Taking the Long Phuong bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City!

Our very friendly Phnom Penh hostel told us of two bus services to Ho Chi Minh City. Both would include pick up from the hostel but he recommended one (the slightly pricier one) because he claimed it was faster and more comfortable and we took it! It was really hassle free not having to find the bus companies and having to book the buses ourselves, and make the journey to the pick up stop on our own.. And that was how we ended up with our ride on ‘Long Phuong Cambodia’.

A quick google search revealed a huge mix of reviews (mostly negative) and it had a 2.8 star out of 5 rating. Our experience with them, however, was not bad at all! It wasn’t luxurious but it got us to Ho Chi Minh safely and comfortably.

Bus tickets given by our hostel

Together with 2 backpackers in the hostel, we squeezed into a tuktuk with our bulging backpacks and went on our short ride to the bus pick up spot. It was the morning peak and it was pretty interesting to watch the locals daily morning routine.

We boarded the bus which screamed basic and thankfully, it wasn’t full. Aside from the four of us, there was a Filipino couple, a Vietnamese family probably going back from a holiday and other locals who mostly dropped off along the way to the border. Some had bulks of fruits and boxes which made me conclude that they were transferring supplies to the towns. After they alighted, some of us moved to their vacated seats and I was able to recline comfortably without causing anyone else any inconvenience.

We had a bus conductor who checked everyone’s tickets, collected our passports shortly after boarding and gave us complimentary wet tissues and water. The ride itself was pretty straightforward. We passed through the Cambodian countryside, had a toilet break, continued on our journey and had a lunch break at a restaurant right before the border. There was a restaurant staff who could speak English so we were able to order easily. It was inexpensive, pretty good and we ate (I was personally questioning the hygiene before hand) because almost everyone else in the bus was eating and we were hungry. Although, everyone else did not drink the set drink that came with all meals, so we gave that a miss as well.

Pretty decent meal!

Closer to the border, buildings suddenly sprang out and huge hotels and casinos (mostly catered to the Chinese with their Chinese words and flags at the entrances) stood at the Cambodian side. There were buggies transporting the tourists in the area and many signs for Chinese food and massages so that should pretty much prove my assumptions on the main clientele of the area. It was just pretty odd (and slightly fascinating) for all these developments to come out of the otherwise plain and desolate landscape.

All passengers had to get off the bus at the Cambodian side simply for formalities. We got off and stood by the bus, looked at the big and impressive Cambodian immigration complex for less than a minute and then got back on the bus. When we reached the Vietnamese side, we got off the bus again and made our way to the immigration building. No instructions were given to us so we just followed everyone else. Here, our conductor got all our passports ready and called us by waving our passports after they were stamped. There was an x-ray on our belongings by a bored border official and in just a matter of minutes, we were officially in Vietnam!

The bus wifi finally worked on the Vietnamese side of the border and that made the journey to Ho Chi Minh City shorter. Hello Saigon!

We were in Saigon!

That lovely crazy traffic Ho Chi Minh City is know for.