After scouring various travel agencies in Siem Reap, I realized that there’s no direct route going to Nha Trang, although there seems to be plenty of options to some Thai islands from Siem Reap. I opted to book each segment instead.
Siem Reap to Phnom Penh
There are buses leaving Siem Reap in the morning and at night but due to some accidents with night buses in this route, I opted to book the morning bus. The cheapest one that I found (and booked) cost $4. The night bus seemed to be more expensive, the cost ranges from $7-$9. The $4 ticket includes the tuktuk pickup from your hostel and then it’ll drop you off to Siem Reap bus station and bottled water. The bus is pretty comfortable and the travel time was approximately around 5-6 hours.
Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh
You may actually take a direct bus from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh. If you want to cut the trip, you could book a bus to Phnom Penh, stay for a day and relax. From Phnom Penh I paid $8 for a bus to Ho Chi Minh. The travel time was around 6 hours including the border crossing to Vietnam. This was one of the fastest border crossing I’ve ever done. There’re not much people crossing the border, maybe because it was low (travel) season as well.
Ho Chi Minh to Nha Trang
Upon arrival in Ho Chi Minh, I immediately booked an overnight ticket to Nha Trang (sleeper bus) which cost me $9 or 180,000 Dong.
If you don’t have any Vietnamese Dong with you, might as well withdraw from an ATM or convince the travel agent to accept dollars. The exchange rate is pretty poor and you might get a better rate with a bank.
The bus that took us to HCM from Phnom Penh stopped at Pham Ngu Lao and the bus that took us to Nha Trang was also in the same place which made it very convenient.
Upon arrival in Nha Trang you can go straight to Bien Thu Street which is the backpackers area in Nha Trang or in Hoang Hoa Tham Street which is also full of affordable guesthouses near the beach.
For more advice view my Vietnam backpacking travel guide.
