A Mui Ne visa run costs about $129 on a night sleeper with an exemption stamp: $99 for the seat and the paperwork at the border, plus $30 for the Cambodian visa. A private car both ways starts near $274, and the Saigon bus route costs $50-100 from Saigon, plus the 200 km leg from Mui Ne and a full day.
How much does a Mui Ne visa run cost in total?
The packaged options run from about $129 to about $274, and a run on your own from Saigon costs $50-100. Every total includes the $30 Cambodian visa. The total depends on how you cover the 270-300 km to the Cambodian border, and four routes are in use. The prices below come from my catalogue of 22 October 2026 and from public quotes of October 2026.
| Route | Total | Time | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Night sleeper, exemption stamp | about $129 | one night and one day | a passport on the 45-day exemption with days left |
| Night sleeper, single-entry e‑visa | about $260 | the same, plus about 3 working days for the e‑visa | anyone who needs up to 90 days |
| Private car both ways | from $274 | 12-16 hours door to door | a group sharing one car |
| Own way through Saigon | $50-100 from Saigon, plus the ticket to Saigon | a full day | a traveller with a free day |
In my catalogue the stamp-only sleeper is, and the e‑visa package is about $205 before the state’s share.
Why does a Mui Ne run cost more than one from Saigon?
Mui Ne sits about 292 km from the Moc Bai crossing, which is 5-6 hours one way, while Saigon is only about 70 km away. A whole run from Saigon costs $50-100: a Grab to the border costs $35-45, and city bus 703 costs about $2 (40,000 VND).
A private taxi from Mui Ne to Moc Bai starts at $122 one way (3,080,000 VND), according to the 12go listing of October 2026. The extra money for Mui Ne is the 200 km leg to Saigon. If you plan from Saigon instead, read my Saigon run costs and routes.
The queue adds time on top: a typical stop at the border takes 30-45 minutes and stretches to two hours on holidays. Add 30-60 minutes at each post and the round trip from Mui Ne comes to 12-16 hours. That figure is my calculation from the distance, with no carrier timetable behind it, which is why runs from Mui Ne leave at night. The departure days are in the Mui Ne night sleeper guide.
Which fees do you pay whichever way you go?
Every route carries $30 for the Cambodian visa, $25 or $50 only if you need a Vietnamese e‑visa, and nothing for the exemption itself. Each fee is set by a state, and neither a carrier nor I can change it.
- Cambodian visa: $30. The tourist e‑visa has cost $30 since 1 January 2025, and the visa on arrival at the land border is also $30 in cash. Check the current fee at evisa.gov.kh.
- Vietnamese e‑visa: $25 or $50. The portal evisa.gov.vn charges $25 for a single entry and $50 for multiple entries, valid up to 90 days.
- The exemption itself: free, 45 days per entry. Resolution 44/NQ-CP gives it to citizens of a fixed list of countries, Russia among them, until 14 March 2028, as the Vietnamese foreign ministry reports. It cannot be extended inside Vietnam.
What turns a $129 run into a bigger bill?
Three slips make a run expensive: a pending e‑visa, missing dollar cash and an overstay. If you re‑enter on an e‑visa and it is still pending when the bus leaves, you are turned back at Moc Bai, because a visa on arrival exists at Vietnamese airports only. I’d treat that as the first slip to rule out, since the sleeper leaves on schedule whether the portal has answered or not. Cash is the second trap: the Cambodian visa at Bavet is paid in US dollars, and change may not be given, so bring small notes.
Overstaying costs more than any ticket. Under Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, in force since 15 December 2025, a delay of 1-15 days costs $19-76 (500,000-2,000,000 VND), and 16-29 days costs $190-380 (5-10 million VND).
You can build the trip yourself with a day bus to Saigon and a city bus to the border, but the connections eat a full day. At BestBus Vietnam I take that part: I book the nearest sleeper, file the e‑visa with Moc Bai as the entry point and pay the government fee with a card the portal accepts, all within the visa services I run. Send me your dates on WhatsApp and I will price the road and the visas as one sum.
What do you bring to the Moc Bai crossing?
Bring a passport valid for at least six months with a free page, US dollars in cash and, for Cambodia, a QR code from the e‑Arrival card. The card is free and filled in on arrival.gov.kh within seven days before travel. Without these three things the Cambodian side can turn you around.
- Cambodian e‑visa, if you want it ahead of time. It takes about three working days and stays valid for three months from issue, so file it a week before the run.
- Cambodian visa at the post. It is issued on the spot and paid in cash, which is why small notes matter.
- A paper printout of the Vietnamese e‑visa, if you re‑enter on one, with Moc Bai as the entry point.
Which option should you pick?
Pick by your remaining days and the size of your group. A single traveller with a valid exemption pays least for the sleeper at $129. The e‑visa package at $260 earns its extra money only if you need up to 90 days, because otherwise it buys days an exempt traveller may never use. A private car makes sense for a group, and city buses suit anyone with a spare day.
To match your exemption end date with a departure, message me the day your stay ends, and I will tell you which sleeper is the nearest and whether you need an e‑visa.
Methodology: Where These Numbers Come From
Every figure above comes from a state document, a price list or a public quote listed here.
- Sleeper and e‑visa package prices: price list of 22 October 2026, converted to dollars at that day’s rate.
- Cambodian visa fee: evisa.gov.kh, $30 for the tourist visa since 1 January 2025, confirmed by KPMG Cambodia.
- Vietnamese e‑visa fee: evisa.gov.vn, $25 and $50.
- Exemption of 45 days: Resolution 44/NQ-CP, valid until 14 March 2028.
- Taxi from Mui Ne to Moc Bai: 12go.asia quote, October 2026.
- Grab, bus 703 and the $50-100 Saigon budget: travel reviews published in 2026.
- Overstay fines: Decree 282/2025/NĐ-CP, in force since 15 December 2025, converted at the rate of 22 October 2026.
- Distances and travel time: calculated for the route from Mui Ne via Saigon to Moc Bai.
Frequently asked questions
How many visa runs in a row will the border accept?
Resolution 44/NQ-CP sets no cap on entries and no waiting period: each new entry opens a fresh 45 days. The officer decides at the border each time.
What if my e‑visa has not arrived by departure?
The sleeper does not wait for the portal, so a late approval costs you the next departure. Sleepers leave on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, which is why the e‑visa is filed a week early.
Can Ha Tien replace Moc Bai from Mui Ne?
Ha Tien is about 430 km from Phan Thiet, 8-9 hours on the road, so it takes about one and a half times as long as Moc Bai. It suits travellers based on Phu Quoc or in the delta, not in Mui Ne.
Can I travel with a child?
A child travels on their own passport and needs a Cambodian visa too. The seat for a child is priced separately.
