Cambodia – entry and exit points

Cambodia entry and exit points

A rundown on Cambodia entry and exit points including international airports and land border crossings relevant to our Cambodia small group tours.

Airports

The small Southeast Asian country of Cambodia currently boasts three airports for commercial, passenger flights, all of which have international facilities and two of which are relevant to our Cambodia small group tours. These are Phnom Penh, (Techo International Airport) and Siem Reap,  (Angkor International). The third airport is Sihanoukville, which claims flights to Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City amongst various destinations, but whose dubious casino and golf course attractions hardly fit our tour profiles. (There are a couple of attractive offshore islands but we’ll go into those later.)

Pochentong (PNH)

While a thorough makeover of the old Pochentong International Airport in Phnom Penh’s western suburbs has only recently been completed, plans are afoot to inaugurate the brand-new Techo International Airport (code KTI) to the south of the capital sometime in 2025. Pochentong has always been one of our favourite regional airports –  it’s a manageable size without the endless corridors of either of Bangkok’s airports, yet there never seem to be long queues at check-in and customs or arrivals and departures. There are sensibly priced snack and coffee shops and the proximity to central Phnom Penh was always a major advantage (even if traffic means we have to allow up to a 2-hour transfer time at busy periods.}

However, the runways are apparently too short for larger planes so, with no room for expansion, the airport is moving 20 kilometres south of the capital to brand new facilities near Ta Khmau in Kandal Province. The new Techo International is certainly state of the art and longer runways ought to mean more direct, international flights thus avoiding changing planes in Bangkok, but with no sign of any rail link or the like, we’d been a bit concerned about transfer times. (1)

Siem Reap Angkor International

In many respects, Siem Reap presented a similar situation and while the old airport was a convenient 15-minute drive from Siem Reap town the runways were too short for larger craft and there was no room at all for expansion. (The airport’s very close proximity to the Angkor temples was also frequently cited as potentially damaging.)

However, the new airport in Soutr Nikom District is a whopping 40 kilometres from town, entailing at least an hour’s driving time. Sections of new roads were constructed to improve access but a larger chunk of the journey is along already barrow and busy Highway 6 and, once again, no alternative means of transport, such as airport rail links, were envisaged. Consequently, a $40 taxi ride now replaces what used to be a $10 tuk-tuk ride, bearing in mind it’s a 2-hour round trip for the chauffeur. (There is, in theory, an airport shuttle bus service, but to us, it appears rather half-hearted and any additional messing around at an airport is not welcome.)

In our somewhat cynical opinion, both new airports are, for now, little more than very expensive prestige projects – both of which which add significant inconvenience for travellers – but authorities would claim it’s forward planning, so…we’ll get back to you in 5 years or so.  (Update: after having used both airports several times since, we’d say no problems with the new, easily accessed and spacious Phnom Penh Airport although we’re less convinced by Angkor International. Only half of a new access road was completed meaning transfers can be on the laborious side at certain times.

Note that Phnom Penh is the Cambodia entry and exit point for our Cambodia Overland and Beyond Angkor tours with Siem Reap serving as the departure point for our shorter, Highlights of Cambodia tour. Ditto for our Vietnam and Cambodia overland tour and its abbreviated version, Saigon to Angkor plus our Laos and Cambodia tour, Mekong Adventure.

Cambodia entry and exit points by land

Bordering Thailand to the west and north, Vietnam to the east plus a small stretch of common border with Laos in the northeast, Cambodia has 8 or so land crossing points regularly used by foreign visitors. (Several more off-the-beaten-track crossing points needn’t concern us for now.) Cambodia-Thai crossings were outlined in our earlier Thailand land crossings post. Contrary to the erroneous Cambodia Immigration site, there is only 1 functioning land crossing with Laos, while Prek Chak-Ha Tien, (a coastal crossing to Kep Province), Bavet-Mok Bai, (the main Saigon to Phnom Penh highway) and Kaoam Samnor-Vinh Xuong (the Mekong River border post), are the principal Vietnam-Cambodia entry and exit points of interest.

Prom to Ban Pakkard

This somewhat remote Cambodian entry and exit point lies a short distance beyond Pailin Town, in the country’s southwest, and provides a shortcut between Battambang and the ferry ports serving the Thai islands of Koh Mak, Koh Kut and Koh Chang. The border post is the exit point on our Cambodia and Thailand family tour and is described in the aforementioned Thailand land border post. (Update: this crossing remains closed since the highly regrettable Thai/Cambodian conflagration of 2025.)

Vinh Xuong to Kaoam Samnor

Situated on the banks of the Mekong River, this is the entry point when travelling by boat between Chau Doc and Phnom Penh. (Thus featuring in our Cambodia and Vietnam Overland and Saigon to Angkor tours.) The boat stops at Vinh Xuong, where you’ll get your Vietnam exit stamp, before docking again a short distance upstream at Kaoam Samnor for your Cambodian visa and entry stamp. Cambodian e-visas are not valid for this crossing but boat company staff will facilitate customs and immigration procedures for a small fee. (Note, it is the boat company’s interest to make this as quick and painless as possible so well worth the extra charge. (You do occasionally come across a smart-Alec passenger who insists on doing it all themselves and making the other passengers wait, in which case tripping them up on the gangplank is always an option.)

Nong Nok Khiene to Dong Kalor/Trapaeng Kreal

As we mentioned the Cambodia immigration site erroneously lists Don Kralo and Tropaeng Kreal (their transliterations) as Cambodian entry and exit points with Laos. Furthermore, it states that e-visas are valid at the latter but not the former. In reality, there is only 1 legal crossing and e-visas are accepted with, to all intents and purposes, the 2 names referring to the same border crossing. In our experience, locals use the name Don Kalor but it appears Tropaeng Kreal is what you should put on any paperwork or online application.

As we mentioned, there are several more valid Cambodia entry and exit points – some of which may crop up on our tailor-made itineraries – but the above covers all arrival and departure points on our regular Cambodia, Cambodia and Laos and Cambodia and Vietnam tours.

(1) Phnom Penh Techo International Airport officially opened in October 25 with, we’re pleased to say, excellent toad access to the downtown area. Although slightly further than Pochentong, distance-wise, congestion is less and transfer times shorter.