We booked two nights in Kampot. We stayed four.
There was still work to do, content to create and a boat to arrange for the next part of the journey. We liked where we were. Adding another couple of nights made sense, so we did.
Our Cambodia border run took shape as we went. Sheri and I left Mũi Né, Vietnam, with a few destinations in mind and enough space between them to make decisions along the way. Our five stops were Mũi Né, Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, Kampot and Koh Rong. On 2 November, we continued towards the island.
We came with few expectations. By Kampot, we had already found several reasons to keep giving Cambodia more time.
Our Cambodia border run route at a glance
| Dates in 2026 | Stop and stay | Nights | Travel details from our trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 October | Mũi Né · starting point | — | Our departure base in Vietnam; the sleeper bus left at 1 p.m. |
| 21–23 October | Ho Chi Minh City · Phan House | 2 | Approximately 3½ hours from Mũi Né by sleeper bus, then about ten minutes on foot to Phan House. |
| 23–29 October | Phnom Penh · Apsor Palace and Chaiya Palace | 6 | Mai Phuong bus left Ho Chi Minh City at 11 a.m.; hotel arrival was 5:25 p.m. Three nights at each property. |
| 29 October–2 November | Kampot · Kampot Sweet Boutique | 4 | Left Phnom Penh by bus at 1 p.m. Extended our original two-night reservation. |
| 2 November | Onward to Koh Rong | — | GTVC speedboat; Kampot Sweet Boutique helped arrange the booking and transport to the departure pier. |
These dates and times record our own journey. Check current departures and complete transfer arrangements before using the route for your trip.
A comfortable start from Mũi Né
We began our Cambodia border run in Mũi Né, leaving the bus station at 1 p.m. on 21 October. The large sleeper bus was clean and very comfortable, and the ride to Ho Chi Minh City took approximately three and a half hours.
A comfortable first leg was useful. We still needed to find our accommodation and organise the next journey after arriving.
Ho Chi Minh City before the Cambodia border run
In District 1, we walked about ten minutes and found Phan House. We stayed two nights near the walking street, giving ourselves a pause between leaving Mũi Né and crossing into Cambodia.
The following day, we booked the next bus for our Cambodia border run. We arranged the trip in sections: accommodation and the next journey first, with later decisions left open.
Arrival, finding accommodation and arranging onward travel all take a share of a short stay. Those two nights gave us a pause before the international crossing.
Six nights in Phnom Penh
On 23 October, our Mai Phuong bus left Ho Chi Minh City at 11 a.m. The green coach carried the company name in large yellow letters. By 5:25 p.m., we had reached our hotel in Phnom Penh.
Our first three nights were at Apsor Palace Hotel. Steps and a central ramp led up between hedges and potted plants to the entrance. After those three nights, we moved to Chaiya Palace Hotel for another three.
Apsor Palace Hotel, our first Phnom Penh base for three nights.
Phnom Penh was the longest city stay of our Cambodia border run so far. During the day, we worked online, created content and researched our next destination. Building OG Trotter continues wherever we are staying, and deciding where to go next needs attention too.
Those hours affect how much of a place we can experience. Six nights gave us several evenings to go out, with enough time to keep working too.
Phnom Penh also gave us different ways to look at it. From above, formal gardens and gold-roofed buildings sat among lower rooftops, with newer towers beyond. At street level after dark, we photographed the Independence Monument illuminated against a black sky, its tiers picked out in warm light.
A daytime view across Phnom Penh, with formal gardens, ornate roofs and newer towers sharing the skyline.
Our most active exploring happened in the evenings, often around dinner. We enjoyed Bassac Lane, where small bars and restaurants sit close together. It gave us an area to spend time in, rather than another transport connection to organise.
We enjoyed the local food and met people we were glad to spend time with. Those encounters became part of our experience of Phnom Penh alongside the hotels, the work and the evenings out. Having several nights in the city meant there was room for all of it.
Photographs catch the visible parts of our Cambodia border run. Between them, much of our time was ordinary: working, making plans, then heading out to eat. That part matters when you want to understand how we keep travelling while building a business.
Giving Kampot another two nights
Our Cambodia border run continued on 29 October, when we left Phnom Penh by bus at 1 p.m. Our next booking was Kampot Sweet Boutique, and we liked it from the moment we arrived.
At the entrance, the hotel’s name was set against brick and grey concrete, with plants and small purple flowers growing at the base of the wall.
We had reserved two nights. We extended the stay until 2 November, making four nights in total. Choosing to stay after we had arrived and experienced the place for ourselves is the most useful recommendation we can give from that part of the trip.
Kampot Sweet Boutique. Our original two-night booking became four.
We enjoyed going down to the riverfront boardwalk, walking beside the water and looking at the French colonial buildings. Kampot gave us an outing that fitted easily around the rest of the day. We could spend time along the river and still keep working on our projects.
Online work and content creation continued. So did the research for the next destination. Staying in one place for another couple of nights gave us more time between the practical demands of arriving and leaving.
Once you have settled somewhere, you can make a better decision about whether to continue the stay. You know how the place feels to you. You have more to go on than photographs and a booking description. In Kampot, we had enough information to say yes to another two nights.
Keeping the next part of our Cambodia border run flexible made that possible. We could let the booking follow how the stay was going, then arrange the onward journey when we were ready.
From Kampot towards Koh Rong
Kampot Sweet Boutique helped arrange the ferry company and transport to the pier for our departure on 2 November. For a Cambodia border run continuing to the islands, that help with the connection was useful.
At the pier, a GTVC speedboat sat beside a blue floating pontoon, its outboard engines lined across the stern. The next leg would take us towards Koh Rong.
The next leg towards Koh Rong, with GTVC.
The hotel’s assistance covered an easily overlooked part of moving between destinations. A boat booking still needs a journey to the boat. Knowing who is arranging that connection helps keep the next travel day manageable.
Koh Rong was somewhere we wanted to experience for ourselves. As this first chapter closes, we are arriving at the next part of the trip, with more of Cambodia still ahead of us.
What our Cambodia border run taught us
Three practical choices have made a difference to how we have travelled so far.
- Leave room to extend a stay. Our two-night Kampot reservation gave us somewhere to arrive; the open days afterwards let us continue it. Accommodation and onward transport still need checking when you change dates.
- Count working hours when choosing the length of a stop. Our Phnom Penh days included online work, with most exploring in the evening. A calendar day is not necessarily a full day available to explore.
- Check each connection from your accommodation to the next departure. Confirm the pickup point, pier and timing together. The hotel’s help arranging our onward journey from Kampot was useful for that reason.
Our Cambodia border run is a record of our route and stays. Anyone planning a similar trip should confirm their own entry and re-entry requirements separately.
Cambodia border run questions
Was your Cambodia border run a same-day visa trip?
No. We left Mũi Né on 21 October, crossed from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh on 23 October and continued towards Koh Rong on 2 November. Our planned return to Ho Chi Minh City was 19 November. This was an extended working trip, with accommodation booked in stages.
How many nights did you stay in Phnom Penh and Kampot?
Our Cambodia border run included six nights in Phnom Penh, split equally between Apsor Palace and Chaiya Palace, followed by four nights at Kampot Sweet Boutique. We had originally reserved two nights in Kampot and extended the stay.
Which transport companies did you use?
Our Ho Chi Minh City–Phnom Penh coach was Mai Phuong, and the onward speedboat was GTVC. The operator for every other leg is not identified in this article.
Can you work online during a Cambodia border run?
We worked online and created content during our Phnom Penh and Kampot stays. Our experience does not establish a connection speed or service guarantee. Ask your accommodation about the connection you need before booking around work.
How much did the Cambodia border run cost?
This account does not include a verified total. A reliable cost breakdown needs the confirmed transport tickets, room rates and any transfer charges. The route table records our actual dates and stays; current prices should be checked for your own journey.
What should you confirm before copying the route?
For your Cambodia border run, check current departures, pickup points, departure and arrival piers, and the complete transfer to the next connection. Confirm entry and re-entry requirements for your passport and dates separately. Our experience records one trip, not a current timetable.
Cambodia continues before we return to Vietnam
After Koh Rong, we plan to continue to Siem Reap, then finish our Cambodian journey in Phnom Penh. We have left some of the dates between those stops open.
We plan to return to Ho Chi Minh City on 19 November, ahead of hosting our first Vietnam Unpacked group in Mũi Né. Our supported long-stay offering is part of the business we are building on the road, and that next chapter will bring us back to Vietnam.
There is music to return for, too. The Pharcyde are scheduled to play Ho Chi Minh City on 20 November, followed by Waveline Festival in Mũi Né on 21 November.
For now, Cambodia is still unfolding around our working days. We have enjoyed the food, the evenings out and the people we have met. We have also had the freedom to like somewhere enough to change a booking. Our two extra nights in Kampot are a small, concrete part of why we travel this way.
Where have you booked two nights and ended up staying longer?
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