Visa run from Vietnam

[Le Thi Dung]

What is a visa run you might ask? Basically, a visa run is a trip that ex-pats who do not have a permanent residence visa have to make at least once and sometimes twice a year. This is done in order to obtain a new tourist visa back into the country where you're visa is about to expire.

So you have to leave the country you want to stay in, travel to a neighboring country and then turn back around and re-enter the first country with your new tourist visa.

A typical visa run from Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh would be:
1. Early 'visa run' bus. (times vary from 7am, 9am or 12noon)
2. Two hour trip to the Vietnam/Cambodia border
3. Border stop and issuing of Cambodian visa (1 month tourist visa at $20US...this can take from 45 minutes to an hour. Also, make sure you take some extra passport photos just in case)
4. The total trip can take between 6 or 7 hours so you will arrive at the Central bus Station in Phnom Penh between 1pm to 6pm
5. Tuk tuk to your hotel
6. If you want a quick visa go straight to ??? Riverside and apply for your return tourist visa to Vietnam (this usually takes 2 days).
7. Enjoy 2 nights in Phnom Penh
8. Pick up completed passport and head back to good old Vietnam