The Ha Tien International Border Gate
According to Canby Publications, the Prek Cha/Xaxia (‘Ha Tien’) checkpoint is the nearest, most easily-accessed border crossing from Kampot/Kep. The crossing lies near the Vietnamese towns of Ha Tien and Rach Gia, which are the main jump-off points to Phu Quoc Island. The road from Kampot to the border crossing is, for the most part, in fair condition, taking about 1h15m-2 hours to traverse, though longer in the wet season. A tuk-tuk to the border costs about $15-$20; a car taxi is $20-$25 for a private taxi and $5/pax for a shared taxi; and a motorcycle taxi to the border costs about $7-$8. A traveller, nicknamed amtrakker, shared his experience on Thorntree (5-Jan-2012):-
“Crossed over the Prek Cha / Xa Xia border without incident. Had to wander over to the Cambodian immigration desk where a sleepy officer shuffled some papers, squinted cursorily @ my passport and made the requisite number of stamps (about 3 I think) before waving me on my way. Had to walk with my moto driver to another control point before getting back on the moto for the short minutes drive across to the Vietnamese border checkpoint, passing the sumptuous and aptly named HaTien Vegas casino amongst others that were situated in this no mans land.
Strolled into the modern immigration building under a large Vietnamese flag (yellow star on red background) and was met by a chap who gave me a health form to complete. After confirming I hadn’t got a fever, aches, pains or coughs, he prodded me with a temperature probe (well I hope that’s what it was!) and collected one US dollar for his troubles, before indicating I line up @ the nearby immigration counter.
There were a group of Vietnamese leaving and after they’d been processed (about 5 mins) had my turn to have my passport and visa carefully scrutinized, with more thunderous stamping of my passport – hope all the sensitive biometric data lasts the 10 years if it has to go through much more of this abuse! But only took 5 minutes and I was waved through – the screening machine seemed like it had not been used in a while. Had to walk to another border control point to show the guards that the necessary stamps had been placed on my visa, and I was back on the moto for the 20 minute trip into Ha Tien, the most noticeable first impression was of the conical hats, pyjama and ao dai dresses worn by the Vietnamese women, and the smell of fish sauce (one that lingers in the memory, a bit like durian!)”
Prek Cha-Xa Xia Border Crossing (Jan-2012)
The Ha Tien International Border Gate
According to Canby Publications, the Prek Cha/Xaxia (‘Ha Tien’) checkpoint is the nearest, most easily-accessed border crossing from Kampot/Kep. The crossing lies near the Vietnamese towns of Ha Tien and Rach Gia, which are the main jump-off points to Phu Quoc Island. The road from Kampot to the border crossing is, for the most part, in fair condition, taking about 1h15m-2 hours to traverse, though longer in the wet season. A tuk-tuk to the border costs about $15-$20; a car taxi is $20-$25 for a private taxi and $5/pax for a shared taxi; and a motorcycle taxi to the border costs about $7-$8. A traveller, nicknamed amtrakker, shared his experience on Thorntree (5-Jan-2012):-
“Crossed over the Prek Cha / Xa Xia border without incident. Had to wander over to the Cambodian immigration desk where a sleepy officer shuffled some papers, squinted cursorily @ my passport and made the requisite number of stamps (about 3 I think) before waving me on my way. Had to walk with my moto driver to another control point before getting back on the moto for the short minutes drive across to the Vietnamese border checkpoint, passing the sumptuous and aptly named HaTien Vegas casino amongst others that were situated in this no mans land.
Strolled into the modern immigration building under a large Vietnamese flag (yellow star on red background) and was met by a chap who gave me a health form to complete. After confirming I hadn’t got a fever, aches, pains or coughs, he prodded me with a temperature probe (well I hope that’s what it was!) and collected one US dollar for his troubles, before indicating I line up @ the nearby immigration counter.
There were a group of Vietnamese leaving and after they’d been processed (about 5 mins) had my turn to have my passport and visa carefully scrutinized, with more thunderous stamping of my passport – hope all the sensitive biometric data lasts the 10 years if it has to go through much more of this abuse! But only took 5 minutes and I was waved through – the screening machine seemed like it had not been used in a while. Had to walk to another border control point to show the guards that the necessary stamps had been placed on my visa, and I was back on the moto for the 20 minute trip into Ha Tien, the most noticeable first impression was of the conical hats, pyjama and ao dai dresses worn by the Vietnamese women, and the smell of fish sauce (one that lingers in the memory, a bit like durian!)”