A visa run from Phu Quoc to Cambodia via the Ha Tien — Prek Chak crossing costs around $100-140 per person and takes one day if you start at sunrise. The Cambodia visa on arrival is officially $30, but you will pay $35-40 on the spot — there’s no haggling with the border guy.

I’ve crossed Prek Chak six times in the last two years, mostly on a backpacker budget. This is the route if you’re already south — Phu Quoc, Can Tho, or the Mekong Delta. It’s cheaper than flying out of Saigon and you don’t have to deal with the Moc Bai bus mafia.

Crossing at Prek Chak: what this actually looks like

Prek Chak is a small, sleepy land crossing about 8 km from Ha Tien town. There’s a Vietnamese exit booth, a 200-meter no-man’s-land you walk across (or get driven for $1), and a Cambodian entry booth on the other side. The whole formality takes 30-45 minutes if there’s no queue, and I’ve never seen a real queue here outside of Lunar New Year.

Phu Quoc island beach — visa run starting point

Compared to Moc Bai, which I did once and never again — Prek Chak is the polar opposite. No bus terminals dropping you at fake agencies, no aggressive touts inside the booth, just two countries doing paperwork in the heat. Bring water, bring patience.

Step-by-step: how the day actually goes

  1. 6:30 AM — Phu Quoc, Bãi Vòng ferry terminal. Buy a ticket on Superdong or Phu Quoc Express the day before. Walk-up tickets exist but the early run sells out in high season.
  2. 7:00-8:30 AM — Ferry to Ha Tien (90 minutes). Stash anything fragile, the open sea section gets bumpy.
  3. 9:00 AM — Out of Ha Tien port, into a pre-arranged taxi or minivan. Don’t take the first guy who shouts at you — pre-booking gets you $20-25 round-trip with wait time.
  4. 9:30-10:00 AM — Vietnam exit stamp at Ha Tien border post. If your current Vietnam e-visa is single-entry, this is where it gets cancelled. Have your new e-visa ready in PDF on your phone.
  5. 10:00-10:45 AM — Walk to Prek Chak (Cambodia side). Pay $35-40 for the visa-on-arrival. Two passport photos help speed it up, though they’ll print one for you if you forgot.
  6. 11:00 AM — Cambodia. If you only need the stamp, turn around now. Same driver, same paperwork, back into Vietnam on your new e-visa.
  7. By 5:00 PM — Back at Ha Tien port, on the afternoon ferry to Phu Quoc. Door to door, about 11 hours.
Vietnamese border gate at Ha Tien

The whole loop runs on the assumption that you already arranged the new Vietnam e-visa online before leaving. Sort that at evisa.gov.vn at least 5 business days ahead. Walk-up “agency e-visas” at Ha Tien add $25-40 on top for no good reason.

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Best Bus runs the full Phu Quoc visa run — ferry, border crossing, new e-visa — door-to-door in one day.

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Budget breakdown: what $100 visa run actually gets you

For one backpacker, no overnight in Cambodia:

Cambodia e-visa template
  • Phu Quoc → Ha Tien return ferry: $30-40
  • Round-trip taxi from port to Prek Chak: $20-25 (split if traveling with someone, drops to $10-15)
  • Cambodia visa on arrival: $35-40
  • New Vietnam e-visa (90-day single entry): $25
  • Buffer for photos, snacks, the random “fee”: $10

Total: $120-140 solo, around $100-110 if you share the ride.

Older blog posts from 2019-2020 quote $90-110 — those numbers are dead. Ferry tickets jumped, the Cambodia visa creep happened, and the random fees got more random. Plan for $130 and you’ll have spare change.

What to bring (and what’s not worth packing)

What helps:

Passport and US dollars for the border
  • Two passport photos (4×6 cm). Skips a $3 fee at the booth.
  • $200 in small USD bills. Not Vietnamese dong. The Cambodia side wants dollars, in tens and fives.
  • PDF of your new Vietnam e-visa, printed and on your phone. The ferry counter sometimes checks before letting you board.
  • A light backpack, not a roller suitcase. Prek Chak isn’t paved, and Ha Tien port has stairs.

What doesn’t help: a SIM card switch (you’ll be back in Vietnam in 8 hours), a full visa run “kit” sold online ($45 for two photos and a pen), or trying to do this in flip-flops (Vietnamese exit booth has rules about closed shoes some days).

Stretching it: turning the run into a Kampot weekend

If you want more than a passport stamp, Kampot is 90 minutes from Prek Chak by shared taxi. $5 per seat, $25 if you want the car to yourself. It’s a sleepy river town with pepper plantations, decent coffee, and rooms for $15-25 a night.

Pre-trip travel checklist

Two nights in Kampot adds maybe $80-120 to the total trip, and you come back with stories instead of just a fresh visa. Most backpackers I know prefer this over the one-day grind.

What goes wrong (and what’s actually OK)

Stuff I’ve seen go sideways:

  • Missed the afternoon ferry. Stranded in Ha Tien, $15 guesthouse, no real loss. The 9 AM ferry next day works fine.
  • Double exit stamp. Vietnam booth stamped my passport twice in a hurry. Took 20 minutes to get one cancelled.
  • Cambodia e-visa not accepted. Online Cambodia e-visa says Prek Chak is fine — sometimes the border doesn’t agree. Pay the $40 on the spot, move on.

Stuff that’s actually fine:

  • Closed-toe shoes “rule” — soft enforcement, sandals usually OK
  • Yellow fever certificate — never asked in two years
  • “Health screening fee” $1 — pay it, it’s the local kettle fund

Bottom line

If you live in the south of Vietnam or you’re on Phu Quoc anyway, Ha Tien — Prek Chak is the easiest visa run option going. Cheap, low-stress, no bus mafia. Just arrange your new Vietnam e-visa online ahead of time, bring small dollar bills, and start early.

Need help with the visa run or a fresh e-visa?

Three borders, six crossings in, and Prek Chak is still my go-to. Quiet, cheap, and you’re back on Phu Quoc by sundown.