Travel offer daily transport to Chau Doc for about $8. Pick up a bus to HCM from Chau Doc for about $3.

Border Crossings with Thailand
Cham Yeam Checkpoint: Hat Lek (Thailand) - Koh Kong (Cambodia) (The way to Sihanoukville)
Cambodian visas available. Thai transit visas available.

The Route: Bangkok to Sihanoukville via Koh Kong
NOTE: There are at least 3 places called Koh Kong. Koh Kong here refers to the town across the estuary from Hat Lek. Koh Kong is also an island and another town or two nearby.
The usual route runs from Bangkok, to Trat (with some people opting for a detour to Koh Chang), then on to the border crossing at Had Lek where you cross to Koh Kong (Cham Yeam). From Koh Kong, either take the ferry or the road to Sihanoukville. If you intend to take the ferry, take note that it departs Koh Kong at 8:00AM, which means that unless you arrive at Koh Kong just before 8:00AM, you’ll need to spend a night in Koh Kong. Some tour operators on Khao San Rd. in Bangkok are offering nighttime minibuses that leave Khao San at 1AM so that they arrive in Had Lek at 6AM, just before the border opens and two hours before the ferry leaves.

Bangkok to Had Lek / Koh Kong border crossing
1. Bus from Bangkok to Trat (170 baht)
2. Van from Trat to the Thai border town of Had Lek (100 baht). Departs every 30 minutes or so.
3. Buy your visa and walk into Cambodia.
4a. If you are going to take the road, touts and drivers will approach you as soon as you cross the border.
4b. If you are going to take the ferry, take a motodup into Koh Kong City or to the ferry dock (50 baht for moto or shared taxi. 200 baht for private taxi)

Koh Kong to/from Sihanoukville by road
For years there was no road connection from Koh Kong to interior Cambodia. Road #48, the new road from Koh Kong to Route #4 and Sihanoukville, is now passable, though not quite complete. When you cross the border from Thailand, touts for vans to Sihanoukville will immediately approach you, claiming their van is about to leave. Vans only leave when they are full, regardless of tout’s claims to the contrary. 5 - 7 hours. 600 baht. Faster on a motorcycle. Road conditions deteriorate dramatically during the wet season. Many if not most guesthouses in Sihanoukville offer vans to Koh Kong.

Koh Kong to/from Sihanoukville by ferry
Small bullet ferries run daily in both directions between Sihanoukville and Koh Kong. The trip takes 3 1/2 - 4 hours. US$12-$15 for foreigners. (Tickets are cheaper at guesthouses than at the ferry dock). There are occasional cancellations during the rainy season.
From Koh Kong to Sihanoukville: The Ferry departs at 8:00am every morning.
From Sihanoukville to Koh Kong: The Ferry departs at 12:00noon everyday from the ‘Port of Passenger Ship’, near the Port of Sihanoukville, just off Hun Sen Beach Dr. about 1km from Phe Rd. Tell your motodup driver ‘Koh Kong’ and he will know that you mean the Koh Kong ferry dock. The boat makes three stops. Get off at the second stop (Rak Long). The Ferry arrives in Koh Kong at 4PM and the border closes at 5PM so unless you want to spend the night in Koh Kong, don’t dawdle on your way to the border.

O’Smach Checkpoint: O’Smach, Cambodia
Cambodian visas available. Thai transit visas available.

Travelers report that this crossing is useful to those traveling between Siem Reap, Cambodia and either northern Thailand, or southern Laos via Thailand. From Siem Reap take a taxi or pickup to the border via Anlong Veng town. Reports are that it is a 5-8 hour trip on a rough road from Siem Reap to the border. Price in a pick-up truck: $5-$9 for a place in a pickup truck. The nearest major city on the Thai side is Surin..

Aranyaprathet (Thailand) - Poipet (Cambodia)
Cambodian visas and Thai transit visas available on arrival at the border

Bangkok to Siem Reap via the Aranyaprathet/Poipet border crossing
It’s a 465km, 9-12 hour trip from Bangkok to Siem Reap. The usual route begins with a 4-5 hour bus or a train ride from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet (‘Aran’), the town on the Thai side near the border, then a short tuk-tuk ride the last 6 km to the border crossing. Cambodian visas are available at the border. From Poipet on the Cambodian side, it’s a further 3-6 hour bus or taxi to Siem Reap. There are two options in planning this trip, 1) buy a package ticket in Bangkok or Siem Reap, or 2) put it together yourself.

Package Tickets
In Bangkok you can buy package tickets from travel agents on Khao Sarn and in the Sukhumvit area. The price ranges from 50-800 baht, averaging around 200 baht. Regardless of the cost of the ticket most travel agencies are sending customers to the same bus companies. When you buy your ticket ask about the type of transportation you will be on, especially on the Cambodian side. Make sure it is a tour bus or full sized bus, not a pickup truck. Buses from Neak Krorhorm and Sara Tours tend to be of better than most.

You will depart Bangkok between 7AM and 8AM, arriving at the border crossing near Aranyaprathet 4-5 hours later. At the border you will disembark and will be told how to locate your onward transportation on the Cambodian side of the border. Cross the border. See Visa/Crossing the border next page. The last leg of the trip to Siem Reap tends to be uncomfortably slow, due both to poor road conditions, and the tendency of some bus companies to deliberately drag out the trip so that the passengers arrive in Siem Reap at night, tired and disoriented. They are then ‘delivered’ to a commission-paying guesthouse. Traveling the other direction, from Siem Reap to Poipet, the ride is much quicker.

Do it yourself
1) From Bangkok take a bus or train to Aranyaprathet. Bus: 164-180 baht, 4 hours, departing the Northern Bus Terminal (Morochit), hourly from 4AM to 6PM. Train: 48 baht, 3rd class, 6 hours, departs Hualamphong Station twice daily (6AM and 1PM).
2) From Aranyaprathet, take a moto or tuk-tuk from the bus station to the border for 40-50 baht, respectively.
3) Cross the border to Poipet. See Visa/Crossing the border next page.
4) On the Cambodian side you have three options for transportation from Poipet through Sisophon and on to Siem Reap: a) tourist bus, b) pickup truck, or c) shared/private taxi.
a) Tourist Bus: Price is variable. Buses are comparatively comfortable but are often very slow. 4-6 hours. See Package Tickets.
b) Pickup Truck: 30 baht (in the back) - 100 baht (inside, 2 seats) to Sisophon. Change vehicles in Sisophon. 50 baht (in the back) - 200 baht (inside, 2 seats) to Siem Reap. 3-5 hours
c) Taxi: 150-200 baht per seat in a shared taxi. 900- 1200 baht for the whole car. 3-4 hours. This is the easiest, fastest, most expensive option.
Hint: Shared taxis and trucks squeeze two passengers into each seat, so it is much more comfortable to pay for a ‘double seat’ in order to get an entire seat for yourself.

Border Crossings with Laos
Laos - Cambodia at Voeng Kham
Visas NOT available at the border
A semi-official border crossing that is sometimes open, sometimes closed. At present, it has been open several months. Ask at your guesthouse for current status. From Phnom Penh, taxi or bus to Kampong Cham. From Kampong Cham, take the ferry to Stung Treng (20,000R, 4 hrs). The road from Stung Treng to the border is poor, requiring an isolated, uncomfortable 3-5 hour, $20 mototaxi ride. Preferably, river ferries to the border depart Stung Treng once or twice a day. $5, 1 1/2-3 hours. Expect an additional $5 ‘fee’ for the Cambodian border guards. On the Lao side, take a taxi to Pakse. 2 hours. Scam alert: There are reports of travelers coming from Laos to Cambodia being overcharged by the speedboat drivers.

Travel internal
Adhere to warnings. In the country do not step off the road - landmines!!
Most common trip is to go from Phnom Penh to Angkor by boat or plane. Sihanoukville is easily accessible.
The best road in the country is Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville, its now considered safe and takes 4 hours in aircon Bus (12,000 riel $US3.20), share taxis are also available and a very slow train.
Taking pick-up taxis from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (and reverse) is possible but very very slow. One group said they hired a 4 wheel drive ($US65) and drove there in about the same time the boat takes (5 hours).
Phnom Penh to Battambang is a very bad road. Battambang to Poipet is better. you can go by boat from Battambang to Siem Reap (both ways) for $US12-15 - 3 hours, very scenic.

AIR. Royal Phnom Penh Airways flies to Siem Reap, Battambang, Rattanakiri, Stung Treng, Koh Kong and Mondulkiri.
Royal Air Cambodge used to fly to Siem Reap, Stung Treng, Ratanakiri, Battambang, Koh Kong, Sihanoukville (Kompong Som) and Senmonorom province, but they went broke.

Siam temporarily annexes the western parts of the country, including the town of Battambang. By recognizing French rule, King Norodom preempted moves of Siam and Vietnam to entirely divide his country between them. In past centuries the loss of territory to Vietnam had been more significant. The Mekong delta, or rather the entire presentday South Vietnam, had been settled by Cambodians until well into the 18th century.

In 1884, with the acknowledgment of King Norodom, Cambodia's status is changed from protectorate to colony. The political influence of the French grows, and together with Vietnam and Laos, Cambodia becomes part of the Union Indochinois. In subsequent decades the French colonial masters install a European administrative system in Cambodia and improve the infrastructure of the country. Nevertheless, the economical development of the French Union Indochinois does not reach the extent of Burma's or India's development under British rule.
In September 1940 , Japanese troops occupy Indochina without meeting any resistance.

Apparently the French colonial powers leave all military installations for the Japanese troops to use; in exchange the French colonial administration remains in office. Therefore the years of World War II bring less destruction to Cambodia than, for instance, to the fiercely contested countries of Burma and the Philippines.

In 1941 the French colonial masters proclaim 18-year-old Prince Norodom Sihanouk king of Cambodia, expecting to be able to easily control the politically inexperienced youth.

In March 1945 the Japanese military remove the French colonial administration and force young King Norodom Sihanouk to proclaim the independence of his country.

In East Asia, World War II ends August 14, 1945, with the capitulation of Japan. Subsequently, France tries to reestablish herself as colonial power in Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos.

In 1946 King Norodom Sihanouk demands independence for his country from France. The French colonial masters respond by abolishing the absolute monarchy in Cambodia and by restricting the position of the king to representative status. A national assembly is elected.

In 1952 King Norodom Sihanouk enters self-elected exile, announcing he would return to Cambodia only when the country is independent.