Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
INTO VIETNAM
The popular 245km trip from Phnom Penh to HCMC has become easier and cheaper over the
last few years, and it's now possible to take public transport all the way. Several companies
operate full-sized buses or express a/c minibuses all the way to HCMC for $10-15 (until 1.30pm).
The alternative is to get yourself a place in a share taxi ($5) to Bavet , and then find a minibus to
HCMC (US$4) after crossing the border (a 500m or so walk); there are plenty of touts at Bavet to
help you out. However you get to the border, allow time to clear immigration and note that
the border closes at 8pm. The city-to-city trip takes about six to seven hours, including
immigration formalities. Be aware that Vietnam visas are not available at the border; you can
pick one up at the Vietnamese Embassy at the southern end of Monivong Boulevard in Phnom
Penh (Mon-Fri 8-11am & 2.30-4.30pm) for around $60, depending on your nationality and how
quickly you need it, but guesthouses can usually organize this for a few dollars more.
The route through Chau Doc is more complicated than crossing at Bavet; you'll have to get to
Neak Leung and then take a boat down the Mekong to the border, where you can pick up a moto
for the short ride to the immigration point on the Bassac River. Alternatively, take an express boat
to Chau Doc from Sisowath Quay (from $25). In either case, you'll need to have a valid visa.
For details of the border crossing at Prek Chak (Ha Tien), see the Vietnam chapter (see box,
p.916).
2
Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields)
A visit to CHOEUNG EK (daily
7am-5.30pm; $3; audioguide $3), 12km
southwest of Phnom Penh and signposted
from Monireth Boulevard, is a sobering
experience. It was here in 1980 that the
bodies of 8985 people, victims of Pol Pot
and his Khmer Rouge comrades, were
exhumed from 86 mass graves. A further
43 graves have been left untouched. Many
of those buried here had suffered
prolonged torture at S21 prison (see p.80),
before being led to their deaths. Men,
women and children were beaten to death,
shot, beheaded, or tied up and buried alive.
he site is dominated by a tall, white,
hollow stupa that commemorates all those
who died from 1975 to 1979, displaying
thousands of unearthed skulls on glass
shelves. A pile of the victims' ragged
clothing lies scattered underneath. A
pavilion has a small display of the
excavation of the burial pits, and a
handwritten sign nearby (in Khmer and
English) outlines the Khmer Rouge
atrocities, a period described as “a desert
of great destruction which overturned
Kampuchean society and drove it back to
the stone age”. Although Choeung Ek is
by far the most notorious of the killing
fields, scores of similar plots can be found
all over Cambodia, many with no more
than a pile of skulls and bones as a
memorial. To get to Choeung Ek, a return
moto will cost you $8-10 return (30min).
Central
Cambodia
Central Cambodia is a forgotten territory,
stretching from north of Phnom Penh
through sparsely populated countryside
right up to the hai border. he region is
hardly a popular tourist destination,
although a steadily improving road
network is now making some of its
impressive but formerly remote temples
much more easily accessible. hese are
rewarding destinations if you're itching to
get off the tourist trail, and compared to
Angkor Wat they're practically deserted.
Centrepiece of the region is Kompong
Thom , the only town of any size
hereabouts. hankfully, it's no major
expedition if you want to see Sambor Prei
Kuk , where there are three groups of
well-preserved brick-built temples.
KOMPONG THOM
Located roughly midway between Phnom
Penh and Siem Reap on National Route
6, KOMPONG THOM is the gateway to the
pre-Angkor temple ruins of Sambor Prei
Kuk , 30km northeast. he town itself is
little more than a busy transport stop, but
it's a friendly place, and with a passable
selection of inexpensive accommodation
and food. he main features are a
 
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