Back in 2019
So, one of the easier ways to renew your visa in Cambodia is doing what is called “a border run”
This involves going to the nearest border, crossing into the neighbouring country, then re-entering Cambodia.
Thus starting your new visa (which, in the case of UK citizens, is 30 days)
Being in Kampot is great for this, as the nearest border is Vietnam, and Ha Tien is a little town about a 1 1/2 hour drive from Kampot.
My first trip was filled with scepticism and trepidation as I had heard many stories of border runs from my time in Thailand.
Like how immigration officers can refuse entry, make it hard to pass, or even require a “bribe” to make it smoother.
So when I was told that the process is relatively simple, I figured it wouldn’t be🙄
So, taking the bus from Kampot to Ha Tien city (approx $16) return.
I sat in the back of the minivan and looked at the scenery as we passed through the beauty of Kep and on to the border.
Upon arrival
The bus driver offered to do the passports for all of us for $1 each.
We all got off the bus. I paid, along with the rest, only to find that, because I wanted to come back, I still had to go with him through to the departure area.
A quick check of my visa and a $1 bill (for processing 🙂 allowed me to pass out of Cambodia)
And along the no-man’s-land area between the two countries and take the walk to Vietnam.
Upon entering, we queued to fill in a yellow medical form (and pay $1) before being zapped with a temp gauge to record your temperature
(They do not look at the form unless you have a fever)
Once you cleared the baggage X-ray machine, you await your turn to hand over your passport to the Vietnamese Check-in booth
Handing over your passport (UK citizens are given 15 days of free entry on arrival)
They look at you (maybe weighing up what the best approach is before asking for $1 to process your visa)
Now, many people have said many things about this, whether you have to pay, whether you can argue your case and stand your ground.
But I figured as we are staying in a developing country and the cost of this “bribe” is just a small price to pay.
Let’s face it: they assume you have it, as many locals don’t get to travel hardly ever, let alone to the other side of the world for a holiday.
So whatever your feelings towards this, just try and understand their motives.
And unless it really sticks in your throat as a corrupt attempt to extort money from tourists, then I would say pay it with a smile, and your process of entry is a lot smoother 🙂
TIP OF THE POST
“Take plenty of 1$ dollar bills or equivelent riel with you as it just makes things run smoothly”
Also on the note of the Bribe, we take for granted that developing countries will be corrupt and therefore we do sometimes look down upon them for this reason, but the question I pose to you is….
Do not think for one minute that the rich developed nations don’t have corruption.
The difference is that we don’t see it as it is at a much higher level in Business and Government !
Whereas, here in Asia it is just a natural thing that happens at all levels..
So which is worse?
At least they don’t try and hide it!
Once I received my passport back and was welcomed to Vietnam, I headed to the bus that would take me to Ha Tien City. I assumed I would just catch the next bus back and repeat the process in reverse.
Upon reaching my bus, or rather a group of buses that looked different from the one I had arrived on, I encountered a question that might seem obvious to many Cambodians but can sometimes come off as intrusive to English tourists: “Where are you going?”
I replied, “I have a ticket to Ha Tien City, but I want to come back to cross over to Cambodia.” The woman looked at me for a moment, then pointed toward Cambodia and said, “Go back.”
Confused, I glanced at her finger and then back at her, and I asked if I could simply cross straight back. I had heard various reports about this process, and the consensus seemed to be that when leaving a country, you often have to wait for a while before being allowed to return. Some said you might have to wait an hour, others mentioned several hours, and I even heard of cases requiring a 24-hour wait.
What I realised was that the wait time depends on how much you pay when leaving a place you have just entered. The longer you take to go back through immigration, the less you have to pay.
I walked back to the Vietnam border and presented my passport this time at the “check-out booth,” which, incidentally, was the seat next to the “check-in” booth I had just used.
Now this is where it gets funny
The guy that welcomed me to Vietnam was now sitting in the leaving Vietnam seat :))
He motioned me forward and asked if I wanted to leave Vietnam
I presented my passport, and when he looked at the stamp (literally made 3 minutes ago by him) he looked at me with a smile and said
“You want to check out?
Yes I replied
You just check in? “I pose it as a question here, but I think he was making a statement”
I nodded my head
$5, he said
This now made sense, as the local guide told me to go have a coffee or travel to Ha Tien and then return a few hours later so they don’t recognise you)
So I paid my dollars and left Vietnam
Crossing back to Cambodia proved to be easy.
I filled in my visa form, handed over a passport photo and my money for the 30-day visa and was welcomed to Cambodia
(took all of 15 mins, maybe slightly longer) and had cost $9 dollars for the privilege.
I quickly found my bus and hopped on and returned to Kampot in time for a cool beer during happy hour
(which incidentally is most of the day)
So my return visit a month later
Using the same transport as last time(minivan) I do recommend Sokha & Seyha travel
(Sokha is the Cambodian owner-driver and Seyha is the woman I spoke to on the Vietnam side during my first visit)
Now I know there are 2 buses; it makes life a lot easier
This time I left on the day my visa ran out, confident that, having done this once already, I was now an expert and would save a bit of time and be back to Kampot even quicker 🙂
So, arriving again at the border of Prek Chek, I hopped off the bus and walked confidently to present my passport ahead of everyone else and, to the confusion of the bus driver, who no doubt was wondering where his $1 was going……
The immigration officer looked at me and asked You going to Vietnam?
They are starting to catch on, I thought with a smile
Yes, I am, but then I return to renew my visa, I said confidently
He looked again at me and then at my passport
A long pause ( okay, at this point I stopped feeling confident and started to worry; I had no bag with me, as I was not worried about being stranded)
Last time, I had taken a small bag with spare clothes, a phone charger, credit cards and a camera in case I had to spend a night in Vietnam
He waited for a second and then said something that confused me
You want me to go to Vietnam for you?
I looked puzzled
$10, I go get stamp, he said with a smile
I thought for a minute, thinking back to the last time and the $9 I paid in bribes just to walk in the hot heat there and back, assuming the cost today wasn’t any more than before.
Ok I said, $10 dollar
He smiled again, rose from his chair, took my passport, exited his booth and turned the sign to closed.
At this point, I looked behind me and found many confused and startled faces from the bus I had arrived on.
Confused because they obviously didn’t understand why he had stopped working and left the booth
Startled because I guess a few thought that, with him taking my passport, I was probably wanted for something
I walked past everyone and quietly seated myself on a spare seat, where the family next to me innocently moved their bag to the other side and smiled at me.
What happened next was quite funny: he walked to the glass door, got on his scooter and shot off.
Everyone else just stood in the queue I had left and talked amongst themselves, nervously glancing at me from time to time
10 minutes later he walked back into the centre, gave me back my passport and pointed to the arrival desk.
Smiling, he returned to his booth and processed the rest of the departures.
So I had left Cambodia, visited Vietnam again and returned to Cambodia with a 30-day visa renewal without actually leaving Cambodia.
How cool is that!🖕
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