20 hours overnight train to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) and 6 hours by bus to Cambodia
Rather than taking a 2-hour flight, we decided to reduce our carbon footprint and take the 20 hour overnight sleeper train from Da Nang to Saigon. Arriving in Saigon Train Station at just before 6am, our tired team enjoyed a morning coffee outside the station before a quick fire moped tour of the city, with ball in hand, before boarding a bus and heading off on a 6 hour bus journey to Cambodia.
Joaquin’s nervous wait
Our very international travel team consists of Valeree (Philippines), Sophia (Germany), Andrew (New Zealand) and Joaquin (Argentina). Valeree didn’t need a visa to enter either Vietnam or Cambodia. Sophia and Andrew (travelling with his British Passport) got an automatic 15-day visa for free and Joaquin got in a spot of trouble.
It is all rather complicated. Because we were officially working in Vietnam, Joaquin needed a working visa which was only granted until the 17th of March and only after a touch and go operation upon arrival at the airport. As we had already booked our further travel to Cambodia (bus) and gotten Cambodian visas for Joaquin, Sophia and Andrew (Valeree again was exempt), which were valid from the 19th of March, we decided to try our luck and cross into Cambodia.
As this post is being written, we are sitting on the bus on the way to the Vietnam/Cambodia border crossing. We are crossing our fingers that Joaquin can cross without drama, two days after Joaquin’s visa had expired. Stay tuned to find out more.