How to get to Chau Doc, Vietnam

1. Getting to Chau Doc by Shuttle Bus

As you know, Chau Doc belongs to the South of Vietnam and the most convenient to get in Chau Doc from Ho Chi Minh city where have the largest airport in Vietnam. The distance on the road between Ho Chi Minh city and Chau Doc is 250 kilometers and you take 6 hours to go

Shuttle bus from Ho Chi Minh City to Chau Doc:

 

Chau Doc is located in the Mekong Delta river area, so you must know the geographical location as well as the distance of Chau Doc to neighboring provinces as below:

• Chau Doc is about 130 kilometers from Rach Gia. You can go by Ut Cuong Bus with VND 60,000 at 11 : 30 am from Rach Gia Bus Station
• Chau Doc is about 120 kilometers from Can Tho. You can go by Thien Thien Xuan Bus with VND 60,000 at 05 : 40 am from Can Tho Bus Station. Every 20 minutes per trip in the morning.
• Chau Doc is about 182 kilometers from My Tho, Tien Giang. Please note that no bus company operates in this cities. You can take the local minivan by asking from your accommodation.
• Chau Doc is about 110 kilometers from Ha Tien. There are mini-buses operating the Chau Doc Ha Tien road. You can come to Ha Tien Bus station for asking for more information
• Chau Doc is about 100 kilometers from Dong Thap. You can go by Canh Hoa Bus with VND 80,000 at 09 : 00 am from Cao Lanh Bus Station
• Chau Doc is about 124 kilometers from Vinh Long. You can go by Tuan Hung Bus with VND 70,000 at 05 : 00 am from Vinh Long Bus Station

If you stay in the North and the central of Vietnam and want to visit Chau Doc, you should take the flight to Ho Chi Minh city or Can Tho to catch the bus to Chau Doc according to the above information. You can take the direct bus from Hanoi or Danang to Chau Doc but the journey is so taken time and inconvenient. So, JOA will not suggest you this solution.

The Chau Doc bus station (Ben Xe Chau Doc) is east of town towards Long Xuyen which is near the entrance of city about 4 kilometers far from center cost VND 30,000 motor taxi ride. Buses from Chau Doc leave here for Rach Gia (VND 40,000 four hours), Ca Mau, Can Tho, Ha Tien, Long Xuyen, My Tho, HCMC, Soc Trang and Tra Vinh. This information is very useful if you want to get out Chau Doc to the other provinces.

Read more: How to get around Chau Doc

2. Getting to Chau Doc by motorbike

If you want to try an adventure trip, you can come to Chau Doc on a motorbike with good driving conditions to ensure your safety. You will travel from Ho Chi Minh City along National Highway 1A to Tien Giang, through My Thuan Bridge, then continue on Highway 80 going past Sa Dec and Vam Cong ferry, you will reach Long Xuyen city before arriving in Chau Doc.

There is another way to explore the border. You can run along the Vietnam and Cambodia border near Tinh Bien gate, which is about 30 kilometers from Chau Doc.

3. Getting to Chau Doc by boat/cruise

The boat in Chau Doc is used for visiting purpose. It is hard to take a boat from the neighboring provinces within the Mekong Delta region to Chau Doc except you book private cruise tour. There used to be a public boat for Can Tho - Chau Doc route but it has stopped years ago, although you can still do it by one of the expensive cruises like Mekong Eyes, Pandaw or Luxury Mekong River Cruise. They will take you to the original delta landscape and drive along the huge meandering river channels to the less explored beautiful green areas in the south of the country.

If you are the backpacker with the low budget, you should not choose this option. As mentioned above, Cruise is used for visiting purpose. You have to pay the quite high rate for renting charter cruise with your own journey.

4. Getting to Chau Doc from Cambodia by boat

Chau Doc is best-known to travelers as a border crossing with Cambodia. You completely travel to Chau Doc from this Indochine country by boat. You certainly get in any destination included Chau Doc by motorbike with visa, international business license and the knowledge of regulation and safety traffic. However, less of the tourist can travel by private means of transport through the border, so Journey on Air will not suggest this option within the article.

Read more: What to eat in Chau Doc, Vietnam

Phnom Penh is the nearest connecting city from Cambodia to Chau Doc through Phnom Den gate, Takeo province. So, if you are in Siem Reap, Sihanoukville or any famous cities of Cambodia, you should take the bus to Phnom Penh. From the capital of Cambodia you can take the  boat as below information:

Phnom Penh to Chau Doc by fast boat

Brand: Mekong Explore Cruise

Boarding Point: #87B, Str. 102, Sangkat Wat Phnom, Daun Penh Road, Phnom Penh city

Departure time: 08:00
Boat Fare: VND 650,000
Travel Duration: 4 hours 30 minutes

Phnom Penh to Chau Doc by Express boat

Brand: Hang Chau Tourist Phnom Penh

Boarding Point: International Floating Port Preah Sisowath Quay, Daun Penh Road, Phnom Penh city

Departure time: 12:30
Boat Fare: VND 400,000 - VND 600,000
Travel Duration: 5 hours

Some important tips:

• Should not use “slow boat”. A journey on a slow boat can take up to 10 hours to Phnom Penh, and the quality of the boats is not always the best (extremely noisy engine, heavy vibrations, a lot of suns and no toilet can make a 10 hours trip feel really long.
• Please apply for the visa at the Vietnam Embassy in Phnom Penh. It is more convenient, cheaper and quicker than getting at the border. Most likely, some of the tour operators will tell you, that they have to get the visa for you and that it is now more expensive or the border crossing closes soon
• You should bring enough dollars because there is no ATM and the exchange rate you get is not good. Vietnam Authority welcome USD or VND than Riel - the currency of Cambodia.